General Chat

afternoon all,

well ther are a few sore heads here this morning........although I am in disgrace with my daughter and SIL for daring to suggest that it was a good games last night and the best team won........!!!!!!

been a wet and windy day here after 2 very nasty north wind days with temps over 30, much nicer when its cooler....

hope everyone is keeping well (((((((((to all)))))))))

love June CG

morning all ,someone else with a sore head .lol.mine is from 2 tinnies of a very strong lager ,the wife's from sitting too long in a hot sun with no hat ,but ,the end result is the same ,paracetamol anyone?
Tony ,nice to hear that the rellies are enjoying their first taste of oz ,lucky beggars ,lol,if Liz manages Cyprus okay ,and Emirates.and Singapore bring their prices down a tad more now they are operating from Newcastle ,who knows.
When the rellies go home Tony and all returns to normal .i have a favour to ask of you ,you being the expert sleuth on genes to do with oz ,but more on that much later.
We had our exitement a couple of days ago here ,,old fred goes out back in the throes of dawn to see to the greenhouse before watering the garden ,cup of tea in hand[of course] reaches inside and flicks the switch ,the light goes on,goes off as there is a huge bang and a blue flash.
Ilook over the shoulder at the house,darkness ,looks next door ,more darkness ,looks next door next door,even more darkness ,oooooer ,is this my doing ,if so ,i will be as popular as a pork chop at a jewish wedding,it being brekkie time for most.
I walk through the gate at the side of the house ,strike me ,the whole ruddy street is in darkness ,even the street lights are out.
Walking round the corner all becomes clear ,the one hole left in the street next door is full of water again ,and the gas and power cables are under water and there is still a smell of burnt ozone in the air .
I am still standing looking when the electricty repair team comes round the corner ,they pull up ,take one look and call the water board,who turn up fifeteen minutes later,THEY take one look ,and call out the contractors who are putting in the new water pipes,and now the fun starts,much gesculating ,shouting and swearing going on ,and Fred is enjoying it all ,he he ,better than watching the keystone cops anyday,any way it ends up with the electric company rep'who has by this time arrived telling the water board that they will be billed for all the damage ,repairs ,and any insurance claims for loss of power,and this in turn is passed on to the contractors from the water company.
After four hours when the power comes back on ,i walk round the corner again ,and the hole has been filled in at last , an expensive exercise for someone who was just too lazy to close the hole last week when the pipework was finished,he he ,i thought w w 3 was going to kick off for a short while.
'Tis as well i did the B B q yesterday ,it went well ,apart from the fact that half the people never turned up the marinaded chicken was lush,made from a home made Thai sauce and mint,still ,what wasn't used has gone into a casserole which we are having for dinner ,today we seem to be sliding back into wetter ,cooler weather,hmmm ,that last night shindig may be the last this year.
Hope all had a good weekend ,take care all .Fred.

Crikey Badger, all that excitement would give the whole neighborhood a sore head! Hope you are feeling better, and the lights are still burning!
This week has been a bit warmer, and the days are getting longer, so I like to get out into the garden in the evenings. Its only a month or so now till DD18 does her final exams, I am trying to imagine what big changes this will make to the household, not having a schoolgirl any more. We have plan A, Plan B and Plan C for next year, and second versions of all three as well !!
My Dad, who is 93, has been invited to give a speech at a ceremony to remember our little church where I grew up. So I've been on the phone with him quite a lot listening to the reminiscences, he has a remarkable memory he has listed about 12 pioneer families of the district to mention, and one or two funny stories about Sunday school when he was a boy.
Better go now and clean up after the roast chook, mmmmm, I get to pick the bones ! Hope everyone is having a lovely week, ~~ Hz

