General Chat

Hello my friends. I have just been down on my hands and knees,to my son,begging for a few minutes on here,to wish you all "A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS" and a prosperous and healthy new year.
I phoned today,re my lappy,and was told that they would ring me back,but nobody has bothered. So I am still without my baby.
I hope that all off you all,who are travelling away for christmas,have safe journeys.
And thank you all,for your friendship during the past year. Heres to the next year together.
Bye for now,love to you all. Mo xxx

Hi All,

Huia, I hope that the new drops work, and that your eyes will soon feel much better.

Ann, hope you and T have a good journey to your son's tomorrow. Lets hope the snow keeps away! Richard and Christie will be travelling up after they finish work tomorrow evening--I'll be happier when they've arrived safely.

Mo, how are you and Roly? It will be lovely when you have your lappy back.
Hope it will be sorted very soon, it's very strange without you on here.

Jean, hope you are feeling a lot better now! Are you all organised ready for the big day? I've just got to wrap a few more presents for the family, which I'll do tonight. We were going down to my brother's today, but he rang us early this morning to tell us that the weather was bad down there, we didn't want to take any risks, so stayed at home. So now we'll all have to have our presents after Christmas.

Sylvia, hope you have a good and safe journey. Enjoy relaxing, reading and knitting.

Marie, I bet you are getting excited just to see the looks on your grandchildren's faces when they open their presents on Christmas morning.

Liz, how are you feeling now after your fall? I hope you are okay and that you are able to get about.

Marilyn, hope you have a good and safe journey to your son's on Boxing Day and that the weather will be alright.

Debbie, Sue, and Grace hope all is well with you all, and your families.


If I don't have time to get back on here before tomorrow, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Take care everyone and thank you for your friendship and caring in 2009.

Love and Best Wishes. Sallie.xxx

Huia, I do hope that they have now solved your eye problem. Fingers crossed for you.

Huia, I am glad you are getting your eyes sorted , its a big worry to me I would be devastated if my eyes went any worse, but at least we are both being watched by the doctors, do let us know if the new drops are helpful ....
Have good rest , try not to wear yourself out.... enjoy your christmas and new year with your family, knowing your Phil is being looked after and in a warm place....

love Jean xx

I decided to see if the doc had any more bright ideas about my conjunctivitis. I was going to do the shopping afterwards and be home about 2pm but the doc wanted me to go to the acute eye clinic in Greenlane (Auckland) hospital to see the experts (or be seen by them.) I was in the waiting room for ages as I was a non-urgent case. I finally was seen and the doc gave me a good inspection and decided it might be caused by one lot of eyedrops that I use for the glaucoma as it contains a substance to which some people are allergic. He phoned my (private) specialist and then prescribed a different lot of drops. I hope it will fix the conjunctivitis. I sometimes feel like digging my eyes out and discarding them but that would be rather drastic.

I arrived back in Papakura at 4.30 and did my shopping and bought a take-away dinner so I didnt need to cook when I got home at 6.15. I will be off to bed soon as I am dog tired.

Huia.

Jean, glad the eyes are better, I never wear mascara for that reason, it always irritates my eyes.

Sylvia, glad I don't have to get up at silly o'clock, have a safe journey and a lovely time at Christmas.

Marie, hope you all stay fire free over christmas so the firefighters can enjoy their Christmas too.
Mo, hope you are not still snowbound.
Huia Happy christmas to you.

Ann xxx

Morning everyone, well the eyes are much better, the doc thinks It was due to mascara, I recently bought new make up, and got some mascara that thickens the eyelashes, mine have gone much thinner, so he said it would seem some of the fibres got in my eye, very sore, so washed it out and said to stay off here for a day or so , now it seems ok ....thank goodness.... big worry to me I have glaucoma so always very worried if anything goes wrong.... so take care when using mascara. he also said its not uncommon for the fibres to get into eyes....

Have you all managed to get your shopping done? J and D are doing ours, I dont do snow and ice... this mornings forecast was severe road conditions,freezing fog and icy roads...so please take care out there...

~~~~~~~ to Mo ~~~~~~ hope she is o.k. and the heating is working well....
have a great time away, Sylvia, look foward to hearing all about it when you get back......

love to all of you, Jean xx

Hi MO


and everyone


the cases are all packed, one left open so we can push in the last minute things in the morning. The plane leaves at 8:45 am, taxi ordered for 7:15 ............ giving us a little extra time at the airport as Tuesday is said to be the busiest day for pre-Christmas travel. My alaram is set for 5 am ....... I don't like to even admit that that time exists!!


I wish you all a Merry Christmas, have a great time with your families, friends, etc.


Take care ........ I'll "see" you all again about the 28th or 29th



sylvia
xxxx

Jean, that sounds like conjunctivitis. I have it, but without the usual gritty feeling. Maybe you caught it from me! But mine is an allergic one. You should see your doc.

Happy Christmas anyway.

Huia.

Mornung everyone, we are knee deep in snow, it is so slippy but hope it will begin to get a bit warmer, It never rains but what it pours as the saying goes, now I have something wrong with my eye very sore and inflamed, feels like I have grit in it ,so I am not going to come on here for a while,
to you all I wish you a very Happy and Blessed Christmas, Marie, Huia, Sylvia, enjoy being with your families, Sallie, Mo, Marilyn, Debbie Sue, Ann , Liz, take care , and have peaceful and joyous Christmas, and to anyone else I may have missed , hope to be back soon. I pray all your hopes and wishes will come true,

Happy Christmas,Love as always Jean and J xxxx

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

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

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.

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

Thanks Ann,

I did find her and sent her a message.

Marilyn x

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

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.

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

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

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