General Chat

Mo, I didnt it was a bluff....rofl...gotcha.....but I know now.....

Mo, if I visit Phil then go to visit son it will be a long tiring day. It is a one hour drive north to visit Phil then 3 hours or so south to visit son. I have plenty of interesting things I can do on the day. Just realised it is a Sunday. I wonder if I can visit our local historic society as I want to collect something from them and give them something else. Or visit somebody else re a historic society in his area. Or go and climb Rangitoto to take lots of photos. Might not be such a good idea as I had promised to take Phil up there last year and we didnt get around to it. Now where did I leave my bucket list?

Huia.

Well Huia we will be with you in our thoughts whatever you decide to do that day.
Norty Norty Jean,you caught me out then didn't you. Mwaah kissy kissy

Hi All,

It's all going on on here today. Lots of news to catch up on.

Ann, glad that you are getting over your cold and feeling better. I've been fairly busy the last few days, doing some scrap pages, and yesterday I watched quite a bit of the QVC craft day in between havinfg a couple of visitors. Alun and I will celebrate our 43rd Anniversary on the 28th of August. I was twenty when I got married--don't know where the time has gone.

Jean, I have a few of Jean Greenhowe books, including one with Christmas things in. If you would like to borrow them you are more than welcome--- I'll post them up to you if you would like them, and there would be no rush to send them back.

Mo, so you celebrate your Anniversary on the 1st of March, a good day as it's also St. David's Day. Alun was telling me this evening that the two men in work with him didn't know when it's St. George's Day, one of them knew it was sometime in April and the younger one didn't even know which month it was in. When we were in school, we were taught all the British patron saints days. Have you heard any more news of your grandaughter and nephew? I hope they are getting on okay.

Debbie, you are kept really busy with the children, make the most of it, as the time goes by so quickly and you begin to wonder where it's gone. I hope Daniel's team won at rugby. My cousin is very keen on fishing, he has entered and won a lot of competitions, just like his dad did before him.

Huia, nice to hear that you and Phil are both alright. So are you giving Ancestry a rest for a while, it's so annoying when people don't get back to you.

Marilyn, I hope you enjoy your holiday, as I'm sure you will.

Liz, when do you go to see the therapist, I know you've told me but I sometimes have trouble remembering all the different dates on here. Anyway I hope you get on alright when you go.

Marie I hope all is well with you. It can't be long now before you have
to back to the hospital. Wishing you all the best.

Sylvia, pleased that all went okay at the hospital for you. Are you still enjoying the Olympics? If I remember rightly from Sue's thread, I feel sure that your Anniversary is also in August. But I may be wrong!

Well that's all for now, speak to you all tomorrow.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Hi all


beginning to feel a little bushed! Third day out in a row, and I overdid it on Monday, so things are just getting worse. Nothing that taking it easy for a couple of days won't put right!

Sallie .... you're right. Our anniversary is August 12 and it will be 43 years this year. I was 27 when we got married .......................... a late starter!


Have been watching ice skating. Canadians won the Ice Dance on Monday ........ the first North Americans (let alone Canadian) to do so, and also the youngest ever. They were super.

The main Canadian hope for Ladies Skating lost her mother on Sunday ........ her parents flew into Vancouver to watch their daughter, and Mum almost immediately had a massive heart attack and died in hospital. Joannie Rochette decided to go ahead with competition, whith her father's and other family members encouragement ........... she's currently 3rd after the short programme. But it was extremely emotional to watch it on Tuesday evening.

Ice hockey's on that moment ..... Canada vs Russia, to see which one gets into the quarter final! Our national sport.


take care everyone



sylvia
xxxx

Oh my goodness, you lot are so chatty here at the moment. I am so pleased you have all managed to actually sort out when you all got married. I am sure we women always actually remember these sort of things - it's the men who need constant reminders. Sylvia, you were an earlier starter than me - I didn't get married till I was 32, and it's 17 years this August.

Sorry to say that Daniels team lost the rugby, not by much but enough to dent a few ego's.

Mo, I think it was you who thought I would be knackered from looking after the children. I think I am so used to it now that when we do have a day with no activities (so rare these days), we all look around for something to do. I think as a family we are incapable of slowing down. That's what holidays are for.

Jean, I'll ask Daniel to bring me some info on Roundhay Park if he can see some when he is there at the weekend. The more I hear about it the more I like the sound of visiting there. It will be a good place to take the younger 2.