Hello HZ,
I have E-mailed you
Regards Marie

Well hello all ,the old furry pest is back again lol.fit [sort of ] and rarin' to board the aircraft ,wahey ,six weeks in the sun ,can't be bad.
The wife and i were out and about two days ago ,and ended up goingfor a meal at Tesco's as we finished thje shopping [or so we thought].
We started off at the electrics section and spotted the all in one H P printer that i have been looking for for the last four months,exactly the same as the C 5280 all in one H P that i have ,exept that this one is on ,usb AND wireless ,which i need so that it will work on the wifes desktop [usb] and my lap top [wireless] so i can now use it too ,great stuff ,but the price was even greater ,£47 ,which is a Christmas promotion ,lol, so ,i have entered into the Christmas spirit early and it is now sitting upstairs waiting to be wrapped up ,[Liz's dept he he.
Getting really chilly now in the mornings and i am expecting the frost any day now,so we are kicking off the winter season today by going to the metro centre for our exercise ,in the warm ,with plenty of seats for Liz to sit down on to get her breathe back.
With the winter round the corner i have lined up a few jobs i can do in the garden to give me something to do,like laying extra paving under the front hedge so i'm not trailing mud back to the kitchen,putting up reed screening along the back fence to stop much of the wind coming through the fence to give the roses some protection,and stop all the seeds coming through from next doors weeds.
There is also Mary's chalet to clean out and bomb [as in an insecticide cleaner] and the pots ,inside to clean out so they are ready for next year.
Someone else who likes to pick on the chicken bones ,lol,i strip the carcass ,eat some ,give some to the cat for a treat and leave some on the bones and sling them into a big pot and make a soup for another meal ,[tight scot's way of saving pennies] suprising what a few bones will do laced with some stock, and diced veggies,done with a bit of french stick,beutiful.
I see i can now use my 0 3 phone to connect to windows messenger and make free calls to go with the skype ,so that could be handy if i can chat free to any contacts i have ,it would be nice to chat once in a while without a keyboard .
Well ,time to go and get ready ,hope everyone is well and lookingforward to the warmer weekends ,only just over a week now ,and we will be having them ourselves ,roll on ,he he.Fred

Hi Badger, and HZ bythe river, we are having beautiful weather here in Bathurst I was busy spraying couch grass this afternoon I want to plant a line of Bottlebrush
for a wind break and shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer. My vegie garden is going great we had rain last night which was great.I see you have lined up a number of jobs for your self Badger do you hope to get them done before winter?your printer sounds good. Stay well Badger
Hz, the Family history Society has the Electoral Rolls, however I wont be able to view them untill next week and the Historicl Society will be open On Saturday Sunday monday and tue so I will pop in and see them when I can.Best wishes to you both .Marie from OZ& Bathurst.

Well,morning to all and Marie who seems to be busy in the garden too at the moment ,
i am up well early this morning due to a lot of leg pain but i refuse to be cowed by it ,even renaming myself Holiday Badger because i refuse to become downhearted until i at least get away on holiday and may even yet keep the name until after Christmas too and the hell with it ,lol.
I found the luggage labels and straps for the cases yesterday in town ,and also found a raincoat and fleece liner for the winter,with the idea of going for my walks each morning to keep myself mobile over the winter, i am having no more weeks of back pain next spring he he ,i am only just getting over the start of this season.
Someone out there is being naughty this morning ,early as it is the police helicopter is busy over the estate yet again ,hmmm ,i hope it isn't Hissy raising hell out there ,but she did ask soooo nicely to be let out that i couldn't very well say no ,could i?
Yes Marie ,i do intend to try getting most of the work done before the winter really sets in ,but intend leaving the laying of the new stones and fencing till last ,,these things i can see to in any conditions.
Well ,i am going to finish my cuppa now ,and then lock up ,leaving the missus snug in bed while i go for a morning saunter to get he kinks out the old bones.
Nine days and counting ,Even found some lovely burgers at the local butcher so we are having one more B B Q before we fly off into the sun,
back later ,Holiday Badger.

