Glass Chatroom Board

Nancy @jerseystar27 I am glad your DH is starting to show signs of improvement. Fingers crossed it continues that way.
Yes it is now officially Spring down here and we have had some lovely days but brrr this morning we are back to winter., But that is expected to change by the weekend, which is good because I am planning a weekend away camping by a river.I might even put the kayak in and go exploring upstream.

It's Spring time here and today is simply gorgeous. It's not dark now, of a morning when I head off to the gym. and Daylight Savings start next month for us . I am not very impressed about that.
Nancy @jerseystar27 diabetes is a terrible thing, especially with circulation of the legs. It certainly does make healing a long and very slow process. Back in my nursing days(lots of years ago) we use to use oxygen therapy. Back then equipment was not advanced like it is today. A plastic bag, tape, an oxygen cylinder, a hose on the cylinder. Put the foot in the plastic bag and one end of the hose in too, close the bag around leg/ankle with tape, attach the other end off the hose to the cylinder and then turn on. It was a simple method and it did work well for foot and lower leg injuries of diabetics that were having issues with healing. I hope DH heals well and is back kayaking asap.
Carl @carma it seems the young ones, these days, love to go all out for their wedding. So much is involved with them now. OMG even the engagement is a massive celebration. Last one I went to I was like.."if this is just the engagement OMG whats the wedding going to be like" And of course things are not cheap these days. $28,000 AUD just for the food at a recent wedding a friend went to. I'm looking forward to seeing the pics of Marley I bet she made a stunning bride

Good Morning, been awhile since I popped in. Not much activity happens here these days so my visits are getting less and less frequent.
Nancy @jerseystar27 I am so sorry I missed your birthday here.
Marson @panishklo I am home , I will only be doing short trips in my van, just weekends away. I have put myself on a budget, I am saving for my adventure to Sri Lanka next year. I may head north next month to do another stint for a week or 2 , helping farmers repair and rebuild damaged fences, after all the flooding they have had. It's all volunteer work I do with a Charity organisation.
We have had some lovely Spring days but today we are back to Winter weather again. Cold and wet. Reports have it, that we are in for a very wet Spring

Marson @panishklo I am staying indoors for most of today too BUT for a different reason. It is cold and it is very windy...headache weather for me if I am out in it for too long.

I am very very excited!! This morning, I received the itinerary for my trip to Sri Lanka next year. OMG it looks amazing

Thanks for the birthday wishes. This one was a bit low key. I had a few offers of going out partying on Saturday night (birthday eve) but after 12 nights of wining and dining in Thailand every night, plus several adventures with family and friends, I was very content to stay home on Saturday night and enjoy my own company. On my birthday(Sunday) I enjoyed lunch out with my very long time friend and then out to my daughters for dinner with the family,

Popping in for a catch up and it seems that it is still very quiet/slow here.
I've just come back from 12 nights in Thailand to celebrate my daughters 50th. I can't believe my baby girl has turned 50 and @carma Carl I can't believe Marley is now all grown up , getting married and buying a home. Time certainly does not stand still.
Katie @fyrqueen I wish you all the best with your move.A huge step for you. ((hugs))

Katie @fyrqueen No you will never get over missing him. I miss Gordon everyday and I still talk to him.You do eventually get used to it, I am not sure though, about accepting it. Continued (((((hugs))))))

Today I see sunshine but not for long. We have been experiencing heavy torrential , devastating and flooding rain. So much damage!! I am safe, all I have to put up with is a very wet boggy yard and a damp smelling house. Others have lost everything and lives have been lost too. If you are interested in following whats been happening here, Google Floods in N.S.W. When I get back from my holiday in Thailand, I will volunteer somewhere to help out the farmers who have been heavily impacted by these floods.I can't do anything just now .It's all about rescuing ppl and animals, so those skills are for our trained SES and Helicopter Rescue. Once the floods have receded and the farmers are ready to repair,rebuild and are in need of some helping hands to get the jobs done and a Volunteer camp is set up, I will go. I foresee that being a few months away before volunteer camps are set up.

Katie @fyrqueen ((((hugs)))) to you. It takes some time getting used to our partners in crime, not being with us. Take one day at a time. I wish you all the best with your future plans

Shelly @shellyrae37 My winters are very mild here. The average low temperature during winter (June-August) is 12.5°C. The average high temperature is 24.3° Celsius.We may get a few odd 1 Celsius mornings with a frost. No snow or blizzards

Shelly @shellyrae37 I don't recall Max but may she R.I.P . Yes we have lost quite a few members along the way.