Pouring with rain here today. I went on my walking course thismorning but we had to abandon it part way round. We were walking through woods and virtually up to our calves in mud, then one lady slipped and wanted to go back as she was soaked through. We all decided that it was time for us all to be sensible and return to our cars. It's a lovely walk that we were doing - Ann, just in the valley down from the Hotel Cristina, but not so enjoyable today.

I hope that all of you who are receiving medical advice are on the mend and that you are all as well as you can be.

Until next time.

DEBBIE

Hello everyone. Good to hear from you all.
It would appear I was the youngest off us all,when I got married. I was 17 in the October,and married the following February. Still a baby really.
SYLVIA, will you slow down woman. Three days out in a row,no wonder you are feeling exhausted.
My OH was up till 1.30 a.m watching the curling,but the U.K lost,yet again.
We watched Joannie Rochette skating,it was such a touching display. And when she broke down after her performance, it bought tears to my eyes.
It must have been so hard for her,but I bet she was doing it in memory off her mum.
Debbie,you must have all been soaked to the skin on your walk. It was not worth carrying on and risking an accident. It only takes a little slip to incur an injury.
What a shame that Daniels team lost. Do they have return matches,if so,they can get out there and beat the pants off them. It gives them an added insentive to try harder doesn't it.
I know that at darts,if we have been beaten by a team,we try that much harder on the return matches. It doesn't always work though,as you tend to put yourself under so much pressure,that you throw worse.
Sallie,a lot off schools dont teach children dates off importance these days
History and Geography,in particular,are totally different,from when I was at school.
I know this from what my grandchildren are learning. And a lot off work is done with the aid off their computers.
Still no news on the family illnesses I'm afraid. My brother promised to let me know how my nephew was going along. Especially as he was due to have his mask made for his radiotherapy.
And my daughter is still getting no further with her daughter,she has not told her when she is due to see the specialist re the biopsy that was done.
Such a secretive family arn't they.
I will leave you for now,but I will pop back later. Love to all. Mo xxx

Debbie, I have just googled Rounday Perk on the images site and there are loads of photos and info the other part I was trying to recall is Tropical World, I must try and go there again it was great...

Sallie, I have all the Jean Greenhowe books, this one is called
Dolly Mixtures and I have never seen it before I usually knit the big dolls , we have one Mr Jolly Jingles, I made him several years ago, we drag him out every christmas , he has become an heirloom now...lol...Thank you for the offer.

Love Jean xx

Hello Girls,
Good to see that you are all alright, and as Debbie said you're all very chatty.
Been for my usual Thursday 'chat' this morning, she's pleased that I'm slowly improving so next week we are going to talk about the next step, not too sure what she has in mind for me. One thing she did make clear, was that she isn't too happy about counselling over the telephone, she think it's better face to face with the patient. I have to agree with her.

Mo, it's a bit inconsiderate of your brother not to let you know how your nephew is getting on. Surely your brother must realise that you are concerned about his son. Your granddaughter should also have let her mum know how things are with her. Hope you hear something from them both soon, and it will be good news. Sorry your team didn't win at darts on Monday night--hope for better luck next week.

Debbie, sorry that Daniel's team lost at rugby--better luck next time. How is you sister getting along? Hope all is well with her at the moment.
You were all brave to go out walking in the wet and cold weather, especially with all the mud about. I bet you were glad to get back home to get into clean and dry clothes.


Jean, I guessed that you had most of Jean Greenhowe's books, but thought I'd offer just in case you didn't, it would have been silly spending money on them when you could have them free. Oh,that makes me look like a real skinflint, sorry! Have you done any of the dolls yet ?

Sylvia, I thought you were married in August, but didn't realise that it was the same year as me. Hope you are feeling less tired and have been relaxing more. So you sit and watch the Olympics and not feel quilty about not doing much. Enjoy yourself!

Huia, hope it is a bit cooler there and you feel a bit more comfortable now.
When do you go to visit Phil next? I hope he is well!

Hope all our other friends on here are okay.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Hi all
Sally I thought the cold was better but I feel worse today, feel really wiped out so have not done much or gone far.
So your anniversary is the day after ours and Sylvia's is the day before my birthday.

Debbie, Do you have the details of that walk written down? if so I wouldn't mind having it.

How sad about the skaters Mum dying like that, what a shock for them all, I do hope she goes on to do well for her Mum's memory.