Hi Holiday Badger, Good on you Refusing to give in to old age I am doing the same thing some days I cant straighten up and then when I do get erect I then find I cant bend down LOL you have to look on the funny side of life. I am always busy badger I love gardening and I have managed to pass it on to my six children as they are all keen to have a neat tidy garden. My daughter was a nurse but has now gone back to University to do Horticulture and Design and is doing very well at the subject, she has given up nursing as she has two small daughters and is unable to do night shift. I managed to get sun burnt to-day while in the garden our summer is nearly on us, but the weather in Bathurst can change within a few hours I have tomatoes growing but I wont put them out for some time as we can still get frosts up until Xmas. It is a real challenge gardening on the central tablelands.Well I think I have Rambled on enough have a nice day Kindest regards Marie

Hi everyone Gosh its been ages since I was here..Cant see where the days have gone..must be getting old..hee hee

We have had the most dreadful dust storm today..The sky was red early this morning and everything outside was covered in red dust..Just hope it rains and washes it away..the wind is strong and disrupting the planes and ferries, so a bad day if travelling anywhere.. Decided to stay home and not breath it in if I can help it.. Wander if Victoria has any soil left...lol...

Glad to see you are keeping busy Marie and hope our Merle is fighting fit..

June..You over the hangover yet..hee hee...

Better go and do some of the dreaded..so have a nice day all..

Love Mary xxx

Hello Mary. Marie, Badger, and everyone.
Well what a night, Baz and I were woken by the rolling thunder and lightening after midnight, and simply couldn't resist getting up and looking at the hail and rain for a few minutes. The sheets on the line had to be rewashed today as they had a lovely sheen of red dust, but we didn't get dust in the air like Sydney and Brisbane, the pictures on the tv news were incredible. No good for poor people with difficult lungs. Mary you did the right thing staying indoors today.
Marie that will be interesting to see if my Mirfields are on the electoral roles,thank you so much for being a sleuth!
DD18 has a formal dinner at school tomorrow night, farewell to year 12, so tonight she has had her hair done, she's delighted, it's a very funky cut like the girls all seems to have these days, lots of layers, and a discreet little patch of electric blue colouring which she can hide at school but allow to show when the social life kicks in! I was also walking past a sale rack and bought her a great cotton jacket to wear with jeans, very trendy cut, high fashion, it was her perfect size 3 (European?) and she loves it, boy am I popular today! On that note I'd better get us all to bed, Take care all, ~~ Hz

evening all,

listen whoever has large parts of SA could they end it back this way I reckon we lost several small hills and maybe a small town or 2 was blown away as well........ so smarty pants here reckoned if NSW wont share the water then we will send the parched land there way.....hehe

Mary, we have found another piece of land, it used to be part of a wild life sanctury called Warrawong, so very beautiful bush....so fed up with the other council and trying to work out how many trees to take down..... also the fellow who was my old boss is resurecting another company so might get some work but not really counting on it. .........

starting to plan in detail our big trip for next year........cant wait

hope every one else is keeping well

love June (CG) xx

Evening....:>))

11:30 pm Wednesday evening and just arrived back home after dropping the two immigrants off at Melbournes Tullamarine
airport, to start their journey back home to the old dart ( Mother England ) They fly to Kuala Lumpur ( 7-8 hrs ) then exchange, to fly the next 13 -14 hrs arriving at Heathrowe at approx 4:30 pm Thursday arvo. Losing some 9hrs along the way ( time difference between Oz and England. When they reach Heathrowe Airport at 4:30 pm Thursday it will be 7:30 am Friday in Melbourne Vic......:>))

They have thouroughly enjoyed there 21 days in Oz, and did cover a reasonable ammount of mileage .....Well, really they saw only a very small part of Victoria, but as my Cuzzes hubbie says mileage wise we have covered most of England if we were back home. They totalled up 6,000 Ozzie kms in there hire car during there short stay, but never really left the state of Victoria.....lol.

Places they visited in Victoria.
Melbourne CBD,and some of Melbournes coast line, Healsville, Dandenong ranges, Gippsland region, Phillip island, Geelong, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Ballarat, Kilmore, Heathcote, Castlemaine, Echuca, and many of Victoria's smaller country towns along their travels.

We will visit them next,( poss 2011 and our 3rd trip to the U.K ) as there is still so much of England that i need to see, and check out my Ancestors birth counties. Wiltshire, Lancashire, Kent, Sussex, Essex, Durham, Yorkshire.



