General Chat

Hi Mary ,Tone's ,Marie,and anyone else who shows up this p,m.
I Had the day off yesterday ,deserted the house ,garden ,the wife ,and Hissy,grabbed my trusty spinning rod and reel and bogged off to Keilder for the day.
The biggest man made lake in europe set in rolling hills ,a huge valley ,the shores of the lake covered in heather ,scrub ,and pine forest,like a little Canada ,lots of squirrels ,deer the newly re introduced Beaver ,and other assorted Fauna, [no bears ,thank goodness]
What a day i had ,recharging the batteries ,enjoying the countryside ,the peace,no traffic noise,the wind sighing in the woods,lovely blue sky mainly ,and to cap it all ,lazing in a chair ,rod in hand looking through dark glasses at the iron rich water ,and half dozing in the gentle warmth for the day.
You would have thought the good Lord decided i deserved to remember this day for a long time,the conditions were tailor made so to speak ,and i am not ashamed to say ,i didn't wan't to come home,lol.
I even managed to catch three nice rainbow trout ,two well over the three pound mark ,the third being a lot smaller at under two ,a nice days catch.
The son and i didn't get home until gone 9 pm ,and we stopped off at the local chippy for two fish suppers to save having to cook.
The two big trout where cleaned and put down into the freezer for a rainy day.
I felt a bit guilty upon hearing that Hissy ,upon finding me missing after her morning jaunt ,spent the rest of the day sitting on a chair facing the window looking at the front gate ,not moving off it until i opened the gate.
So ,bless her cotten socks ,she shared the small trout with me upon our little B B Q this dinner time.
The wife ,Ashton and i had two snags each ,in ranch buns ,with onion and mustard,a burger in a cheese muffin ,ditto onions and sauce ,instead of onions.
The weather held for us too ,until 1-30 p,m so i was well happy ,a day and a half of being laid back and lazy before getting back to normal ,he he..
I started looking at the seed books an hour ago ,and next years seed are by now being sorted prior to packing for despatch.
The survey team are due to arrive sometime next week to check the chimney and fire surround prior to getting the fire sorted out for delivery and installation if all is well,so i can do no more yet,hopefully though it will be in ,well before the winter ready for use.
Hope the doc is right this time Mary ,and can get John sorted out and back to normal before long,knowing what's wrong for sure is a good half the battle,and yes ,i too wish you could see your Chalet ,and the garden for real instead of it being in photo's .hey i might even get the pair of you of to keilder for the weekend ,a spot of fishing for John,and some fossicking for you ,lots of fossils in among the rocks on the lakeside ,not including us he he.
time to go and get the puss cats tea,lol,the paw is up again nudging my knee ,very demanding is this pusser cat .
Catch you later peeps ,enjoy the weekend ,Fred.

Hi everyone Back from a lovely weekend in Canberra and had the lovliest time with my daughter and grandaughters..The drive was not to bad and we did it in good time..dont mind the drive to Canberra as most of it is on a motorway..so easy..
John managed it not to badly and I think he enjoyed himself also..It was good for him to get out of the house and see something more than our village and shops..
Hope we can do this more often as I am sure it does us boththe world of good..
Hope the specialist can find out Johns problems and sort him out..Trip to New Zealand has been cancelled but then I didnt count on it so thats ok..

Hope all are well and enjoying llife..

Love mary xx

Hello Mary, Fred Tony & Shaz, Only 2 Weeks & 2 days, and Marie & Barbara will be up in that great air bus & about 20hrs or so later Italy here we come, that is if I can get everything in my bag LOL.
Mary it was great that you could get to Canberra to visit your daughter & grandchildren.I hope that the specialist is able to help John and it isn't as bad as you think.
Hi Tony I havent seen the news to-night so dont know what has happened re Gov.,I used to live in Vic, 15 years we were in Colac 12 yrs. then Castlemain for 3 years Loved it there.
we had 3 beautiful days of Sunshine so some of the water has dryed up but to-day is cold and the forcast is rain to-morrow for the semifinals of the local AFL also Sunday more rain,all the Dams in our area are full to overflowing ,however the west still needs rain, out around Condoblin they seem to miss out on the rain.
Badger you transported me to your neck of the woods it sounds so beautiful like Mary I would love to be their as I am missing our lovely sunny weather, I have had the rain change and now i would like more sun I am hoping Italy are having an Indian Summer when we get there.
Time to leave you all Best wishes to you all Marie.

Hi All,
I've just seen the reports from Victoria - two towns evacuated because of flooding and wind damage in Melbourne.
I hope all you Victorians are o.k.

Best wishes

Ian

Hello all,

Have just landed back in Oz after our 4 month oddesey OS.

So many highlights, sooooo many photos, so many great memories.

Hope you are all well and enjoying life.

Cheers June (cowgirl)

Hi, hope its o.k. for me to come on board. Just noticed Marie used to live in Castlemaine, very close to where I live. Still a country town, but changing slowly with lots of city slickers & cafes.

We had about 90 mms rain on Friday night, which is the most we have had for at least 10 years, our tanks and dam is overflowing, such a shame to see water going to waste!!

Hi all, new on board as well! hope thats okay!

Lots of rain and wind, partner has been sent up to Shepparton to help with the Incident Control Centre (we both work for an emergency services organisation) so I won't see him for a few day's. The water their is expected to peak tonight.

Hopefully the water is running into the catchment areas and doesn't cause any more damage on it's way!

Well hello, Mel75, also Amazing Grace08,Welcome to our Wattlers Club,, so nice to have some new friends to chat to.
Mel 75 I have a Son and grandchildren still living in Castlemain.My son lives just near Barkers Creek, His 2 youngest children go to a Catholic College in Bendigo.
The rain has been a wonderful gift for that area I know that Castlemain hasn't had rain for more than 10years.
It is so typical of Aust. a drought is almost always followed by a flood
I noticed that the people around Shepperton dont seem to be complaining, they have been waiting so long for this rain.

Here in Bathurst we had good rains last Winter, and this year it hasn't stopped raining all our Dams are pouring over the Spillways. I got bogged in our yard on Saturday,we havent been able to finish any of the jobs that we started earlier
in the year it has been our wettest winter in years.

Hi June welcome home when you get over your jet lag you will have to tell us all about your trip.
I am off to Italy on the 19 th which is only a week & 3 days away.I hope it is warm when we get there.

The big news is we finally have a Govenment thank goodness hopefully we wont have to listen to all that hog wash for awhile.
Hi Mary , alsoTony and Badger how are things with you Fred still no gardening here just too wet.
Tony , South of Sydney got that wild weather also, we had some of it and some trees did come down.
Mary, I hope you & Johnarewell.
I am in the wars again yesterday evening I somehow twisted
my knee bad timing , luckly I have an appointment with the Physiotherapist on Thursday for my back I hope she will take a look at the knee.
I must go as it is well past my meal time .
Kindest regards to you all, especially to Amazing Grace & Mel75, also Yevette and Merle if you are looking in. Marie.

Hello from a very soggy Albury, nice to see some new faces but I must say if you are working in emergency services then you will be BUSY in central and northern Victoria !! Today we had brilliant sunshine plus another three quarters of an inch of rain - more forecast too ! Amazing, but brilliant to see the Hume Weir at 65%.
June welcome home! What were the highlights of your trip? Did you hunt down the ancestors lol ! Next to go will be Marie, watch out Italy, here she comes.
I'm having a weekend away, meeting up with my sister to visit my Dad who is 92. It’s a lot of driving but maybe the roads will
be relatively quiet with this weather. Better go and pack the wellies !
Take Care all, I will be back next week ~~ Hz

Hi everyone...We have had some lovely weather..

June Welcome home..Glad you had a good time..Did you manage to find any bricks holding up your brick walls...hope all was ok when you got home..