Hi Ann, I'm sorry you're feeling worse today, rest, keep warm and take care of yourself. Hope you'll feel better tomorrow.
Looks as though a few of us got married in the month of August. We had to get married on Bank Holiday Monday, because Alun's parent's had a shop and they wouldn't close on a Saturday, so we chose August Monday, of course it was the first time the Bank Holiday fell at the end of August instead of the beginning.

Love, Sallie.xx

I hope you are being cosseted by your OH Ann. Thats the problem with this time off year,it takes ages for all coughs and colds to clear. You would have thought that all that snow would have killed the germs off.
Stay in the warm,and get better soon Ann.
Sallie,I totally agree with what the therapist says about,the over the phone
therapy. How the heck can it work,when the person on the end off the phone cannot see how the patient is reacting.
You must be progressing better than you think,if she thinks you are well enough to go to the next stage. You are doing sooo well,keep going and don't forget,you have each and every one off us,as support for you.
So now we know where our Jean gets her christmas name from (Mrs Jolly Jingles),the doll she knitted years ago. Poor J,he has to put up with her>>>>>>>>>>>but we luv her all the same.

Evening all, Ann, hope you soon feel much better, rest and drink plenty was the advice the doc gave me, it seems that you can get really dehydrated when the cold is an heavy one, but I agree with you it does take a lot out of you, we will be praying for a swift recovery....

Sallie glad to hear you are getting on with your therapy, sounds as though you are on track for a lasting recovery..... I must have made so many of the dolls over the years, I made 50 small ones for an orphanage in Romania, there was a great result from there, a little boy used wet the bed every night he was a very sad little boy, they gave him a lttle footballer doll and he never wet the bed again, he just wanted someone to love.. made it all worth while.. I also made the 15" dolls for young ladies going to uni, I was inundated with orders, but as they sell at £39.00
and there is a copyright on selling , it must go to charity, I decided not to go down that road, I still do some for peeps they just pay for the wool,or if they are friends, free.. with love....

Mo, J knows when he is on to a good thing.... not boasting but........and
you are so fortunate haveing a friend like me....rofl.......

Love Jean xx

We had some rain yesterday, and it has been quite a bit cooler, for which I am very thankful.

Tomorrow I am taking plastics, paper and cardboard to our monthly recycling at Hunua, a 9km drive away. From there I will go to visit Phil and then on to One Tree Hill in Auckland with my computer for my nephew to sort out. A full day out, so I hope this cooler weather stays.

Watching the news last night, there was a big fire in a pine forest in the South Island, fanned by strong winds. As there are pine trees near us and some gorse and native bush between them and us I started to worry about the possibility of a fire starting in the pines. I have so many treasures I would hate to lose if the house burnt down. I did start scanning some of my photos, but there are probably the best part of 20 'boot boxes' with them in. It will take me forever and a day to scan them, even though I wont be doing them all (some are out of focus, some I have no idea where they are, some are the same scene photographed on several occasions). When I get them scanned I will burn them onto DVDs and give copies to my son to care for. Or at the very least have them where I can grab and run in case of fire. Along with old books and other treasures. Must have them all in the one place.

Huia.

Jean my love,I know just how lucky I am. You don't come across someone like you very often. And I consider myself very lucky.
( I think )>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.runs quickly off the thread>>>>>>>>>>.

Hi all

Have any of you noticed that you can now click on Add, and get a reply box? PLUS, the type is larger in that box than it is in the Reply box up at the top. One of my friends on another thread noticed it.

Sallie ...... OH's parents were both pharmacists, and couldn't close their shop on any day of the year. They always had to be at least on call for part of the day, even on Christmas Day. Unless they got a locum in ...................... so we just went ahead and got married on a Saturday, and they got a locum in!

OH's sister came over to Canada about 3 years later to teach, and, of course, met someone over here. They decided to get married just before Christmas, and OH was going to give his sister away because the in-laws said they couldn't come, they hadn't managed to save enough money to pay for the trip and the locum since their trip over the previous year. Fortunately .............. a close friend of theirs was a non-practising pharmacist who still had her license, and said she would do the locum for 2 weeks, free. So they came over, attended the wedding up in the freezing north, and then had Christmas with us in Vancouver.

M-i-l always blamed us for her daughter coming over here, and then staying .......... later in her life, the blame moved from "us" to me (and my life became h**l). She either never knew or didn't accept that if we hadn't been here, my s-i-l would have gone to Australia, that was her first choice. But she then thought that having family on the same continent might be rather nice!


Huia ...... I have fond memories of One Tree Hill. We found a very pleasant and comfortable B&B near there back in 1993.