Bring on 2011



Tony....:>)))

good afternoon all you tired red eyed [and red else where] people ,i had a look at your lele this morning .wow .ain't seen anything like it in years ,not since a gulf sand storm anyway ,hope it will die down soon for you all.
I noticed other states were in bother with flooding and yet otherswith coasal erosion ,crickey ,you are in the wars.
Mary ,we isssss NOT getting older ,it;s the others hurrying to catch us up ,that is causing problems .lol,so please stop giving the oldies secrets away before i set Edith loose on you he He.
Well ,there is one trip to town left to see to where i will be taking the money out to pay for the car ,sterling ,not euro's after Bill told me there was a better option than hiring from the car pool.
The car pool would cost me the same amount of money ,but Bill said there had to be a better way ,so i contacted the grandson via the net ,and within an hour i got a reply saying there was a lad ,due to go back this next weekend with a nice 6 year old Corsa 1300cc ,who was desperate to sell it, but with no takers .
I have brought it and will take the money out with me to give to the owner ,,he flys home Monday morning.
Sean can now sell his Subaro and pocket the money ,and will be keeping the Corsa after Liz and i come home ,hopefully selling it art the last minute.before he flys too.
It even looks as though he may be back by Christmas ,a hell of a bonus.,So Well thought Bill always a sensible person to talk to,and good luck for the move.
not long to go now ,,bags packed and laptop at the ready ,only i have decided to take the acer which is nearly as powerful as the H P but quite a bit lighter to hump around [no naughty words intended ] lol.
We even went the whole hog with the seats too ,back off the wing ,window seats ,and meals included ,going in style ,he he.
What a nice day it is today ,a real indian summer for us ,the ONLY summer for us when you look at it ,tomorrow supposedly being as nice.
Even off out tomorrow evening for a meal, with the son and partner ,back to the chinese in Stowell street [china town] where we have been frequently and never get a bad meal.
Have to start tea now [a stir fry] but will be back tomorrow ,hope all of you over there in oz and kiwi land have a much better week next week ,than you have had this ,take care all Fred & Liz xxxx.
P/S Just seen Tony mention Durham on his next trip to england ,would be great to see you mate ,keep me and liz updated please ,we have plenty of room ,that would be very handy for you ,right next to the roundabout ,a1 north, south /,a 69 east and west,cant get better than that lol.

Arvo.....Aussies, and good morning Fred.....:>))

Fred. I will keep that offer in mind when we "hopefully" ( pending finances ) come over in 2011.
My Ancestor rellies were from Chester le Street, and Waldridge in Durham. ( 1860s )

My cuz and hubbie are about 2hrs into there 13 hr flight on the 2nd leg of their journey homewards........ from Kuala Lumpur to Heathrowe. Then its an approx 3hr plus drive from the Airport to there home in Essex. They are laden with goodies .... Boomerangs, T-shirts, Clothes, A few toys, and Aussie nick-nacks for there children and grandies, who are missing there Gran and Pop.
Whilst in Australia my cuz kept in contact with her family and grandchildren via the internet ( web cam ) and her youngest grandson wanted to know if his Pop and Gran could bring a Kangaroo & Koala or even a Wombat home with them so he could play with them and keep them as pets.....LOL
Cuz said to her grandie, well we could....... but her neighbours might get upset to see a Kangaroo jump the fence and go hopping about all over there garden and clothes line......:>))

Dont ya love kids....they are so straightforward and innocent...hee hee...God bless e'm.

My Cuz loved her time at our Melbournes Healsville Sanctuary, where they were able to get up close to Red & Grey Kangaroo, Wallabies,Koala with baby, Echinda, Wombat, Eagle, Duck billed Platypus, White and Black Cockatoo, All the Parrot varities,Tasmanian Devil, Dingoes, Emu, Kookaburra,Frilled neck Lizard & Co....and from behind glass saw some of the most deadliest snakes in the world, to which she peered through clasped hands held to her face. I think she was happy to get out of that particular enclosure....lol

So through all the Photos and Video taken, i'm sure they will have some stories to tell there grandies about the Land down under.


Hoping all are well.