@fyrqueen Katie You will be in a " fog" for sometime. Just take one day at a time and be kind to yourself. Go to bed and stay there, I had days like that. Your body needs to rest. ((((((HUGS))))))

@fyrqueen Katie My heart breaks for you, knowing what you are going through ((((HUGS)))) ditto to what Nancy said.

@fyrqueen Katie Take one day at a time...STOP....take time out when you need it. You will be over whelmed , some days more then others. Take the phone off the hook, shut the front door and don't answer it when this is happening. Look after yourself and do what YOU need to do during this time.

@fyrqueen Katie you have my deepest sympathy. It will be a hard stage of your life navigating it without Mike. I am send you lots of strength ((((((hugs)))))))

Summer is well and truly here today. We have been so lucky with mild-ish temps (for Aussie summer standards) up untill today. 41 celsius and humid. Severe storms are predicted for later this afternoon with damaging winds and hail.
Katie @fyrqueen sending more (((((hugs)))))
@shellyrae37 I hope you get seen to soon by a DR to fix the dizzies. I use to get vertigo something terrible due to crystals in my ears.Like Marson I was given 'exercises" to do and it fixed the issue. Brandt-Daroff Exercise is the one I was given . It wont hurt for you to do it while waiting to get in to seeing your DR. It is Very easy and very simple to do.It just requires you to sit on the side of your bed and lay to one side , come up and lay to the other side Here is a link that explain it https://www.webmd.com/brain/home-remedies-vertigo

Katie @fyrqueen sending (((((((HUGS))))))

OH Katie @fyrqueen I am so sorry this has happened Big (((((HUGS))))) I was carer for my DH and I know just how difficult it is, especially with dementia. Gordon ended up being so confused and it was so hard. More (((((HUGS)))) to you. One word of advice....make sure you look after yourself. I know it is easier said then done but it truly is very important to take a little time out for yourself.

Happy New Year Everyone. May 2025 be a great year for you all.
Shelly @shellyrae37 you must not have scrolled far enough down when you received your message from FB about your violation. They give you the reason right at the bottom.
And yes FB is run by AI/ robots They are programmed to pick upon certain keywords and photos.e.g you might be innocently selling an ornament of a dog..AI can't differentiate between a real dog and an ornament . So you get a message to say you have violated FB rules (that being selling animals) When you get that message you need to keep scrolling down and the reason will be there as well as the option to disagree with their decision

Shelly @shellyrae37 Yes this Chat group has slowed right down, almost to a halt. Just about everyone's on Facebook and keep in touch with each other there, either on our personal pages or in the numerous glass groups set up there.
I am a member of many different Groups of all kinds of interests I have. I joined several Camping Groups, a number of Glass Groups, a few Collector in general Groups, some Music Groups, local Community Groups, Market Place, some Buy sell and swap local Groups, Fitness Group etc,

Hi everyone.
Hot and humid down here and I feel so drained of energy.

Katie @fyrqueen I am so sorry to hear this about Mike. Big ((((hugs))) to you

Katie @fyrqueen Oh Ok, yes we have those down here too, But as I said I never answer any calls that are from a number not known to me and by ignoring them I rarely get any now,

Good afternoon. It's Saturday here so the weekend begins. My morning started early with a training session down at the beach. Such a gorgeous morning and a perfect start to the day. Fresh air , salt water and stunning views..best medicine ever
Shelly @shellyrae37 I am unsure what robicalls are But I never answer a call from an unknown number.
Katie @fyrqueen I am glad that Mike is still able to socialise .And congratulations on your sales for the charity

Summer is on its way down here, temps are starting to warm up and Daylight Savings time has started .
I had a few days away in my van just to kick back, relax and read a book.I went to a lovely free park situated among some great vineyards and only 30 minutes drive from home. Very peaceful there ..
Katie @fyrqueen I would just delete those listings and then do them again
.(((((Hugs ))))) to you. It is very hard when you are the carer of someone that needs 24/7 care. I hope you take some time out to take care of YOU. Do you have Respite over there where someone will come and stay with Mike while you do something for yourself. e.g go to the gym, go shopping, hairdressers , meet up for coffee with some friends, just somewhere away from the house for a couple of hours. ?

Shelly @shellyrae37 AI is not a group.It stands for Artificial Intelligence or Robots aka Bots.
It is only Kelli now. Her husband Jerry passed away.
My cousin had a lot of issues with FB and couldn't use FB anymore. He just started up a new account with a slight alteration of his name. e.g instead of Allan he used Al and I think he changed his date of birth.

Shelly @shellyrae37 Glad to see you back. I was going to send out another search party for you.
I've had some issues with FB myself and have been put in Facebook Gaol but I have always been told why. Its 3 strikes and you're out and the length of time varies. Problem is that FB is run by AI, not real people and are programmed to pick up on certain words or phrases. But being computers they don't understand the context. When that happens you should always dispute it and the strike will be taken away. You are still on FB.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084659084485

It is sad news I have to report. Gail @oklahomasong_Gail passed away in March. I discovered this, this morning, when I went to her FB page to wish her a Happy Birthday, So sad that it went unnoticed by all the Glassies and Glass Groups up until then 🙁
I knew she had health issues. We use to play an online game together and communicate via Messenger and then one day she stopped and never replied to any of my messages.
R.I.P Gail

It's been a while since I have checked in here and wow 😯 it has been very quiet, indeed.
Our days are starting to warm up and we have had some gorgeous Spring days. We have also had some dreadful strong windy days too and rainy days. I was standing on my back steps yesterday looking out over my yard and realised that the gorgeous Grevillea my daughter bought me years ago has totally died. 🙁 I think the big black cockatoos may have been the culprit to why it died. Last year they loved it and spent plenty of time feasting on it. Or maybe the lack of bees because of the varroa mite here, has something to do with it.
Carl @carma I did see you post the alert about your cousin on FB . Very sad.

Katie @fyrqueen Thanks for the update on Shelly. So very very sad 🙁

Carl @carma Lovely piece and so nice to see some glass being posted. I hope you had a lovely Birthday.

Has anyone seen Shelly @shellyrae37 She has not posted in a long time on FB. I have sent her a message and also posted on her Timeline asking if she was OK. No reply

I have been sick with some virus (coughing and headaches) for almost 2 weeks. I think I am over the worst now and hopefully on the road to recovery. I actually had some energy to do a little bit of work around the house this morning.That was after sleeping till almost 10 a.m I rarely get sick and if I do it is usually only a day or 2 . I have not had a cold/flu for years, since before the beginning of the covid pandemic so I am not taking this very well.

Good Morning. brrrrrr it's a little chilly here on our 4th day of winter. Of course I am sure some of you would think it hot compared to your winters. No snow here, just a little early morning frost that melts very quickly once the sun comes out. Our sunrises have been spectacular.
I decided to postpone my road trip, north to the coast. Heavy rain was predicted for there, plus by the time my van lock was fixed , the time frame of going there and getting back in time for an event closer to home, I had organised to do, just didn't suit. A 6-7 hour drive only to stay 1-2 nights and then a 6-7 hour drive back. Just not worth it. Not enough time for me to do the exploring I want to do of the area. I will go later and I will break to trip up and do it in 2 days, stopping at some favourite overnight camps up and back.
I can't take credit for this photo but this is our morning skies.

Good afternoon. I've been on a little road trip , seeing some of the country side and I have just called into home for a few things that need to be done and once that's all done I'll be gone again for at least another week. The most important thing needing done, is getting the lock on my caravan door fixed. I can lock it from the outside but can't from the inside and it's very important to me, travelling on my own, to have security.
HAPPY VERY BELATED BIRTHDAY KATIE @fyrqueen

Cold and very wet here. We have copped some very heavy downfalls which has caused flash flooding and road cuts in some areas. Apart from a very wet soggy yard, I have not been affected.
I got a little spurt on and listed a couple of items to sell on FB. All have sold and all have been picked up. Even an item I listed a long time ago, it never sold after having it relisted several times. I never deleted it and to be honest I had totally forgotten about it. To my surprise the person buying one of the newly listed items said they would take the scales as well. I had to stop and think for awhile..what scales? LOL

Happy belated birthday in Heaven Toby @abzoid

Katie @fyrqueen My first thought was anchor Hocking's Ruby Red but then realised the base is a bit different. So I was then thinking made in Japan and imported by Lefton. I did a bit of a look around on Google and see the same being advertised as Empoli but as you know not everything on Google is correct. Anyway its a couple of ideas for you to look into

Good Morning to those that pop in here.
It is Perfect Autumn weather here today but that can't be said for a couple of days ago. Heavy rainfalls, dumping excessive rain and causing lots of issues .
Shelly @shellyrae37 I haven't heard anything about Jim passing away. Very sad if that is true.
Yes I do have a few trips planned for this year. In May I am heading off on a road trip, with no particular plans. I will be making it up as I go and I have no real time frame. But it will most likely be 2-3 weeks on the road travelling from town to town. I will have a friend, in her van, travelling with me for the first week and then after that I will be travelling solo. Also later in the year I will go back and volunteer at a BlaizeAid camp for a couple of weeks, helping farmers devastated by Natural Disasters, repairing and rebuilding their fences and whatever else is needed. At this stage I am not sure exactly where that will be. It will depend on Mother Nature and where we are needed
Carl @carma I'd say that Jenny has been a very good investment for you.
Nancy @jerseystar27 I heard about the earthquake on the radio and I immediately thought of you.

I see it is beautiful Betty's heavenly birthday. I still have the lovely Fenton basket she sent me when my DH was very ill. She was such a lovely lady

Nancy @jerseystar27 that is so lovely that you got to meet George and you also have a piece of glass to always remember him by. He was such a wonderful man. I have a lovely Fenton basket to remember Betty, that she sent to me to cheer me up when Gordon was not well. And I have the lovely Candlewick heart dish from Fran she gave me on my visit over there, for the Glassie Get together. I will always treasure them.

I'm a bit late (it's day 5 of 2024 here)

Carl @carma Take care
It sounds very much like what is happening in Queensland, down here.

Good Morning. Our weather has been brutal and I am not liking it. High 30 Celsius and over 40C days , day after day. Hot hot westly winds to make it feel like a fan forced oven. Bush fires with people loosing homes and lives have already commenced. I have taken the plunge and I have ordered an aircon, hoping it is here vey soon. My fans are just circulating hot air.
Katie @fyrqueen I am sorry to hear about your friends but happy to hear that Mike is doing well. And ditto to what Nancy @jerseystar27 said.... Remember that self-care is not a luxury, it's a necessity!!
Carl @carma right at this moment (35 celsius at 10 a.m) that snow is sounding so good to me.

It's not something we celebrate down here but.....

Good Morning. Our weather has been good. Hot/warm days and lovely cool mornings and evenings. Rain is predicted for today and it looks like they may be right, the clouds are building. I leave tomorrow for a trip north ( near the Queensland and NSW border) to help out again at BlaizeAid. The area I am going has been battling for a number of years with what Mother Nature has been dishing out to them. Catastrophic floods, followed by extreme bushfires then their worst flood ever to be followed again by extreme bushfires, No sooner do they start to see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel and Mother Nature decides to wipe them out again. I will be helping the farmers rebuild their fences. It's so important for them to be able to keep their livestock in and safe.

Carl @carma such a sad and frightening event. I hope everyone stays safe and the shooter is caught asap without any more casualties. I am at a loss as to why he was allowed to own such a gun/ rifle. According to the news we are getting down here he was known to have mental health issues. Here all firearms ( we must be licensed to buy and own them) are confiscated.

Carl @carma I've just read that there was a mass shooting at Lewiston,Maine. I hope this is not anywhere close to you

Good Morning. Temps have dropped as predicted for today and rain is on its way. Overcast sky and you can smell it coming. I heard on the news this morning that parts of Sydney's outer suburbs are being warned to brace themselves for extreme heat this summer with predictions of 50C/122F. OMG I hope they are wrong about that because here, where I live, will get similar. Maybe 1-2 degrees lower. I may have to invest in a new Aircon so I can survive.
On a positive note and trying not to focus on negatives. Last night when I arrived home, a nice big healthy green frog was sitting on my verandah ( frightened to daylights out of me LOL) This is the first frog I have seen in well over 20 years so I am happy about that. It means my garden is starting to be healthy again and creatures are starting to move back in. Sadly no bees this year because of the Varroa mite that has snuck into our country. So many bee hives had to be destroyed to try to stop the spread of the mite.

Good afternoon. Mornings here are just perfect with a nice little chill in the air and the days have been clear, sunny warm - hot (but not unbearably hot) It's 35C/95F here atm We are in desperate need of rain though. The grass is starting to turn brown and very crunchy under foot. I washed both my vehicles this morning, so I am sure I have summons the rain. It usually always rains a day or two after I have washed them LOL.
Plans are underway for my trip to volunteer again with BlaizeAid. Have decided on which camp to help out this time and now just deciding on which route to take to get there and back and what stopovers and where .There's plenty of choices to choose from especially if I go the coastal highway. Caravan/Holiday Parks, Pub Camping and Freedom Camping. I do love Pub camping and freedom camping over Caravan Parks.

Carl @carma Congratulations to Marley and Matt.

Carl @carma thank you for letting us know about Dori. I knew she had been having some health issues lately and it was only 2 days ago I was wondering how she was doing. Dori was always very helpful to me. May she R.I.P

Good afternoon. Our crazy weather continues. We are now back to being cold.

Shelly @shellyrae37 the weather was perfect over the weekend and yes it was warm enough for a swim. I didn't go in the water though but the kids did. I sat and soaked up the beautiful sunshine and admired the perfectly blue clear sky and crystal clear ocean.

Good afternoon. Our beautiful weather continues, so no complaints from me. I am going camping again this weekend to a gorgeous beach not very far from me. I can proudly say that we do have some of the most beautiful beaches here. Beautiful white sand and crystal clear blue water. If you are interested Google East Coast of NSW Australia and check out some of our beaches, especially near me ( Mid coast and mid North coast)
This is the beach where I am going.

Our weather has had a turn around and we are now experiencing some lovely sunny spring days with cool evenings and early mornings . Just perfect.
Shelly @shellyrae37 I think most of the members that used this chatroom have now all gone over to Facebook or other social media sites. There are so many glass groups of all eras and interests for them to be involved with on FB. Carl @carma only pops in every now and then. He goes weeks without posting anything. Our dear Marson @panishklo always stops by on special occasions such as birthdays.

Nancy @jerseystar27 Weather report is saying a cool change is on its way and a slight chance of some rain. Rain would be great to clean the air and settle the dust.

Good morning. Our weather here is still unpleasant, to a degree. We are experiencing above average temps for this time of year. There's high fire danger alerts with many bush fires already starting. And to top it off we have dusty, gusty hot dry westerly winds, so our air is filled with dust and smoke. My energy levels are draining away already and it is not even summer yet.

We had some unbelievable temperatures today. Some were record breaking and some were reported to be the hottest September day on record. A nice cool change has come now and it is very much welcomed by me.

Shelly @shellyrae37 yes Egypt does sound interesting, Actually lots of places around the world look very interesting and there's some great deals at the moment. I have been so tempted to click "book" on a few of them LOL I'll wait till after Xmas, though, to plan where and when I will be going. In the mean time exploring some parts of Australia will do me. There's lots here I haven't seen yet.

Its even hotter today 95F and a disgusting hot wind is blowing. High Fire danger alerts everywhere, bush fires have already begun and total fire bans have been put in place. It's going to be a very long hot dry summer. Bureau of Meteorology has formally declared El Niño weather event.
Shelly @shellyrae37 I have been asked to join 2 friends on a trip to Egypt in January BUT I am undecided. I think I might need a little longer to save for that , especially being so close to after Christmas. Now if they were going later in the year, I'd be on board with no hesitations. But I am a very spontaneous kind of person and can change my mind in a heart beat. So who knows , I might end up in Egypt next year LOL

Today it feels more like Summer then the early start to Spring. It's 92F atm and with a hot westerly wind blowing. Its not pleasant at all. Of course the media is making a huuuuge issue over it and the headlines are really over sensationalised. Yes its hot but I wouldn't call it a "Severe Heat Wave" and the headlines such as "WARNING SEVERE HEAT WAVE" is very much over the top for these temperatures in Australia. BUT that's the media for you
Shelly @shellyrae37 Nope I haven't gotten travelling out of my system yet. Always looking and always thinking about where to go to next. Though there will be no overseas trips for me till next year sometime, I'll be jumping in my van , every chance I get and doing short road trips for a few days, here and there. I am also planning a road trip, in November, heading south for a few weeks. I'll do a week or 2 volunteering at a BlaizeAid camp helping farmers rebuild fences and then some time afterwards travelling around and back home.

The Statue of Maitreyi Buddha (The Future Buddha) is carved into the side of a mountain, believed to be approximately 800 years ago. It's located at Mulbekh monastery in Ladakh and is 30 ft tall

I watched the monks making this gorgeous sand Mandala at one of the Monasteries I visited.. Sand mandalas originate from an ancient Tibetan Buddhist custom, signifies the human journey from ignorance to Buddhahood and is used as a tool to help monks in meditation and to symbolize the concepts of impermanence, wisdom, compassion, loving-kindness and inner peace, It takes days/weeks to complete, using grains of coloured sand, much concentration and patience to create such intricate detail. Once it is completed, a ceremony is held followed by it's destruction .The destruction signifies the law of impermanence. That nothing lasts forever, and everything is in constant change.

Remembering JimD on his Birthday

Good afternoon. Our weather is perfect here atm. 79F But this weekend coming they are predicting it to get up over 90F . A bit too hot too soon, I think . It's only the beginning of our Spring, Well its not even officially Spring but down here we do it by the 1st calendar day of the month. 1st September for Spring. Officially we are still in Winter.
Carl @carma I hope you don't get hit too hard with the storm. Fingers crossed by the time it gets near you it has run out of puff. Things in our gardens down here are not the same either. For a start we are lacking the presence of bees. My clover patch I leave for the bees is usually buzzing by now. But not a bee to be seen. There were just a few in the Grevillea But not like it should be with each flower covered in them. I live in what I would call the "cockroach capital" I don't see any of them like I use to, either. Everything seems to be amiss. At least I have lots of birds in my trees BUT that is only because progress is knocking down all the surrounding bushland and building new estates , made of bricks and concrete . Very little yards, no trees, Roof top to roof top of houses and fences. Our lush farmland is being turned into housing estates too. All the dairy farms are gone. We don't have the produce farms like we use to either but lucky for us there's still some battling along and supplying us with local fresh vegs.
Nancy @jerseystar27 The Taj Mahal was jaw dropping gorgeous. It's hard to imagine all that work and all that marble was all done by hand. To see it up close and see just how much detail has gone into it is mind blowing.

Shelly @shellyrae37 I am kind of caught up with the yard work. It's not perfect but acceptable I just have a few little areas that need tidying up a bit more. I think the glass you are referring to is called Goofus Glass. I suppose you could repaint the base if you wanted to but I can't advise you on how to go about that or what type of paint you would use
I will post some pics of the Taj Mahal. Here is one

Our weather is a little crazy as we go from winter to spring. Mornings are cold ( 3 Celsius yesterday) but the days have been nice. Good for being outside working in the yard. My lawn was such a mess after I'd been away for 4 weeks, and I got hayfever when I came home,so I decided to get someone in to mow it for me. I got a quote ($90 AUD) and they came yesterday to do it ( It's a relation that's started up a new business) I am not very impressed with the job they did , particularly around the edges and fence line, very sloppy work all round. On a positive,at least it's mowed and I can keep it managed now ,so on Friday when I redo it, it wont be as big a job and I will fix up the untidiness he left without too much effort. ..but still I was expecting a better job, considering I was paying him what I thought was a good amount of $$.

@webmaster thank you for all you do for this chatroom. Sadly it is not as active as it once was. I think most people have moved over to Facebook.

Katie @fyrqueen my first trek in Nepal was to 3,210metres. I really didn't have much issues with that at all. The last one I did, just as COVID was starting, was to 4773metres. Climbing the last section from Kyanjin Gompa (3870 metres) to Kyanjin Ri (4773m metres) was hard going. I had to stop and rest for a minute or 2 to catch my breath and suck in as much oxygen as I could .It was slow and steady. Not to mention the narrow steep dirt track we were walking on. But it was so worth the view on top of the world, looking out over all the Himalayas, it was beyond spectacular.

Katie my fingers went tingly the first time over the Pass. 2nd time they were fine
I'll have to calculate what 8000ft is in metres

Our very steep climb up to the Palace (Old Leh) over looking Leh, Ladakh, India

Me with our driver of the Jeep and also our rider on the motorbike. We took it in turns being pillion. I rode from the top of the pass back to Leh.

This is us at the worlds highest motorable road on the Khardung La Pass. 5, 600 metres. The first time at that altitude breathing was very hard and so was walking but well worth it. We had spent 2 days prior to this at Leh (altitude 4,000metres) to let or bodies acclimatize. Walking up hills and stairs was an effort and we did plenty of that in the 2 days there . 2nd time over the pass after spending a couple of days at Nubra Valley (3048 metres) wasn't quite so bad as we were starting to acclimatise. Breathing was still hard and walking was slow just not as bad. The motorbike ride down was truly amazing/spectacular/OMG/WOW/jawdropping/ surreal and any other word that could be use to describe this .

Good afternoon everyone. I am back home after a very exciting adventure. I had the best time. India is just amazing and being up in those Himalayas was absolutely jaw dropping. I loved that region of India. Dehli was very hot and humid and I am glad we didn't spend a lot of time there. By all the photos I have seen, I always thought the Taj Mahal was gorgeous but to actually see it in person..OMG OMG WOW WOW WOW you have no idea just how spectacular it is, all made from marble and all those carvings done by hand all those years ago.....stunning stunning stunning.
Train travel was interesting 😆 Jaipur was an eye opener but there was also a lot of beauty there. And of course I love Nepal and I was so happy to be back there among friends and family. Now to settle back into my life here and start thinking about my next get away

Good afternoon. I am all packed and ready to go. I fly out tomorrow for my adventure in India and Nepal.
If any of you are interested in Googling some of the places we will be visiting here is a list
We fly into New Delhi and spend a night there and then start the bike/jeep trip from Manali and travel to
Jispa > Padum via Shingo La Pass > Kargil > Leh > Nubra Valley (across Khardung la Pass elevation 5,600 metres) > Shyok Village > Pangong Lake(camping here with a promise of a good bonfire to sit around and relax) > Leh ( through Changa la Pass ) > Staying overnight Thiksey Monastery also going to Takthok Tsechu Festival > Fly back to Delhi > train to Agra > sunrise at Taj Mahal > Jaipur > Delhi > Kathmandu Nepal.
19 days all up in India followed by 10 days in Nepal

Good afternoon. We have been having some horrible weather lately. It's been so windy. YUCK!! I HATE THE WIND. So far today it has been beautiful and sunny with very little wind. Fingers crossed it remains that way.
For those that may be interested in my trip to India.
After 11 days of travelling up in the mountains , on motorbikes and in jeeps, crossing through some passes ( Shingo La Pass - elevation 5,100 metres; Khardung la Pass ,the world's highest motorable road- elevation 5,600 metres) staying in some villages, and also spending a couple of nights camping ( one night on the banks of Nubra River, another at Pangong Lake) this is where I will be spending a night. It is a Buddhist Monks Monastery.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes.
I had a lovely day. First I went to the School to see my Grand daughter receive two awards. Htis is her first year in High School so I am a very proud Grandma. My daughter cooked me a lovely dinner and my grand daughter made the dessert. Plenty of cuddles from my Grandson and after dinner he had me doing burpees and attempting to do box jumps and push ups with a clap. Push ups I can do, but with a clap....well ... Lets just say I need some work on those and also on the box jumps at the height he was wanting me to attempt 😆 I enjoyed a couple of glasses of Mumm Champagne too, it's one of my favourites. I'll be going out over the weekend with some friends to celebrate.Not sure yet where we will go.
Shelly @shellyrae37 what do you mean "the years seem to roll past fast after you hit 29" I am only 28 😆 😆 😆
@fyrqueen Katie I will be in good hands in India and will be well looked after.

Shelly @shellyrae37 No need to worry yourself over me "Things" can happen just as easily while I am at home. I wont be getting home till 2nd week in August.
As for the family reunion, we always have one every year in September. Plus during the year I catch up with my cousins and relations multiple times, we party together, we go camping together, we do a lot of things together.
Sadly I am actually now one of the elders in the family. On my Fathers side I only have 3 aunties (one 94-95 years old) and 1 uncle left. On my Mothers side none. I am at the top of the ladder there.

Katie @fyrqueen I am glad Mike had a wonderful birthday

Shelly @shellyrae37 My relative (2nd cousin) , who lives in Nepal, has organised the whole trip.She is the one that I go on treks with over in Nepal. I will be travelling over to India with her mother and two other ladies and meeting up with Jessica there. I am not real sure just how much internet coverage we will have while travelling up in the Himalayas .We will be, after all, on the worlds highest motorable roads. Some nights we will be camping and sleeping in tents. I doubt we will even have any electricity on those stop overs .But where possible and when possible, I will be checking into Facebook to let everyone know how things are going and I will post pics there ,that is, if the internet signals are strong enough to upload pics.
I hope you had good weather for the Family Reunion. I will have to think about organising ours when I get back from my trip

Good afternoon. Cold and windy here today, so I will be spending most of the day indoors out of the wind. Sun is shining and not a cloud in the sky. Such a shame it's so windy, It would be perfect sitting out and soaking up some of the warm winter rays

Shelly @shellyrae37 3 more weeks and I will be flying out via Singapore to Indian. The excitement is mounting.
I have just tried the Chatabout website and I got this message "This site can’t be reached chataboutdg.com took too long to respond" Maybe ask on the Vintage Glass FB Group, they will probably know what's happening with the site.

Katie @fyrqueen If you want to see more of what my trip will be like Google Chang La Pass too

Katie @fyrqueen It will be a combination of motorbikes and jeeps. When it becomes too uncomfortable to be on the back of the motorbike, we have a back up Jeep to travel in to rest our butts, back, hips and thighs 😆 Some of the roads we will be travelling on will not be in good condition.
Here is a You Tube video of part of what I will be travelling on

Carl @carma Yes it's a bit of a "Ghost Town" most days here. It's been almost a week between posts.
WTG on your weight loss. I bet you feel so much better. It truly is amazing how much weight can be dropped by eliminating just a few items, eating healthy portioned control servings and without starving yourself either. I rarely eat bread now and mainly stick to just the good carbs.
Katie @fyrqueen I hope you are feeling better asap

I am on the countdown now, for my trip to India and I am starting to get really excited . Just 6 weeks to go. I am doing the Ladakh Jeep/Motorbike Road trip.
I will fly into Delhi,have a night there and then catch a Bus to Manali where the adventure of a life time commences to travel on the Worlds highest motorable roads on motorbikes and in jeeps Some of our accommodation up in the Himalayas will be in campsites .So it goes from Manali >Jispa > Padum via Shango La Pass >Kargil > Leh >Nubra Valley >Pangong Lake > back to Leh via the Chang La Pass (5,360metres or 17,585.3 feet ) for the Takthok Tsechu Festival >Fly to Delhi, catch a train to Agra>visit Taj Mahal > bus to Jaipur >back to Dehli> On Day 19 I will fly to Nepal and spend a week there catching up with Nepali family/friends and then home via Singapore

<susu is it anything like this?

Fran @fran2 It's Autumn here. We have had some amazingly gorgeous weather the past couple of days BUT today has turned cold and rainy, letting us know winter is just around the corner.

Hi everyone. It's nice to see some "old faces"
Looks like I missed a couple of birthdays :-
Happy Heavenly Birthday Toby
and
Happy Birthday to Reen @reen

@susu46 Google made in China Jack in the Pulpit Glass vases. That's what I am imagining from your description. If it were newer Fenton after the 80's then it would most definitely be marked Fenton

Happy Heavenly Birthday dear sweet Betty. I was only reading her little note, 3 days ago, and admiring the lovely Fenton basket she sent me when my DH was so ill.

Good afternoon.

Good Morning, dark, gloomy and raining here and thunderstorms predicted. Hopefully that will ease the humidity.

Shelly @shellyrae37 I had a lovely few days away camping by the river. It was hot but I had a nice shady tree to sit under and a river to swim in to cool down. The camp ground was very well kept by the managers, truly a beautiful spot and they don't pack everyone in on top of each other. We had lots of room and were well away from everyone. And the beauty of it , it was only 30 minutes drive from home. We thought there was a total fire ban so we didn't take any wood for a camp fire.
Katie @fyrqueen glad you and Mike are over covid
Marson @panishklo enjoy your exercise time. I did my gym workout this morning at 6 a.m
Nancy @jerseystar27 Looks like we may be getting our summer back at the end of the week. Crazy weather
Carl @carma I hope by now you are all dug out and no more snow for you

Good evening. We are into our 6th day of Autumn and I think the real summer has arrived. It's 37Celsius right now at 6.30p.m. I don't think we reached that temp at all during this years summer.