General Chat

Oops sorry miss - won't happen again. Weeeeelllllllllllllllll I won't let you see it happen.

I can't resist talking about our birds - I think we have one over on the rest of the world with our lot.


xx

Norma

What are you doing up so late Norma? (Says she who is also up late - I couldnt get to sleep).

Off to bed again now for a 3rd try.

Huia.

Hi Huia and Liz

Huia's right Liz we can't so much as bring a pip into this country - no honey and no dairy products, no meat etc. Our little Customs dogs are great at sniffing anything out.

Liz, two tuis regularly come over and sit in my Totara tree and they chat away to me when I am hanging out the washing. They are quite good at mimicry, my father was a bushman before WW2 and he used to chat to the tuis. Some of them if they are around you often enough will copy what you say. There was one on our Birdland Program on the TV the other day and he was in an aviary and would say things like Yep I am going up the back for a smoke. - And it would have the exact same accent as his keeper.

I am quite fond of all our native birds - the majority are very friendly and will come to you and our Kakapo (flightless parrot) loves cuddles and they will let you stroke them.

love
Norma x

Huia, thanks for an interesting thread...I would love to visit NZ..maybe one day....

By the way,have you ever tried using salt and water for your conjunctivitis?
My Dad was a chemist and he swore by that method,and I've used it successfully in the past.1 teaspoon of salt dissolved in a pint of water-or less in proportion-using 1 cotton ball starting from the inside of the eye,wiping once to the outside,then discarding the ball to prevent cross infection.Very effective and cheaper than ointment!

Best wishes, Margot.

Ooooh, Liz, we would be hung drawn and quartered if we brought seeds back from other countries.

Huia.

Hi Huia, sounds as tho you have some lovely trees around, do you have animals living in any of them or birds nesting? I love trees and have introduced a few to o.h.s very tiny garden, including a hazelnut which produces nuts for him to gather up and eat, a couple of unusual fir trees with blue cones, and a couple of silver birches in pots which came free with so many coupons from milk cartons, as well as cut price Magnolia (in a pot). We also have a eucalyptus that we bought at an open garden stall when it was just 12" high and now it's nearer 10' tall and that's in a big tub too. We did have two trees that he grew from seed brought back from Kefalonia but last year the snow got them - luckily this year we were able to find more trees the same on Corfu so brought back lots of seeds. He grew about a dozen last time and we gave them away and not one person managed to keep them for more than 9 months but ours got to at least 5 years old before we lost them, and that only cos o.h. didn't get the fleece down from the loft in time, and I can't get up there as there is no ladder fitted and I can't haul myself up from the top of the small stepladder, as he can.
You must be really pleased to have the drive looking tidy and less stuff to worry about.

I am glad the concert went well and you enjoyed it, and the social bit afterwards too.

take care
Love
Lizxxxx

Hi Liz.

We had our 3rd concert this afternoon at Mt Albert. The church was packed, which is always pleasing. I arrived home an hour ago and have now had a tin of spagghetti with a sausage and am full up. (We did have afternoon tea after the concert).

Peter cut down some tall tea trees (kanuka, latin name kunzea ericoides, I think, although the experts seem to keep changing names), which were looking rather straggly, all the leaves at the top. They are a popular tree for firewood. The drive looks much tidier with them gone. There are plenty of other trees on the bank below the drive. Many of the trees on our property are self sown, apart from the exotics we planted (deodars, rhodos, beech, hazelnuts etc) and a few special natives (kauri, totara, pohutukawa, kowhai). We have an acre (half hectare) of land, so plenty of room for plenty of trees).

Huia.

Hi Huia,

sorry Phil wasn't awake to see you both but probably better if seeing your son might have confused him, he is more used to you, the noisy one, turning up now I expect, if he has any kind of memory.

I hope his meds can be sorted out so he doesn't get the swelling - it can make the skin more susceptible to knocks and then ulcers form - that's what happened to my elderly neighbour.

Can he not be given a sleeping pill so he stays asleep at night, it's a shame if his body is so confused and it makes things better for him if he can be awake most of the day, so he can take advantage of daylight. He will probably end up Vit D deficient if he sits and sleeps the day away, this comes from personal experience.

Glad you have some firewood ready and your son cut down trees you presumably needed felling.

take care
Lizxxxxx

I dont know what meds they have him on, but there is a 'family' meeting (doubt if son can come up for it, or daughter) called for next Thursday so I will have to make sure I ask then.

Huia.

Swollen feet and ankles sounds like water retention Huia, is Phil on BP tablets? they can cause Oedema.

Peter cut down 3 trees and cut them up and they are now neatly stacked in the firewood shed, but it is not half full yet.

We visited Phil this afternoon but he just slept. Apparently he is up walking around half the night, so sleeps most of the day, although his eyes did flicker a couple of times. We stayed about an hour, Peter wasnt worried that he didnt wake up. At least he is not aggressive and trying to break out as he was in the public hospital. He has got past that stage. I would love to bring him home again but I know I cant as he would be keeping me awake and it is a full time job looking after him now.

I noticed on the last visit and again today that his feet and ankles are very swollen. Any ideas what causes that?

Huia.

Hope everything got done ok Huia and your lad got to spend time with his mates as well, nice that you see him and he can visit his Dad and take you too so saving you driving for a change.

take care and don't overdo things, hope your eyes are better now

love and hugs
Lizxxx

My dad always called us kids - whipper snappers-

LOL

Norma

Liz, I am not the one with the list for son to do. When he phoned to ask if it was ok to come up this weekend he said he would cut back the long grass with his whipper snapper and mow the lawns and cut down some trees and cut them up for firewood and then go to visit his dad. He plans to do it all today and I think he is going to go to the forest block that he and his mates have 'up the Klondyke' tonight, so he is going to be a very busy boy. I will be exhausted too as will try to help him.

Huia.

Hi Huia

I am so glad you are finding Phil better now he is settled in his new home - it must make the situation a lot more bearable for you now. I hope you enjoy the time spent with your son - have you got a list ready for him lol
It will be good for him to see his Dad looking and acting better too.

take care
Lizxxxxx

I know I am not Liz - though I do like purple,

Am pleased that you are happier with the way things are going for Phil. Enjoy the time with your son.

love

Norma ( I looked on the BDM site for Alistair and that's where I found Alma)

Norma, I was looking at the microfiche, and all the McKerrow/MacKerrows, none of them with the first name Alistair, Alastair, Alister or any other variation. I guess the person who transcribed them just missed it. I will look again some time, also see if I can find his bride now that I know her name. I hate to be frustrated like this.

Hi my good friend Liz in England. My son will be arriving from Rotorua in 2 or 3 hours. We will visit Phil tomorrow I expect. I am much happier with Phil now he is in the private hospital. He is walking on his own again, and he seemed to remember me, even if he couldnt remember my name - he said I was the noisy one! He has super sensitive hearing and with my slight hearing loss I tend to speak too loudly. But I think I have toned it down lately.

Huia. (The noisy old crow).

Just saying Hi, you have been in my thoughts Huia and others, take care
Lizxx

Sorry Little Lost was going to get back to you with the actual date of Alistair and Alma's marriage and not just the year. I will do so, but I still cannot find Alma's birth registration.

If you have her parents names I could try looking through that but have looked up all the Alma Halls and Mabel Halls just in case as sometimes people fiddle with their names.

I had tried to find her in the deaths as McKerrow and now as France and the only one I got was an Alma Gladys who died in 1954 aged 58.

Huia I found Alistair in the marriages as Alastair. The same as Antipodes did. It is not always the surnames we have to watch it is the spelling of the christian names as well. Many a time I have searched and searched and then click brainwave and try something else... and this often works.

Cheers

Norma

yes they are all correct.