Best make the other half a cuppa.

Tony....:>))

Hello all, nice to catch up on the Posts, and yes what a bad few days we have had lots of rain but even more dust and if you want your dirt back Cow girl June you can come and get it because I am finding it terribly hard to get rid of, it wont sweep up you have to use the hose I swear my gardens have grown an inch in height from me hosing the dust into them. The winds have been so bad and they say we are in for more this weekend.
Feeling very sad as we had to have our beautiful dog Jakobie put down ,he suffered a seizure yesterday he had been with me all morning out and in to the clothes line then he got on his bed to have a nap ,I went in to fix myself some lunch but decided to check on the washing machine I found him in the doorway unconsciousness I rushed him to the vet,they were good but after much care we had to put him down so we took him home and buried him in my native garden where he spent happy hrs with me , many tears were shed as we said a prayer for our little boy.
He was 14yrs & 6 months old and had given us much love.
His mate Xavier has been looking for him all day, he fretted for him the last time he was ill and had to stay in the vet hospital.
HZ I will send you an e-mail later. BY BY to you all.
MARIE

A very quick reply to you all before i go walkabout in Cyprus,lol'
Sorry to hear about your dog Marie,just think though,your pet had a wonderful time with you and was much loved,.something most pets long for and not all get.
Have a wonderful weekend all ,despite the rain,hail.snow.and dust you may be getting.
Hope to be back on line Monday. Fred.xxxxx

Well,hope everyone is okay what with the weather over in the colonies He He,seems everyone is getting a bit of stick one way or another .
Old Fred is sat here drink of coffee on the left ,mouse on the right while i laze in a balmy sun,lovely breeze rustling the orange and lime bushes in the back garden,where i am sat at the patio table under the awning /verandah,watching the world go by ,all laid back and happy ,warmth at last ,lol.
Must remember to take a pic' of next doors cactus before i come home ,a huge straight leaved variety that must be at least 14 feet tall with lots of young ones growing round the base.
There is one in the front garden too ,a different sort ,with the flower buds on ,i wish i could take a couple of the young ones home with me for the front garden ,but i don't reckon customs would be over pleased.
Sean has his new posting ,back to Brize for him ,but next time he may get to Germany where he will be a lot closer to his wife in Poland..
At least though he will be back before Christmas ,and the wife is coming home for the festive season half ,in the new house outside the camp,and half at our place in Newcastle,much easier to visit too ,with no customs to worry about.lol.
We went to apply for our green passes this morning ,and they should be ready tomorrow ,by midday which means we can go on and off camp as we wish without having to rely on Sean to get through the gates.
I think we will be going to pick the Corsa up on Wednesday ,and then we are as free as the birds ,within reason.
The weekly shop has been done ,apart from the everyday stuff like bread and milk,everything else is in ,a good supply of veggies ,meat and sauces,that sort of thing.
Liz had a good night ,and even Sean has noticed a difference in her breathing in a few hours,a lot less coughing and wheezing,and a lot more colour in the cheeks,def' time for a good lottery win to enable me to get us both out of britain for good .the winters are no good to either of us anymore.
Once we get the corsa there is a lovely beach only two miles away [Lady Beach] with nice ,warm shallow water ,and a nice sandy beach ,to lie on.
There is also a lovely swimming pool on camp ,so we will be able to laze on either ,in the sun ,or ,in the case of the pool in the shade if wished
Shade is now fully grown ,a long slinky cat with huge ears and small head,typical of an Egyptian cat,not the fluffy balls of fur the Europeans are used to,But he is spoilt of course and very vociferous if he dosn't get his own way as soon as he asks,he he.
Liz had a misshap in the arrival lounge of the airport terminal due to some stupid woman who stepped back into her own baggage ,tripped over same ,and cannoned into the missus and sent her flying over a Welcome to Cyprus hoarding onto the floor.
When this woman came into the seating area after customs clearance that we had been cleared by customs straight after the misshap,i was waiting for her,telling her that her attempt to leave without even asking if Liz was alright ,was not on,and that i had all her details from the customs clerk as to who she was and where from,plus all the detail on cctv in case of come back , she had better hope Liz is alright or she would be hearing from me via a brief,she tried to argue ,but her hubby told her to shut up while she was ahead,and he said sorry for her ,the look she got off him didn't bode good for the evening.
Anyway ,Liz is fine ,apart from being a little sore from the impact on her padded areas at the rear he he,and a largish bruise on her left elbow And has enjoyed her first sashey into town shopping [ouch] and i feel a tad lighter in the pocket ,but no matter she brought a weeks groceries apart from bread and milk which we can get from the camp itself.
Time to get some tea on i think ,gonna spoil the grandsonthis evening with a nice beef casserole with new cyprus tatties,cabbage ,carrots and peas ,and ,nearly forgot ,a dumpling each by special request .
Catch you all later ,Fred,& Liz.xxxxxx

