General Chat

Evening all,especially Fred and Liz.been cold again here today ,it has tried to rain but not much.
John is hoping to get out tomorrow,eve if he gets rained /snowed off like last time.
We had a treat tonight for tea egg and chips,we do not have it often but its Johns favourite so with it being Valentines ithought we would have a treat LOL
Got a busy week next week,with a christening on Sunday in Cheshire,then a lunch with my mates on Monday and a carvery with friends on another day and Johns stepfather is 90 on Friday but we are not sure what he wants to do.
He has gotten reall y fussy about what he eats so going out is not an option .we might just take him a cake and a bottle of Whiskey,
Glad you are managing to get in the garden a and get a few jobs done.
Have a good weekend Take care Brenda

morning Brenda ,and anyone else who happens by this way ,from a still pretty chilly Newcastle ,but ,hey ,the forecast for later today looks promising.
We had our first shins in over a week last night [yum] and i decided on a change and tried mixing in some hot horseradish sauce to the Tuna and onion mix ,and ,wow .i will be doing that again the taste was amazing ,i may even try it again with another filling to see if it's as good. :-).
Still getting a little garden done every day ,so far ,and will start getting the compost from the garden centres into the back garden over the next week.before the prices start to shoot up,but it isn't worth getting it in too soon as ,after a while the compost goes toxic and damages any seedlings planted into it.
The funeral had to be put back until Friday this next week Brenda ,the lass had no insurance ,and the money from the loan came in too late for the original arrangements to go ahead,but at least it's been re sorted okay. :-).
Glad you have gotten sorted with the meat Brenda ,my farm uses it's own beef ,and any extra he needs is sourced locally with a full history as to where it's come from .and is registered with the government meat agency ,any beef sourced from there ,and finding it's way int shops is marked with the British flag and is safe to use.,even the pork and beef sausage is marked in this way. ;-).
We have a ton of books and dbvds we no longer need ,and i need to go on the net in a few minutes and find an animal charity that i can off load the lot onto ,most of the charity shops are getting a raw deal at the moment ,and seeing as the last two lots have gone to a heart foundation ,and the other lot to a hospice ,it's time some animals had a donation ,spread it around i say ,lol. :-D.
Had the car cleaned yesterday afternoon ,but it was so cold i wouldn't let them do the inside because the wife was in the car with me ,but ,no matter ,i will get it done myself with a duster and hoover while the sun is out [he says hopefully] he he.
Hope John will get a round in early next week while the sun lasts ,that should bring on a smile after the lousy weather we have been getting. :-D.
Time to get cracking ,so i will shove off and catch you later.have a good weekend ,and take care,Fred.xxx

Evening Fred,sorry about your neice,hope you get to thr funeral ok and the weather doesn't get in the way.
John is out tomorrow after weeks of being houseband with the weather and his little health problem.He had the camera yesterday and was told everything was clear so he is a happy bunny.He was told to make sure he keeps his liquids intake up so he will not get anymore infections,!!
Meeting a girl I worked with a few years ago at CIS ,not seen her for at least 7 years so it will be good to catch up. We are having a lunch along with my friend we all worked in the same department so know each other.
Was thinking of going to my friends husbands buthers shop and doing something similar Fred.must see if my proceesor minces meat.or get Steve to mince me something just for us.
Take care Brenda x

Morning Brenda ,hope John gets a round of golf in tomorrow before the next round of snow hits you ,and us.
goiong to get the car cleaned this morning in case i don't get another chance this week ,as we have a family funeral this next Monday,my neice's :-( ,
I have been to the garage in Gateshead to order the new car ,refusing to ever go into the Newcastle branch ever again,after the last three years with a company that has a bad apple in the northern end .
Reordered the brand new model of the one i have now ,same upgraded engine ,which has never been any bother ,an upgraded navigation system and camera's on each side of the car for parking.
Took a few beetroot out of the garden this morning ,and have them in the pot cooking ,nearly done by now i should think.
After the past two weeks ,i am getting ALL my meat from my farm ,and making all my own stuff from scratch ,the son will do the sausage for me ,as he has the machine for making them.and everything else using minced meat i will be doing my own ,thank you very much ,lol,if i see a horse ,i prefer to ride it ,end of story . :-D.
Still managing to clear the garden in between housework ,snow showers and rain , a tad slow ,but i am getting there ,including starting to get this years garden supplies in ,such as compost and the like.
Well that's it for now ,the binmen have been ,and i can get out to get a little shopping ,and get the car cleaned before the snow arrives.
Catch you later all .Fred. :-) xxx