The Ladies Ice Skating Long Program is on this evening ............ I'll be watching and pulling for Joannie.

Yesterday was a great day for Canada. A Gold and Silver in 2 man bobsleigh, a Silver in short track speed skating relay, and a Bronze in long track speed skating ...... and they were all WOMEN! Then the Men's Ice Hockey beat Russia very convincingly (7-3) in the Quarter Finals.


Yes ... I am now resting more ...... I shall go out to meet OH at the coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon (about 3 hours from now), but I may just take the bus (I have to take one bus south, then transfer to another one to go north on another main road) instead of walking. It takes about 15 minutes (or about 1 km) to walk from here to there ............. and sometimes 20-30 minutes on the buses (taking in waiting time).


Take care everyone




sylvia
xxxxx

Mo.p.m.sent

Huia could you perhaps buy a small fireproof safe, we managed to buy one here, It doesn't hold a lot but has plenty of room for passports, a few DVDs a flash drive and important papers.

Sally.glad the therapy is progressing.

Hi again,

Sylvia, it's nice to know that I wasn't the only one to have a few problems with the in-laws. The strange thing is four years later when OH sister got married they decided that there would be no problem closing on a Saturday. We moved first to London, then back to S. Wales, near Swansea and then lastly to Derbyshire, I know they weren't happy with that, they always wanted us to stay near, so that on Alun's day off he could help in the shop. Thankfully things got better between me and the In-laws in later years.

Huia, I think Ann's suggestion of getting a small fire proof safe is a very good idea. Hope it will stay cool for your travels, you have a busy day in front of you. Take care!

Jean, you are very busy doing all the knitting-- the knitted toys are a great idea to so for shows and fairs. The model railway club that Alun is a member of, have their annual show on Sunday, so I tend to buy some things through the year as prizes for the tombola, so do the other members wives. I think some of the knitted dolls and toys would be ideal.
I have loads of wool, so I'll have to get started.

Mo, I feel better than I've felt for a long, long time, still got a good way to go, but I feel as though I'm very slowly getting there. My head is now starting to feel a lot clearer, and I'm now able to concentrate a bit more. So that's a plus in my book.

I'm now going to make myself a cuppa. Speak to you all tomorrow.

Take care everyone! Love, Sallie.xxx

Sylvia, forgot to say that I noticed last night that we can now add a message at the bottom of the page. Not sure if I'm keen on that, with the writing being so large.

Sallie.x

Hi Sallie


My problems with m-i-l got worse as time went by, culminating after her husband died after which she literally never had a good word to say about me .............. that lasted for about 10 years until she herself died.

The relationship was fine when we first got married, and up until about 1983/4 .................. although she was a great one for saying things like "You've done very well, but so-and-so did better". For example, OH was a good driver BUT his father was better. Our daughter played the piano well BUT her cousin up north was better ................... the reverse was said to the cousin!!.

It was as if she had to pit people against each other. Despite all her best efforts, OH and his sister (who is 8 years younger) have a great relationship, and so do our daughter and her 3 cousins who managed to survive being told that one or t'other of the others was "better".

The worst was when she told OH at least twice on trips that he made specially to see her in England that I "was no good for him, he should divorce me, and if he didn't, she would re-write her will so that if he died before her I wouldn't get one penny of her money because that was all I had married him for". (imagine very shocked look here!!).


Our saving grace was that we were over here, and she was over there, so most contact was through letters.

She did try 2 or 3 times to emigrate over here after her husband died. But she wanted to live with her daughter in the small northern town that is under ice and snow for 5 - 6 months of the year. By that time, sis-in-law was also widowed and was trying to raise 3 teenagers by herself ...... and m-i-l needed so much care that D was completely unable to do it, as well as being unwilling (and unable to afford) to buy a new house which is what would have been needed.

It would also have completely bankrupted both ourselves and D because m-i-l's pre-existing medical conditions would never have been covered under a health plan. We would have had to bear the full cost of all medications and treatment from the time she arrived to the day she died. The estimated costs for her heart condition alone were estimated in 1986 to be around $60,000 a year (or about £25,000). That was more than either family got in yearly income!

Needless to say, I was considered responsible for D telling her mother that she couldn't come.

Oh, it was one hellish time, from about 1984 to when she died in December 1993.

We were able to keep most of it from our daughter, because we so rarely saw "Grandma" in the flesh, and most of what was said was either on the phone or to OH when he visited her over in England. So we haven't tarnished J's memory of Grandma too much.




sylvia
xxxx