General Chat

Margery, leg warmers have been on sale here this winter amongst the fashion conscious. Thicker tights and over the knee socks too. Google for them.

Hullo Anne, Sylvia, Theresa, and welcome to Syljo,
We live in a changing world Theresa and yours seems to be changing a little bit quicker. I have days like that, have just been to Perth 200kms round trip for a special reason and then left all the paperwork home.

Syljo I haven't heard the word leg warmers since the early 80's when it was a bit trendy to wear close fitting tights with leg warmers on and a big thick jersey. I still have a couple of pairs somewhere in case the weather turns cold.
Speaking of cold it is 26.3C at 4p.m. here in W.A. and this morning early ,it was, dare I say it, distinctly nippy when we left home.

While we were in San Fransisco we walked around Union Square and went into one of those big expensive department stores and then walked out of another door and were in an awful looking sleazy street with all sorts of shady looking people. I nearly died of fright so we walked along a bit with everyone staring at us until we came to another shop doorway and went in just to get off that street.
People in the Hotel we stayed at had told us about the latest murder of tourists in Union Square and to be careful. After that we used to ride around on the trams and do short bus trips. Every time we opened our mouths we had an interested crowd listening to us speak. Apparently we have a fuuny accent.
The homeless people lining the streets with all their posessions, cats and dogs, kids and bird cages was what shocked me the most. I used to keep a lot of change in my pocket and give it to them. Thought we'd gone to a third world country instead of the land of the free and home of the brave.

Perth is not a very safe place at night either. The number of people who get belted over the head for doing nothing but going about minding their own business is horrendous. Many of them are left permanently incompacitated if they don't die in hospital first.

Theresa Tarcoola was once a railway workers settlement just two rows of houses with a big wide road between them. We had to wait there a couple of hours for the Indian Pacific freight train to come along. We waited in the Pub as there was nothing else there and met two elderly Railway Inspectors. One of them was the man who every year dressed up as Santa Claus and used to travel with the train delivering presents to all the children in all the little settlements and outlying farm properties along the Nullabor.

Sylvia, (Holland) welcome to the thread, lovely to see you on here, I never think of you as old because you are so young at heart and always off doing things or baking, making cards etc. Come back and see us again.

Sylvia Canada, Now S Africas is a place I will never get my OH to go to.

When talking about places I felt uncomfortable in the states. I forgot this one, we were driving around Las Vegas looking for our hotel which was not on The Strip, all of a sudden OH says (4 of us in the car). 'lock all the doors now'. We did. He had spotted some very dubious looking characters. Having said that he always reckons the safest place you can be in US is walking down the strip in Las Vegas, he reckons it is Mafia controlled and nobody dares cause a problem on their patch.

And.... there are many places I don't feel safe in UK!!!!

Hi everyone


and a special welcome to syljo .... from another Sylvia!


Marjery ..... I know exactly what you mean!

We lived in the US (Texas) for a year 1967/68, we were Registered Aliens .


...... so now you know what I really am!!!


It was the year that Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were both murdered.

Not a good introduction to an innocent from the UK who had never even seen a gun!

I almost never feel safe in the US, I am always watching what is going on round about me. There are some places I really like ...... San Diego, San Antonio, we've had a lot of fun in Arizona, Oregon adn Washington State .......... but I still don't feel comfortable most of the time that I am out and about even in those places.



There are also places that I don't feel comfortable in in Canada, of course.

But to me, Canada is a much calmer, quieter place


I think we do tend to let our guards down when we are on holiday .............. and we shouldn't!




We rode The Indian Pacific from Perth to Adelaide, and then The Ghan from Adelaide all the way to Darwin in 2006 ....... but of course, it was a touristy train by that time!!

We took the train from Johanesburg to Capetown in 1975 ...... and that was fun



sylvia

Hi all,
Yes, I have dared to join the site too. I have had a not so nice time on a site a couple of years ago but since then have joined two sites and quite enjoy them I might add. There sound some very familiar names here too.
I hardly tell you my age, or you may think I'm too old, but really I'm not. I worked until I was 63 and since then have suffered 3 cancer operations as well as diabetic etc.etc. I now have Apneu, which is the reason for my dizziness and lack of concentration etc. but I'm very positive. My two grandchildren don't think of me as an old grannie.
I have a scootmobile and love to get round the shops here when I can. I went out today but the wind is still icy cold. I bought myself some knitted leg warmers today as they are expecting snow again this weekend. Is it never going to end? We've now had snow on and off since last December.
Oh, I live in Holland and have lived here since 1968 so consider myself more or less Dutch now.
I don't know whether I'll ever get to England again now as Johan,( my oh) is almost 85 and doesn't want to go to England again.
Will say goodnight for now, sleep well, Sylvia xxx

Oh dear Tess, a bad hair day in more ways than one. At least you got your books!!!

Marjery, I will look up the places you travelled through later.
Have been out and just catching my breath, need a cup of tea and a rest.

It has been one of those days.... I thought that I was so organised.
Had booked a hair-cut at the College in town, and was taking my Library books back too, as the College and the Library are near each other.

I hate to be late, so arrived for my hair appointment ten minutes early. Only to be told that I was ten minutes and TWENTY FOUR HOURS early!

So went to the Library, to return my books, then found that one of them was TWENTY FOUR HOURS late! (which incurred a fine).

Paid my 12pence fine and got some new books. (for the GReaders group).
Now I had time to spare. I have been trying to get through to the CAB on the phone was days. I have either got the engaged signal, or it rings out for five and a half minutes and then cuts off (after an automated message).
So thought that I would use my unexpected 'free time' to visit the CAB Office nearest to me. Got a bus from town to the CAB and found that it was CLOSED, with the shutters down, and no info. visable to say when they would be open again. (There was however a different phone number above the shutters).
Didn't want to have made a wasted (extra) journey, so thought that I would go to the Charity shop, which is a little way down the road and on the other side from the CAB office. I could see the Charity Shop sign, above the shop, so crossed the road to find that ... IT ISN"T a CHARITY SHOP ANYMORE!!!!!!
There are net curtains in the windows and glass fronted door, with nothing to indicate what is happening.

I have just realised that with all this going on, I have forgotten to get any milk Ahhhhh!!!!

At least now I don't need to go and get my hair cut .......
I have pulled it all out in frustration!!!

As I say, it has been one of those days!

Tess

Marjery there will always be people to put you off and to be honest I didn't find Canada any cleaner or dirtier than anywhere else. I always found the US to be clean, the only places we were ever nervous were one, when we stayed near the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and two when we stayed at a cross roads somewhere in Utah and it was very near an Indian settlement area and there were lots of mangy looking dogs roaming around

We went to Los Angeles in 1992 purposely to go to Disneyland
Flew from Perth to Sydney and connected straight away for L.A. arriving half an hour before we had left Sydney after a seventeen hour flight.
How amazing is that but we crossed the date line. It took us thirty two hours from leaving home for the journey so had a tour of Hollywood to fill in the day.
Also caught a train from L.A. to San Fransisco and walked over the bridge with my heart in my mouth as they had had a big earthquake a few months before.
We flew from there to Hawaii and went to all of the islands as it is something I have always wanted to do ever since I heard about my great grandmother and two of her daughters going for a cruise there in the 1930's. from N.Z.
When we got home people who had been said that we should have gone to Canada instead of America as it is cleaner and safer.
We had so many warnings about don't go here or there or do this or that I didn't really enjoy it all that much although it was interesting.
I have done a lot of travelling in steam trains Theresa in the North Is of N.Z. when they used to run and I have been on the Ghan from Alice Springs to Tarcoola on the Nullabor and from there to Kalgoorlie. We weren't in the Passenger train though but on the Goods train.

Sounds like a lovely way to travel (The Canadian) Sylvia.

We have never been to Australia or N Zealand but have been to the US quite a few times.

New England and Vermont (not in the fall though

Boston to Niagara and back to the coastal area at Rockport

Los angeles to Palm Springs, Las Vegas and then the Canyons (Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Archers to name a few)

Los Angeles to Phoenix, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Yosemite, San Fransisco and Disney Land Las Vegas

Atlanta, Cherokee, Nachez, Smokey Mountains, Chatanooga, Nashville, Memphis (Gracelands), Baton Rouge, New Orleons

Disney World five times, some of which were linked to a week at Clearwater.

I do feel lucky to have been able to do these trips and see so much of such a vast and interesting and in some cases awesome country.

I have only been to the USA once. A quick trip to New York, managed to see an Ice Hockey Match, between an American team and a Canadian team.
We went up the Empire State Building and The Twin Towers. Walked across The Brokyln Bridge (from Broklyn). Saw "Kiss me Kate" at the Theatre. Went to Central Park, a Museum, several shops and restaurants.Travelled on the Stratten Island Ferry. In fact, packed a lot into a few days!

Have never been to Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

Travelled a lot on steam trains in the UK and Ireland when I was a child. I thought that it was really posh to go in a train with a corridor!

Have cousins in Colarado who love steam trains. They have been on steam trains in many parts of the world, including, I think, Canada and New Zealand. I quite envy them at times.

I have been on the (almost) local, Severn Valley Railway. But it only does day trips. My niece and her husband, had their wedding reception on the train nearly five years ago! It was great.

Hi all

So glad to hear that so many of you have enjoyed visits to Canada.

It is our adopted country, and we love it. The cooler parts of Australia or New Zealand would be our choices if we had to move from here

Marjery ....... they do indeed still do that coast to coast train trip! There is now only one route ...... the Northern one via Jasper, Winnipeg, etc.

We first rode the train across back in 1972, when there were 2 routes. We went by the southern route, and that train went all the way to the East Coast without you having to change trains. But that route was taken off many years ago.

We do it at least once a year because our daughter lives in Nova Scotia. If we go to visit her in spring through autumn, we fly over there and take the train back. We do it both ways by train when we go in the winter, for Christmas.

Our next trip will be at the end of April. J's expecting a baby on March 30, we're flying over there on April 8 (hoping "it" has arrived), and returning by train. We leave Halifax on April 19 and arrive in Vancouver on April 24

.... yes, it takes 5 nights and 6 days. It is possible to take breaks along the route if you want ....... Jasper, Toronto, Montreal, etc


The trip requires taking 3 trains ................... The Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto takes 4 nights and 5 days. The daylight commuter train from Toronto to Montreal takes about 6 hours. Then The Ocean from Montreal takes from about 8pm to the following mid-day.

The Canadian uses the original stainless steel carriages built in the 1950s, with the domed car and art deco-style dining car. The Ocean and the dayliner are modern ......... in fact the carriages on The Ocean were bought from England and have had to be adapted to Canadian use.

The food is superb!!


I can thoroughly recommend it.



The sun is shining today!



sylvia
xxx

Hallo Marjery, as I said I would only go on that cruise if we could afford one of the luxurious outside cabins so i guess we need to win the lottery. I don't 'do' cruises but looking at the scenery it does look spectacular.
Jill the Ice Fields are beautiful aren't they? Mind you on that trip we were spoilt for choice to pick out our favourite part, from Vancouver which was lovely, to all the mountains across the Rockies, Banff and Lake Louise, the huge expanse of the plains of Montana,Glacier Park which was recovering from the awful fires at the time and Yellowstone with the geysers and Mammoth Hot springs with all the calcification, Beautiful mountains and rivers. And I have to pick just a couple of photos for my scrap pages to depict the holiday!!!

Sylvia, I am glad that they eventually left the statue there she is beautiful.

Hullo Sylvia I would say that you are dead right in your analysis of our capitals and yes W.A. is the cinderella state as for as the East is concerned.
In the 1980's we had the most millionaires,Rolls Royces,boats and drank the most Champagne and we are still the richest state.
I lived a third of my life in N.Z. and never made a skirt or a basket, never mind walked the Heaphy track. Never even been to see the glow worms but I have done the same South Is. bit you have done when we have been back on holiday. I didn't know Captain Kirk was a Canadian. I was a great fan of his.
My grandfather was going to emigrate to Montreal in 1920 but changed his mind at the last moment and went to N.Z. instead.

You are in the right place more or less to be one of my rellies Persephone, I shall have to have a look at my Auckland street map. When I feel a bit homesick I look at the Real Estate section on Trademe to see if I can find a nice house in the country somewhere.

How many sheep have you got Jill and what sort are they? I suppose they speak French, I learned it for four years at school and still remember a lot but we never learned conversational French . Any nice wineries near you and do you knock up French culinary triumphs for dinner or do you just stick to what you know.? Your area sounds nice. I make a point of watching the Tour de France every year just to look at the scenery. There are some lovely parts of France.

Good evening Ann it was a bit cooler here to-day and there is a little hint of Autumn in the air in the early morning. Can't wait til it cools down so I can start reorganising my garden. March used to be my lift it and shift it month.
I know one or two people who have been on that cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, they say it is lovely. I always fancied a trip from coast to coast on the train but I don't know whether they do that any more. My daughter wants to go to that big shopping centre in Calgary I think it is or Edmonton..

Good morning
Ann and Silvia, about 15 years ago we crossed the ice fields from Jasper to Banff while on an extended ski holiday, it was spectacular. Do hope to get back to Canada but exchange rate is so bad at the moment and it puts a lot extra on the total price for a trip.
We are still waiting on the last two sheep to birth and are in doubts about one, she will surprise us now and have one :)
It was a lovely day yesterday but its all change today and very chilly over here, still not long until Spring. I picked some daffs yesterday, still in tight bud but will soon flower and lovely to see a touch of green showing on our lilac .
Have a good day

x Jill

Yes

the girl in a wet suit is in Stanley Park


Can you believe, but when the artist first installed it there ....... the city and parks removed it within days.


Well, he had done it without permission! But still, they were so stuffy about it!

I think it was after the 3rd installation that they got the idea that everyone else did want it ....... so it has stayed.


That was quite a trip you had.



s
xx

No, that is actually interesting, I loved the hotel, so 'old wordly' with cocktails in the lounge in martini shaped glasses with an olive. I seem to remember when we arrived from Seattle we had trouble finding where to park the cars (two couples a car each).
We liked all of Vancouver. Grouse mountain was great, especially the carvings although the chairlifts were really dangerous, could easily break a leg getting on or off.
Canada Place we couldn't believe the size of the ships that go up to the Arctic, beautiful but i decided I wouldn't go unless I had one of the outside cabins.
Gas Town was a bit touristy but fascinating if you took time to read all the blurb around and we liked the steam clock (it must have all made an impression because I can remember it all clearly and it was 12 years ago.
Stanley park was one of the nicest parks we've been in, was it there that there is the statue of the girl in a wet suit?

Would like to return one day but I doubt if we will. We went on from Vancouver up to Banff and then the Ice fields, then on to Glacier Park, Yellowstone Park, Spokane and back to Seattle.

oops Ann


yes, I did see your posting, and as you guessed, I forgot about it when I was posting ..... I've got the attention span of a flea at times!

I hope you enjoyed your time here? Exciting in parts!!!


The Georgia Hotel is undergoing renovation ................. the parking garage that was behind it has been replaced by a 48 storey block of apartments, but the old hotel has been retained. The number of rooms will be reduced by about half as they have combined rooms together to make larger ones. A lot of the old features have been uncovered after being hidden for years, others are being renovated or fascimiles made. The oak-panelled lobby, firepace, and intricate brass on the elevators will remain.

Did you realise that there were 3 elevators, but only 2 of them actually worked? There was a little piece on the TV a couple of weeks ago ...... apparently the 3rd eelvator was never installed, but it has been now! So they have almost half the number of rooms and 1/3rd more elevators!

The hotel has been closed now for at least 2 years, but they hope to re-open it in the next few months.


It has been wrapped in a gigantic Canadian flag for the last 4 or 5 weeks.

I think the new name will be Rosewood Hotel Georgia



and that's probably more than you wanted to know!!!




s
xxx

Sylvia did you see my post re our Vancouver photos 14.40 yesterday, you didn't remark on it so guess you got caught up with talking to other people.

Good morning /afternoon to you all

Marjery, I live in the Maine et Loire which is one of the five departments that make up the Loire region of France. We are lucky as where we are is a little hillier than the rest of the flatter region and our house is one of the highest about so no chance of flooding even though we can see the river.
We live 5 miles away from a village and just have a few farmers as neighbours and the french that live in rural France are lovely people and we have made several close friends.Rural France tends to be like UK 30 years ago :)
Its a lovely frosty sunny start to the day so hope it stays nice as started the same yesterday but by afternoon was pouring down.
Better go and get some bits done as time flies by sat on here with the PC :))

xx Jill