Hello Fred ,Liz and anyone else looking in.
We have a sunny ,but very cold day here today,hope it stays like this tomorrow,we are hoping to go to Bury Market .
We are ok for most things in the shopping fred even got some dried veggies a nd pulses but will have to see how we go with them.
Good on you about the car and garage ,John did something simiar a few years ago before he started using the Foord garage he uses now,
Glad all your testes are ok and Fred is .back to normal .
John is back to normal ,but says he will know better how he is when he gets to play golf next Wednseday.He has the camera next Monday <which he aint looking forward to at all !!! :
We are using the bread maker more and he made a lovelly white loaf yesterday ,it was from a packet ,and used marge instaed of oil,but was really light!!

David has been on holiday this week and has been doing a few bits and peices tidying up the garden,We need to sort out the sheds as we are supposed to get a new one this year.The other two are all but falling down so we are getting on e larger one.
Better get on and anser a few emails.
Have a good weekend Take care
brenda

Good morning all ,from a sunny [for a change ] north east of england,and where the old git is feeling better now that the diabetic tests have been done for the first of two [hopefully ] this year ,assuming that yesterdays show up as okay. :-).
We are going through to Gateshead this morning to see about the new car ,which has to be ordered by the middle of next month ,but i refuse to go to Nissan in Newcastle which is badly run ,with no one from the manager down ,showing any interest in their job.We were in the Newwcastle one two weeks ago to sound out the ly of the land ,so to speak ,and once the sales team found out that we were looking early to see about options ,they weren't interested.
Funny that ,as we found Ford and Vauxhall ,Toyota were the exact opposite ,sooooo ,if the Nissan garage are on the ball and helpful ,there will be an email and complaint going in to Nissans head office about the Newcastle mob of misfits ,lol.
had a couple of good days over the last week Brenda ,in that i have managed to get into the garden and start the clear out of the brassica patch so i am getting an early start despite the cold and ice :-D.
Had a reply to my last email from Dorothy ,she is full of busy after the trip away ,but is now home and sorting the house out ,as you have probably found out.
Had the daughter here yesterday after her hospital appointment ,and made her ,and us a nice chicken curry ,Thai style ,but chopping everything down small because she is still having jaw problems ,and i have to say ,it was very tasty and i made plenty so that she could take some home with her ,along with one of the large containers of Colgannon as well ,,but i have heard on facebook this morning that the grand daughter snaffled the curry as soon as it reached the flat :-| so said daughter is in the norty corner with me today he he.
Hope you manage to get some shopping time in while this weather lasts Brenda,and hope John is still recovering well. :-).
I relaxed a tad last night after the blood tests and had myself a muffin ,and four dark choccy biccies with my after tea drink ,[smacks my wrist]before the wife can do it ,and that's me in the norty corner as well .lol.
Catch you later ,Brenda ,have a good day. Fred & Liz .xxx

Hi Fred ,all the snow was gone on Sunday ,but caused a few problems while it was here.
We had to be pushed up an incline to get out of the golf club on friday after my brother in laws 60th birthday party. mind you we weren't on our home,the staff at the club were gtreat.
Not been out shopping today had a few other things to do .It only started to rain about 4 o'clock,
Don't blame you having words with the neigbour about parking across your drive.
Just having a chilli tonight I made two the other week and froze one and this is the frozen one, doing plain boiled rice with oi.
Better get on with the tea,David keeps asking when it will be done,
Take care Brenda xx

Bet you is out shopping Brenda ,before the rain and winds arrive he he ,been doing housework this morning ,that and doing a au gratin dish for dinner ,with lots of diced carrot ,peas ,chopped up bacon [cooked] and some meat left from yesterdays main meal
:-).
Most of our snow has gone now ,thank goodness ,but i have had to check the patio door barrier to make sure it's still okay ,what with the high winds and heavy rain due plus the melt water lying in the garden ,i already have a lake out back between the greenhouse and the patio step. :-(,canny win in this sort of weather can we ?.
Still we are tons better off than Oz and other places round the world ,so i suppose it's not the sort of thing to make much of ,we are veeeery lucky compared to most.
Time to go and start the rest of dinner ,this was really to rescue the thread from going over the edge ,lol,be back later on ,Fred .xxx :-D

Afternoon,Fred,we have been having snow flurries all morning,and thought it was getting thicker,but its stop again now.Tonight we are out at a family do and half expect to be snowed in at the venue,which is at one of the highest points in North Manchester ! hope they have a hot buffet. Been for some shopping at Tesco but need some stuff from Morrisons ,will go there tomorrow ,weather permitting as its not far from the library and I need to go there as well.
Having a spaggetti bolagnese for tea,.Tomorrow we are having leg lamb ,and a roast dinner.then on Sunday we are having visitors and I will use the cold lamb and some cheese and salad and some frozen buffet/party things we did not use at christmas.Well thats the plan but the weather could scupper them.
We do not have a drive and park on the road so do not have to do that much digging out.We do try to clear part of the pavement putside the house but not many do that anymore so the street pavements get ver rutted..
Have an errand to do before 4 pm so better get a move on.
Take care Brenda x

Morning all ,bit better here this morning after i have cleared the road outside the drive gates ,10 feet either side ,ouch ,i had to have it done as i had one hell of a job getting over the hard ice ruts in the centre of the road to reverse up the slope into my drive ,and finished off going in frontwards instead. :-(.
Not the ideal situation ,as i need to be able to get out in a hurry with the missus for the hospital if i have to ,but never mind ,it's done now ,and when we come back to day from picking up her tablets from the docs ,i will be able to get in the normal way.
Sorry our Brenda ,but if the forecast is correct ,it's your turn for the hammer ,with a lot of snow due down there from early evening ,and over night before it comes our way ,me i ain't bothered one i get the rest of the supplies in ,that will see us okay for over a week and a half .
Just had a horrible thought Brenda ,it's 11 months to Christmas eve [ducks to avoid the snowballs ,and worse coming my way ,he he] but it will give you some practice for the coming Christmas in Snow conditions. :-).
Everything is up to date in the house so it's time for a lazy day ,and nothing to see to but the tea.
Yesterday we decided on Mexican wraps for tea instead of the perogies ,so we will have them today instead.
Take care ,and stay warm ,Fred :-D

Evening all.Hello Cannie annie,not sure what you mean,but as I have not done any researching for a long time don't think I coukd answer any questions anywayYou might be better going on one of the other boards were they have people to help.
Well Fred what are you like ,doing everything all at once.we aint getting any younger you know..!!
Hope you do not get any more snow,don't want any here either.But what will be will be.
Just having a lazy night tonight, watching a bit of tv and then an early night to have a read,Finally been advised that a book I requested at the library is now in,hope to get it weekend.
take care Brenda

Afternoon folks Fred is darned sore this pm and has had to have a lay down upstairs after coming back from the shopping.
There was a window in the snow forecast with a slow [and i mean slow ] thaw until mid day tomorrow ,so i set to at 8 am and got cracking with the snow shovel ,moving the nights snow fall from the back garden path ,the front path up to the gate and the little path from the gate to the road .so that i could get the bin back out.
Had a hot cuppa ,put my gloves back on ,and started the heavy work ,lol,6 inches of snow to move from my drive way ,up to the double gate ,then round through the garden gate to the other side of the drive gates and cleared the path ,and drive to the road ,which i then gritted ,all of it :-(,so that i could get the car out.
Shopping done with the thought that we could well be snowed in again this week end so got the few extras ,i then brought the missus home ,unloaded the car ,put the stuff away ,and got the dinner. before collapsing on the bed in the back room ,lol.
I brought 8 wraps home today ,which i am going to do for tea ,Mexican style ,a hot sauce with diced chicken sweet peppers ,a diced sweet potato and a few other odds and ends ,a nice warming tea and a laze in front of the tele' or play a game on the hd kindle . :-).
Not a lot on tomorrow ,housework ,and some veg' for the dinner ,likely a cabbage ,Savoy] and some brussels ,to go withj a perogie dish ,made with grilled ,diced bacon , some veggies ,like diced carrot ,and onion ,some peas ,and thin slices of potato to lay on top of the dish ,with a nice pasta sauce ,and grated Cheddar,all with a few pre 'cooked roasties ,he he can't be bothered to do them from scratch this time.
They say next month is going to be pretty bad Brenda ,but followed by a very mild March /April .bring it on i say ,lol. :-D.
Still can't get near my bins ,and the potatoes ,but they should be okay until mid March anyway,and i am thinking of using big growing bags this season as well ,that way i can tip them out into the bins making it a lot easier,things are getting a little harder for me each year now ,and i think in 2 or 3 years i may have to do away with all the growing other than the greenhouse and my boxes for the carrot ,onions and parsnips ,oh well ,into each life ,a little rain must fall. :-).
Glad to hear you didn't get hit too hard with the white stuff ,you lucky lot ,some people were lucky this time ,lol.
catch you all later ,Fred Liz& the cat ,who is asleep upstairs as usual .xxx :-D

hi
am up here in Lancashire, trying to get on the right dates, I hate the dreaded dates , I cannot always get the times right, it look like you have been doing this for some time now, so its hello from me, and a happy new year,

Afternoon all,well Fred we are still very cold,or rather freezing here.!! but have nothing like you have in snow.
Round the main roads and shops etc is clear but very slippy in places,Further out and in the parks it is still under a few inches of snow.
Had an errand at the Club house at the golf course where john plays,my sister has booked it for my brother in laws 60th on Friday,it looked really lovelly with all the snow and they had left the fountain on in the middle pond to keep so the birds would get a drink.
We have been out twice this wek and I am out tomorrow and maybe Thursday but I am not that sure ,will see what it is like on the day.
Keep yourself and Liz warm,Fred and those brussels will be ok for a while ,or why not shred them in a stir fry?,
Take care Brenda x

morning Brenda ,glad to hear that you had a reprieve from the snow forecast ,but we wern't as lucky ,lol.
I had a day off from snow clearing yesterday because i was cold ,and feeling lazy after the housework,but had to shift 6 inches off the paths ,front and back this morning ,in case our bin men manage to get round ,i doubt it of course ,but no matter ,i have done my bit.
havn't cleared the drive yet ,but will do that this afternoon ,hoping that it will thaw a bit over the next two days so that i can get the car out onto the road ,which by the way ,is a little better now and is just usable ,with care. :-).
Looks like a perog'y day tomorrow ,something nice and warming needed ,after going out in the back to get some veggie out of storage ,today i am making the wife a cauli' cheese ,and myself a macaroni cheese ,with some nice new potatoes and carrots from the greenhouse ,enough cabbage left from yesterday to save me cutting another one.
Ruddy women ,grrrrr ,i spend six months growing some beutiful brussel ,and have a load and a half in the back ,and the wife says ,oh ,i just don't fancy them at the moment ,no pleasing some females ,huh. :-P.
Time to crack on ,with plenty do do after getting some feeling back in me poor tootsies ,ouch ,it was ruddy freezin' out there this a m. :-D.
Catch you later peeps ,Fred.xxx :-)

Afternoon all..we have not had as much snow here as we were led to beleive we would get,but it is still very very cold and slippy out side.
I have not been out side since Friday afternoon,not even to empty the kitshen waste bin.
John and David have been out ,Davi to the match yesterday and to keep his bir d
feeeders filled .
John has been out for papers this morning.
Made a very nice spagetti carbanara last night,but it was a Slimming world recipe and was really nice and not that exspensive.
Having a peice of brisket for tea,love the gravy it makes,!!!doing some baby potato ,cabbage and carrots and swede ,might do a tin of butter beans as the ones I did and froze have been used will get some more and dothem in the week.
Also got a reipe from my friend for a chilli made with Black eyed beans and veg,which I will do in the week.and let you know.
At the doctors again tomorrow for another presripton for the increase in my medication.,might call on my friend on the way home for a coffee.if she is free.
My sister was in France sking last week and they got held up coming home for 3 hours,which was not that bad.One of my neices was held up coming home from London the other day by train,the first 4 got cancelled and the 5th was packed,then it stopped due to something being frozen,took nearly 7 hours altogether,to get to Manchester ,she lives up in the hills near \hyde and thought she would have more trouble getting there but did not.
Hope the expected snow for tomorrow and the rest of the week does not appear as I am supposed to starting a new keep fit. class on Tuesday night.And out with my youngest sister and her friend on Thursday.
Going to do some ironing now before the football starts ,then might bake some blueberry muffins.
Take care and keep warm
Brenda.x

Morning to Brenda ,and anyone else who are trapped on the old homestead he he,i am not bothering to go out and clear the paths and drive ,because there has been nothing with tyres or tracks up ,or down our street since Friday night :-).
Made a nice soup this morning with the tiny bits of meat i got off the chicken carcass after boiling it up .along with a little stuffing i got off the dinner tray.
The missus chopped up one of the parsnip from the garden ,two carrots ditto and even a little shredded cabbage,which i have thrown in,added a new potato chopped ,salt pepper ,and it is now simmering nicely on the cooker,i will come in handy for the tea tonight.
The left over potato ,and cabbage i will chop into largish pieces and heat up in the frying pan with a little olive oil ,and have taken 2 burgers out of the freezer and 4 bangers which i will cook on the electric grill ,to take all the fat out,he he ,a little horse radish sauce ,or mustard on those ,and we will have a nice quick dinner.
Stripped the other side of the bird off the bone in one piece along with the other leg ,and it is in the freezer for another meal for the near future :-D,We have warnings out again for heavy snow late this evening and overnight ,with more on Monday and Tuesday,. hmmmmmm ,time to keep checking to make sure my feathered friends have seed ,fat balls pea nuts ,and dried meal worm ,along with fresh water.otherwise the poor little mites won't survive these temperatures for long :-(.
Going to make a couple of hot coffee's now ,and then it's the dusting to keep myself warm ,and mobile,catch you all later ,Fred & Liz xx

Hi Fred,we used to do our own burgers years ago,we had an old fashioned mincer and used to mince the steak ourselves.John did a bit if butchering when he first left school and makes a mean burger.Which was just as well as at one time burgers mince and sausage was all david would eat.!!
We have been shopping to Day and stocked up on a few things.We cancelled going to Bury I did not fancy shivering round the market.Will have to wait till its a bit warmer!!! Good job we do not need that much from there just yet !!
we are having chicken tonight with one of those cook in bag and spices. which are really nice.
Better get my coffe drank ,
Have a good weekend and take care
Brenda xx.

Morning to alllllll,on a cold and frosty morrrrrning with snow on the way traaaa laaaaa :-D.
Fred don't give a damn ,lol,our last outing to stock up on the odd bits and pieces ,the snow sox are on the car just in case ,and it's now a weekend in the warm ,with plenty to keep me going,and the missus is quite happy playing games on her Kindle fire during the day ,and reading in bed on the reader at night.
I did buy two trays of steak mince at Morrisons when out and noticed that they had a bigger tray holding nearly 25 ounces less ,for £1 more bloody disgusting i calls it ,ripping people off that way ,i spotted at least 4 items in the same store where you pay more ,for less buying one tray instead of two ,no wonder Morrison,s are going downhill.
Any way ,after the burger scandel ,we are back to making our own ,using steak mince ,and herbs out of the garden ,and pork burgers ditto ,both a lot tastier than shop brought anyway ,lol,the only ones i will be buying ready made now are from the farm where i buy my meat and poultry for Christmas and easter ,at least i know what i am getting there ,and i get all my bangers from there anyway.
The meat products are a little dearer yes ,but the taste is far better,and there is no rusk or garbage in their stuff ,even the turkeys die happy ,being fed grain soaked in wine for two months before they get topped ,,and the colour of the meat is amazing as well as the taste.
I won't be picking veggies from the garden today seeing as i did that yesterday ,so ,apart from burger making this morning ,and deciding what to cook for dinner ,a fresh chicken,not frozen ,corn fed of course,or steak and kidney ,or even liver and onions.whatever we don't have today we will have over the next few days,people of leisure ,that's us.
Every time i see my haggis in the freezer i drool ,he he ,i found a vegetarian one which i am going to try and still have half a normal one in the freezer ,which i will cook up as well ,just in case ,but seeing as the veggie one is by Grants of Roxbrough who have a heck of a reputation to uphold ,i can't see it being at all bad.
This afternoon i will crack on and get the whole house hoovered and use the pelmet brush on the skirting boards and picture frames ,leaving only the doors and furniture to dust tomorrow
Looking at your weather Brenda ,i hope you got your trip to Bury in yesterday before the white stuff arrives ,he he looks like you are the ones who will be next in line after the worst of it is dumped in Wales [poor lot of beggars ] first flooding and then landslip ,and now the worst snow in years on top of it all,i really love Wales ,and the people and really feel for them at the moment ,hope Jude is okay and holed up in her cellar or kitchen with plenty of firewood for the stove,and hope that they have snow sox on their transport.
Well ,time for me to get on with the burger making and dinner ,so i will catch you later ,.take care down there lass ,you are going to cop it much worse than we are up here Fred.xx

evening all hope everyone is keeping warm or aswarm as they can,
This weather is awful. feel sorry for older people and less able bodied.
Take care brenda