Hi to all. Well, I did have a lovely surprise this morning. Had morning coffee and a loooong chat with the Canberra two. It was so good to see someone from Wattlers. Photos will arrive eventually. They send all their love and headed off to Esperance on their leisurely way home,
I believe Bev from Perth is also coming to Albany soon. I don't know her but would love to meet up if anyone can let her know.
I've made a special card for Lew, if she's well enough to bother. Don't have mail address though so can any one help there please. Birthday wishes to all I've missed. Hope you had a great day.
I got a tomato plant yestiddy, can'y help it if I have to carry another pot to the new 'ouse when it comes.My freezias are about to burst open and the daffies have been ok but the tulips look like being a dead loss unless they can survive till we get some sun. We ARE going to get some someday. I think.
Dog and I are settling in well now. He has stopped pulling his fur out in big lumps so stress levels must be improving. Takes me for a walk every day. Groan.I boughtr him two new T shirts . He just won't go to bed without one on.He actually takes himself out into the back yard now too, though wouldn't go through the doggie door till I propped it open.Will have to find something to stop the flies when they visit..
Must tell you I got a letter this weekfrom Mental health to say I have improved enough to be taken off suicide watch and congratulations! News to me. They must have been spying from behind a tree or summat pmsl.
Mary and Lara, your letters are still in lala land but they will arrive. Love ya.
Much love to everyone else Badger, you're priceless. Along wit our Ser Tones of course. Luv Me

Hello All,

I'm hoping not to lose my post again - having trubs on here I think due to the ads ?? but I have been reading back.

Badger, my sister has been to Corsica, she adored the blood oranges, rarely seen here outside markets I'm sad to say, I've only had them once or twice in my life. Sounds like you are set up for a beaut stay and Mary will love the better air. Enjoy your holiday.

Pearl, I am thrilled that you had such a lovely visit with the Canberrans, and that you are being taken for a walk every day lol, can I borrow him? Won't be long till my friend Deb starts wanting me to walk in the mornings, it's nearly light enough. But we usually wait until after the Melb Cup, she has a dress shop and is really really busy at this time of year getting all the ladies dressed for the Racing Carnival time.

I finished all last years tax paperwork today, so I'm having a night in front of the tv. Also got a good start on next years lol ! I put off cleaning out the pantry till tomorrow.

Time to feed the cat - and make a cuppa. Happy Days everyone, ~~Hz

Morning all... Gosh time flies..Cant believe it is so long since I was here..

Merle So lovely to see you and you sound reeeeealy good..glad you have a pet to keep you in line.hee hee hee,,and the extra exercise will be good for you...hee hee..

June CG. I like the sound of the other block.. You have had such a lot of trouble with this one..Did Ann have a good trip to England and did she get all the info you needed...bet you cant wait for your trip..

Marie.. You must have got more dust than we did..hee hee,,cos it would have hit you first..I had our back patio cleaned on the monday and the dust landed on it on the tuesday..What a waste of money..Now waiting for it to rain to finish it off..lol...

~~~~~to HZ and Tony..

Fred.. Was great chatting to you.. Hope all is going well and Liz is enjoying herself and the black and blue is disapearing....Bet Sean will be sorry when you go home as he will miss all that lovely grub...lol

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx