not been well again :(

I have to report that my old chest has been playing up again, and i am wondering when it will ever get better again. I had to see the emergency Doctor last Friday night- thanks to Dale and Paul for going with me. It was after dark, and it was useful to know that you can cash prescriptions up to 10 pm from ASDA or Tesco, which is brilliant.
I was much better the following morning as soon as the antibiotics kicked in, and on Sunday night i met Ryan on his way back home on the train, and he stayed the night. We did lots of catching up. On Monday i took him back home to Manchester and it was a lovely day even though i was quite tired really. The weather has continued to be nice and warm all this week, and i have to see my own Doctor in the morning at 8.30 am. It is now 9 pm and its not quite dark, so summer is very much just round the corner, yippee!

Katie, one of the lovely BBC receptionists has given me a nice recipe for Garlic, Chick Pea and Spinach Soup ! and so i have copied the details hereunder- enjoy...

Garlic, Chick Pea and Spinach Soup
Serves 4
2tbsp olive oil 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 onion, roughly chopped 2tsp cumin 2tsp ground coriander 2 pints vegetable stock 12 oz potatoes, peeled and finely chopped 15oz can chick peas 1tbsp corn flour 1/4 pint double cream ( I use milk) 7oz Spinach, shredded Cayenne pepper ( don't think I use this) Salt and pepper
1. Heat oil in pan and cook garlic and onion for 5 minutes or until they are golden brown and softened
2. Stir in cumin and coriander and cook for a further minute
3. Pour in stock and add potatoes, bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins, Add chick peas and simmer for 5 mins or until potatoes and chick peas are just tender
4. Blend together corn flour and stir into the soup with the spinach. Bring to boil, stirring and simmer for 2mins. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and pepper


another update before long- take care everyone xxx

A Souper Time

Here is an absolutely wonderful recipe for vegetable soup. we have tried and tested a few different ones, and this is the most wonderful one mmmmm... it's just so easy to make.

Ingredients

1 large onion

2 large potatoes

3 carrots

1/3 of a large swede

3 vegetable stock cubes

75 grams best butter

250 ml milk.

Method...

Melt the butter into a large saucepan, add salt and pepper. Add and fry the chopped potatoes and onions for ten minutes.

add the chopped carrots and swede.

disolve the stock cubes into a pint of boiling water and add to the saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes.

pour half the contents of the saucepan into a blender for a very short time, and put back in the saucepan, and stir well.

Serve with homemade grannary or white, Hovis bread. .....Enjoy!

Cakes and Crumbles

Hello everyone,

following on from the breadmaking (which is still going well) i decided to start baking cakes and puddings. everyone who knows me- knows what a sweet tooth i have! i have made some lovely crumbles too, with custard, ice cream, or cream. its making my mouth water just thinking about it. I also made cherry cakes and mixed fruit cakes which didnt last very long i can tell you!

Helpful money saving tip- dont buy expensive crumble topping mix from your supermarket- make it yourself it is very easy...

100g/4oz flour

50g/20z butter or margarine

50g/2oz sugar (castor sugar will do)

mix it with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. I usually make double the amount and keep it in the fridge until i need it. It tastes so much nicer than packet mixes, and is a fraction of the cost.

Meanwhile Bryan has been making home-made soups. Not just any soups - Bryans recipe! my favourite one is onion, although his mushroom and butternut squash ones are really tasty. If anyone would like a receipe which really is nice and has been tried and tested by me, drop me an email! tonypne@aol.com

The Breadmaker arrives

I have always wanted to have a go at making my own bread, and so a bread maker was added to the kitchen. It is so easy to make, the instructions are brilliant, and you can even get ready mixed breads from the local supermarket. There is nothing like the smell of home baked bread even though it does take 3 hours to make a large loaf! all you do is add the ingredients and switch it on- its that simple! you can also make cakes, pizza dough, jam, and all sorts of things with it.

erm it doesnt always go to plan though, as you will see in the picture i have added! go on you can have a laugh at my expense- just this one time though! it actually tasted very good in spite of its odd appearance.

They aren't cheap to buy though, they start around £60 for a decent one, i got mine for just over a hundred quid - it was reduced in the sales, but it makes a bigger loaf than some of them and was worth the bit extra.

A large loaf costs around 50p to make, not bad eh? Orders for bread are now being taken!

Winter Wonderland

Hello folks,



Well Winter is here and its been the worst for over 30 years so they tell us. It has been over a month since we last got our bins emptied and the pavements are just so dangerous for people to walk on. The big supermarkets, such as ASDA, Morrisons, Tesco, seem to pay no regard to their customers who are braving their car parks to get inside the store and spend an awful lot of money. Young and old alike are risking life and limb making their way from their cars. Surely they could do more to make it safe for people who are putting millions of pounds into their coffers. Rant over.



i have uploaded a video of our back garden - not sure if it works or not. We got a big "dalek" type compost bin today, along with a small one for the kitchen, all for free- there is a website called "freecycle" you have to register and people can offer free stuff that they would maybe be throwing out, or they can request things that they want. No-one passes any money over, and its all very civilised. Usually an email comes out each week with the new items for offer. http://www.freecycle.com/ have a

Look! it's nearly Christmas!

Well time is marching on again, who can believe its almost Christmas 2009. I am well behind with present hunting and still no Christmas Tree. We are still loving this house. Ryan is still recovering from his injuries he sustained in Iraq, and Dale's little girl is growing up so fast!

I cant wait for the 5th day of Christmas, i can send the five gold rings to "Cash for Gold"

Thanks to Darren, my friend from Edinburgh who works for Sky telly, he managed to get us half price Sky for a year including a free sky HD box and free HD programmes, cant be bad. It's an amazing picture on our 42 inch tv, the cricket has been brilliant so far, and the snooker. The first Test Match between South Africa and England starts in 4 days time...oh dear we wont be able to watch The Simpson (what a shame-not)

Can i just say a very Happy Christmas to all my many friends out there. Thank you for everything you have helped me with this year, and here's to a brilliant 2010.

Hello everyone!

We had Sky installed today, yeah, and thanks to my friend who works for them, we got it at half price for a year! not bad eh? and we also got a sky+ HD box and no charge for HD. Thanks Darren you are a diamond.

We are about to sit down to a big meal, and Dale is staying at the moment which makes extra special.

one year to the day and i am back

Well to say its been a rollercoaster ride is an understatement. Thanks to all my friends for the huge support shown. New pictures soon! Take a look at this short video of our new house!

Friday night frolics in Manchester

I cant believe im writing this, its just not me is it? I finished work in Blackburn at 6 pm and went straight to Manchester to Ryans, and we stayed there for a while, then went for something to eat and a tour of the Village!

I really dont know what time i got home, but i do know that i had the time of my life. 3 hours sleep and then back to work. How did i do that at my age you might ask? well dont be cheeky, there is plenty of life left in me, oh and guess what? im going again so there ha ha. Sarah Wadd has asked to come with us next time, i bet that will open her eyes...well maybe not lol.

goodbye and good luck Miss Lancaster

All good things come to an end i spose, and Thursday 13 September was the day Sarah left for pastures new down in Bognor Regis in Sussex. All the very best to her and hopefully she wont charge too much for B & B!

Friday Frolics

I had a rare day off on Friday :)

I met Ryan in Manchester and we came back to Wigan. He had never seen the town centre properly so we had a ride out, and went to meet another of my friends - Craig, from Norley Hall.

On the way from Manchester, we called at the place where Bryan, and Paul are working, so that they could meet Ryan.

For once they were hard at work lol.

Was a really nice day that i will never forget- say no more!

thanks to everyone who has read this blog...let me know what you think!

is it summer yet? are you sure?

Hello everyone,

i had a surprise today! I received a picture postcard from Lynette all the way from Taiwan. I have been invited to go out there, and i only wish i could do as it looks a really nice, friendly place.
Ive not had much work at the BBC so i have been concentrating on building the shop stock up, and it seems to be paying off. I think i have sold more brollys this summer than the whole of last year! i wonder why.
Talia is working at BBC Radio solent now, and she is enjoying it very much. i hope she does well. Sandra has been on one of her many holidays, and poor Katie has had a fall, and isnt very well.
Pauline is due to go on her World Cruise soon too! whoo hoo! and Miss Lancaster is busy arranging for her big move down south. As for Sarah Wadd, well she is just as cheeky as ever.

bye bye UK hello Taiwan

Hello everyone, no im not going anywhere before you ask! Lynette has been doing voluntary work in Blackburn for quite a few months now, but its time for her to go back home! She visited the bbc open centre almost every day and we all got to know her very well. Lynette's stint has now come to an end in the UK, but she is going to keep in touch via email whenever she can.

I just wanted to thank her for her friendship and wish her all the very best. I bet she cant wait to get home to her family and friends, and i bet its not raining there!

Surprise, surprise!

I was awoken this morning at 5 am with a text. Wondered who it was from and didnt know if i could be bothered looking at it at that un-earthly hour. But you know, being nosey i couldnt resist having a look.

It was from Ryan! he asked me to guess were he was, and couldnt believe he had made the journey overnight from Glasgow to see little me.

It was a pity he didnt know beforehand as i could have had a days holiday, but anyway i got ready quickly and collected him from ndar Granada studios and he came up to work me. I was still early so i took him round the building and into see Joe Wilson. In spite of that he decided to stay a bit longer!

He was really tired so after a while he decided to get the train back to Manchester so he could spend the rest of the day with his Mum, and catch up on his missed nights sleep.

Its been one of the nicest days ive ever had today, in spite of having to put up with the famous miss waddicor all day hehehe.

Thanks to everyone for reading this, i will be doing another couple in a day or two, as i have been a bit slow in writing any new ones lately.

Football....turns into Cricket

Oh well my team Preston didnt make it to the play offs this year. Looking back we had a good season though. Its just maddening to think we missed by one point! I guess it will be David Nugent's last game for Preston too, he is very likely going to be sold during the summer months, and my guess is that he will go to Everton, with the deal including a possible player exchange. I just hope we dont let him go for peanuts. I reckon around seven million would be a decent price, considering he is an England player.

Anyway the cricket season can now swing into action for the summer months, and yes you got it! its raining! and the forecast is for rain all week- typical. Good luck to England (they need it), and lets hope Lancashire can win something this time.

Its a rainy Bank Holiday, and im listening to the best stand -in. Joe Wilson! surely he cant have his woolly hat and scarf on today, its May for heavens sake.

Thanks to everyone for reading this, and have a nice May.

Friday- at least its not the 13th

Hello everyone!

Friday again, and its not been a bad week. the shop has been fairly busy, and its looking good at last. I got a call off Ben to work yesterday at the BBC so that was good, and im working tomorrow Saturday as usual, and 3 days next week. I am disappointed as Ryan was meant to be coming home for 4 days this weekend, but his boss has decided he cant lend the lads the van, so they would have to pay for the train which they have decided not to bother doing. So thats our weekend plans gone to the dogs:( we were going to go round Manchester and treat ourselves to a hotel. never mind...

At work i have been recording more "Guides" which are being broadcast from today for 6 days, in the north, and east of Lancashire. its all Sandra's fault for getting me into this lol. its all good fun though.

Paul and Dawn are going to Paul's Mums with baby Amy this afternoon, and Bryan and Nichola have finally got the keys to their new house, and should be moving in over the weekend. No doubt i will get roped in for ferrying stuff!

I treat myself over Easter to a digi camcorder. woohooo! but im still reading the millions of instructions. im sure they make things too complicated. i just want to switch it on, point it, and record! the one ive got has its own 30 gig hard drive, very swish, im not telling how much it cost me.
thats all for today - no pictures! take care everyone, and more to come very soon.

Introducing Ryan :)

I have known Ryan for about a year now, but only as a friend online, but today i met him in Manchester. He lives in a small suberb called Burnage.

He has been working down in Bournemouth, and is home for the weekend, but it could be longer as on Friday he dropped a lump of metal on his ankle and badly bruised it. What some people will do to get off work eh?!!! Hes got a good job as an engineer, and tool maker, and has promised to make me a hammer with my name engraved on it! how good is that?

He gave me a conducted tour of Manchester, and as he is a mad Manchester City fan, we had to go and look at the City of Manchester stadium. Its actually very nice, and the area surrounding it is still being developed.

Hes a bit camera shy as you can see;) but we are hoping to meet again soon, and have decided to have a holiday together in the summer.

Time goes by

Well, its quite a while since i wrote anything on here, almost as long as Joe Wilson's holiday entitlement.

I have been quite busy actually, and determined to learn a few new things this year. Ive been having training on how to use our brand new radio van, and how to record, and edit stuff at the bbc. Im a bit proud of myself actually, and i dont see why age should barr me from learning new skills.

Part of my time has been keeping miss waddicor in order of course and im going to put her latest picture next to mine.

She pursuaded me to start a "my space" profile, which i have done, and ive found quite a lot of my friends, and work mates have them, such as Graham the old tart Liver, and Phil Trow.

I am hoping to get to the warehouses in Manchester this week, to stock up my shop again, its actually not doing too badly just now, and with the warmer weather just round the corner, its looking good. The "hour" goes on this weekend, so lighter nights as well.

Bryan, and Nichola, his partner, are having to find a new house to rent, as the one they are in now is going to be sold, so hes busy looking around. I have been able to give him a lift, as wigan is quite a big area, and they could soon be finding something suitable lets hope.

Paul, Dawn & baby Amy are all doing fine. She is almost seven weeks old now - awwwwww.

Dale is having problems with his knee again, and it looks like an operation is going to be the only answer.

Its not been a good winter for me, illness wise, i have had five lots of viruses or sickness. Im hoping i might be able to stay relatively free from them for a few months now, as i hate being ill.

I treated mywelf to a hands free kit for the car, its so dangerous using a mobile whilst driving, and now the penalties are quite high. It was 50 quid but i think very worth while, and seems to work very well.

Well thats all for now, thanks to all those who read this, and take care all of you.

Tone.

Not a good week

Hello everyone. hope you are well.

Its been a horrid week, Sandra from work and I have both had awful weeks, and have supported each other so much. I wont go into detail...just hoping next week proves to be better.

Some nice things have happened though. On Tuesday me and Sandra were due to go out with Talia for our lunch...she couldnt make it though, so we invited Gilly (or should i say he invited himself!)

We went to the Coffee Exchange as it is just round the corner from the BBC, and you are almost guaranteed a nice meal.

On Wednesday, Talia did come and see us and she looked very nice, and it was so good to see her again. we once again went to the Exchange and enjoyed it very much.

Another good thing was that i received a 6 months contract extension, which i was hoping for.

Went to Southport shopping with Dale on Friday night, but really tired tonight (saturday) the oil filled radiator blew up! have to get a new one tomorrow in preston.

Bye bye everyone and take care. If you read it, let me know!!!!

tony xxx

It's a Girl!

Amy Leigh Winrow was born at Wigan Infirmary on Monday 5 February 2007 at 15.37. she is 6lbs 12 oz. Mother & Baby doing just fine, and back home. Father is resting lol !!!!!