Marie Not long now..lucky thing..I am getting reeeealy green with envy ..all you peeps going OS..My grandson in in Norway at the moment..He then goes to London to meet up with a friend and then to Munich, and tour around..

Welcome all the newys.. You are very welcome to the Wattle thread..We spent a lot of time in Dunolly.. and Maryborough..Just love the little towns..My hobby is gold fossicking..but now my husband cant travel I am restricted to Genealogy..If you need any help just holla as we have some of the best genies on this thread..Hope you are all high and dry and not in any trouble with the rain..

Fred.. How goes things mate..Sorry havent had time to read back..Are you reaping your harvest..Started on my front garden and when that is finished I will start on my back one..

Well I better get to bed..Early rise tomorrow,,

Merle Hope you are well.. are you in the new place yet..xxxxx

Have a nice weekend all..

Love Mary xxxx

Hi to all the newbys ,and the oldies he he,hi Mary old buddy ,yep i have indeed started eating all the gear out of my buckets.
My runner beans went in two to a bucket ,nine buckets in total ,and have been watered throughout using the water from food preperation ,and the occasional bowl of none greasy washing up water ,and so far i have put down 30 lbs of chopped .blanched beans,and the plants are still throwing flower .
My cabbages are massive this year ,and i am getting about four meals per head..the dwarf french didn't do too well ,but i have a climbing variety for next year which should do far better.
The new freezer comes the week we get back from cornwall ,and i think the old one should stand at the back of your chalet as a stand by in case of a breakdown.
The new feeezer is only two trays shorter than the one we have ,but has a large fridge on the top,so we can shut the old fridge off and use it for the festive seasons for overspill ,and guess what? ,he he ,no more doing of the old geordie style corned beef in the chalet ,yeay ,we now have a fridge fit for the job ,lol.
The new fire is in ,fully fitted and commisioned ,so ,no matter what i can keep the missus warm and snug,no matter what transpires .
Get yourself a few buckets lass ,drill a few holes in the bottoms and get some seeds in ,great fun,you can eat what you grow,and it can't escape ,he he.
I found a lonely carrot in with the parsnips ,and left it to fend for itself so i may be in for a treat when i get to dig it out ,soup here we come .lol,the red onion came up great ,but they are cheap enough to buy ,so i will revert to caarrot next year ,you can't beat going out back in the frost and picking a couple ,along with a cabbage and parsnip to make a meal from,no need to even go to the corner shop,lol.
Found the link between the oz Rowans and my lot on Tyneside too ,which i will follow up over the winter,they left England on a ship out of Glasgow ,and turned up in Sydney,the Dad ,son and his wife the mother having died just before the turn of the century..
Looking forward to cornwall now ,two weeks to go ,yippee ,and back a week and off to Blackpool ,lol dirty stop aways ,that's us he he.
Time to go for another mooch around the boards,hope all you over there are enjoying what's left of your weekend,Fred.

Hi,

Thanks for your welcome.

Just popped in quickly, been out in the garden pulling out weeds, can't believe how quickly they grow!!

Mary, we have probably crossed paths on the goldfields, we have been detecting for years. We live on old gold mining land, where the Chinese first came to in the 1850s.

Marie, have a great holiday to Italy, are you doing a bus tour? We went in 2000, hiring a car, (very scary, they do not know what road rules are), we travelled through northern Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Czech Republic, staying with local families along the way. We would love to do it again.

Until next time, hope everyone is well

Hello to you all, this will probably be my last post for awhile as I am trying to get things sorted out before I go away. We have had 3 days of beautiful sunshine, It cant make up its mind to-day no sun yet, a light shower as well.
The bag is packed only an extra pair of shoes to put in.I am off to town later to get the euro's and the mobile phone to international roaming,
Fred I hope you have a great holiday,
Mary I hope you and family are all well.

The ball is rolling for the Hayward Reunion we have settled on a place now just the date to settle on, I will try to get it done when I come home in October.
Hz, How was the weekend with your dad
& your sister I hope it went well, did you have much water in Albury?

Mel75 nice to hear from you the children and I often went fossicking we had our special shovel and the gold pans, the children often went down to the creek which was very close to us and would often come home with a little speck of gold, it was exciting for them and for me.
Tony I hope you and Barb are well and there have not been anymore bad storms,Melbourne must be looking green once more.
June are you over your Jet lag ?I am looking for to hearing about your trip did you find the information you were looking for?
Merle like Mary I am wondering if you are in your new Place.
I must away LOVE & Hugs
Marie

Arvo...:>))

Beautiful spring sunny Tuesday, in and around Melbourne. ( its about time...lol )

Water catchment is at 45%....so they tell us.

Welcome to Mel175 and AmazingGrace08
Do please drop in and say G'day anytme.

G'day to Ian over in West Aussie, and welcome back Cowgirl.

Marie. Wishing you a happy and safe holiday to Italy, and i'm sure you will have a great time.

Third youngest daughter ( Melanie ) tells me on fathers day , she and a childhood girlfriend from Primary school in Melbourne in the late 70s ( who now lives in London ) are in the midst of booking a European holiday ( tour ) for next June 2011
Mel's girlfriend Linda lives between London and Melbourne Vic., and wants Mel to come over, and they are arranging a tour that takes in London,Paris,Amsterdam,Germany,Switzerland, Spain, and back to London. Mel is leaving the two boys with hubbie who will dip into his long service leave to take care of them while Mums away, so Mel is free to go.
She asked me if she was doing the right thing by leaving the boys with hubbie, and going off and enjoying herself!!!!
Go for it,i says....because when the two boys get to secondary school, you wont be able to afford a European Holiday....Trust me.....lol
A trip of a lifetime for her, and at 33 years of age she has never been O/seas before. Plus....if she dosent go, i will be first to put my hand up to take her place...hee hee
I'm overdue for another U.K holiday....:>))

Spring is here, and time to start selecting what summer vegies are going in this year

Wishing all a great day.


Tony

Morning to all ,from over the bigpond ,where we are on the slippery slope towards Winter ,yet again,he he ,not that we have had a summer this year ,just a wishy washy sort of extended spring ,cum autumn.
You can't be on about another holiday yet Sir Tones? you needs to get out in the garden mate ,and get on with the spring chores while the weather is mild.
I would have thought you water levels would have been higher after the winter you have had ,so ,i suppose your country is like ours in a way ,too much water all at once ,and not enough pipework to manage the collection of said precious liquid.into the catchment areas.
Would you believe that Yorkshire is still short of water after the spring and summer floods we have had ,bloody pitiful ,so it is ,too much of the water companies profits [which are humungous] going into shareholders back pockets instead of into new piping and water diversion,into the dams and lakes.
Reckon we ,and others could take a leaf out of Scotlands book ,with the forward thinking of thirty years ago ,and the building of the dam,hydro power plant and the biggest man made water catchment in europe.
The scots now make a packet out of the country park ,the boating marinas , fishing ,and transporting water overseas,canny scots for you.
sounds like daughters friend has it well sussed Tony ,time for you to hide in someone's suitcase i think ,that sounds like one heck of a planned trip.
If you do get over here again mate ,fancy a days trip to Keilder and a spot of fishing ,complete with some tinnies,he he,you could do with having a look at our roman wall and some beutiful countryside,though ,compared to yours,it is a bit small.
I see one of my young countrymen has got himself banned from going to the states ,after sending Obama an email calling him a pratt .lol .way to go lad he he ,,there was no need for all the swearing ,but Obama needs putting into his place with his spouting off at all and sundry to save his hide and political career,The yanks would do well to shed him A S A P.the fella is a liability.
Have a great holiday Marie,keep a hand on your bag at all times,and watch those scooter riding bag snatchers as well ,they are worse than the pick pockets.
Hope you are taking a good camera ,the county is amazing ,along with the majority of the people,and the cooking ,wow ,you have some treats in store ,enjoy it all ,you lucky person.
Time for me to get on with some work now ,still plenty to do even if we are now winding down a tad ,and looking forward to the trip next week..
The little 10" notebook is all loaded with programmes and ready to go ,far easier to carry than my acer laptop,and so compact it is unbelievable.
Catch you all later, Fred [ in holiday mode].

Evening....and good morning to Fred.

Well its Football fever pitch in Victoria AFL ( Australian Football League )....and my team ( Collingwood, Magpies ) just happened to be playing in the grand final this coming saturday...:>))
Should be a great game,( Collingwood V's St.Kilda ) and i will sit on the couch Sat arvo draped in my team colors ( Black & White ) with a meat Pie and sauce, and few bottles of amber fluid. The phone will be off the hook, and the doors locked from visitors.....lol


Fred. If whenever i get back over to England, i will definatley take you up on that offer ( Fishing ) as it is a favourite past time of mine ( Trout fishing )
Other half Barb is chaffing at the bit to get to Wimbleton, to watch her beloved tennis......so that is when i would take my leave and head north, as watching tennis to me is like watching paint dry.....hee hee


Speaking of Barb, i must remember its her birthday coming up on the 30th Sept, as it would be the end of me if i forgot......lol


Plenty of work at the moment, and doing quite a bit of work in Vic. Country side.


Best wishes to all...and Av a good un.



Tony..:>))

Hi everyone.. We have lovely weather...

Tony If you visit Fred. you have my permission to stay in my Chalet if you are good,,It now has a fridge in it to so its getting well furnished,,Just waiting for the bed...LOL

Marie Have a lovely trip and as Fred said have your handbag around your neck and shoulders so that it cant be snatched off..photocopy details of your passport also cos if it is stolen it speeds up getting another..take empty suitcases so that you have room for all that retail therapy you can get..LOL

ME175..Gosh you are lucky to be in the goldfields.. I wont sell my detector as I hope that one day I can get back to Dunolly..We spent 10 years visiting the Dunolly Caravan park with our van and hours in the forests.. We know just about all the people in the park and had some great times there..I cried when I had to sell my van,,

Well Tony I hope your team wins the GF..I will be barracking for it..

Love to Merle..xxx

Love Mary xxxx

Hi all,

Hope everyone is o.k. and your gardens are looking good after the rains we have had lately.

Tony, we probably wont hear from you for a while - you had to wait two weeks for your football team to win the G.F. They just played too good on the day. Enjoy the celebrations. Just glad I don't have to see any 'mad' supporters around me!!

Hi everyone.. We have had some lovely rain..

Hi... Mel. Hope you are well...my garden was very happy for the rain..saved me watering..LOL..

Tony wont be on here for a weee while as he has done his mother board in..told him not to throw things at the puta..poor thing he has to use Barbs lappy and she might not like it..LOL

He was very pleased with the results of the footy ..smiling like a Cheshire cat...hee hee hee...

Hope you all had a nice loong weekend, and now we are 1 hour ahead of Queensland which makes me think we were always ahead of Queensland....LOL

Love Mary xx

Hello,Bon Journo, How are you mates,and where the hell is everyone , I come back after 4 weeks away are you are still on the same page.

First cab off the rank Mary I will have you know I am a Queenslander and proud of it we may be a bit behind but our footballers can beat the blues ( he he Most years)How are you and your Oh I hope you are well
.
Tony I was pleased to hear Collingwood won in the decider Yahoo!

I had a wonderful holiday in Italy the company was great also the food and the Hotels.
I saw some wonderful sights, walked miles, took lots of pic's drank lots of wine never had a bad glass and we sampled many, thats why we did a lot of walking, trying to keep the weight off.

My favorite cities were Milan,Florence, Assis.,and Capri.

I will tell you more later.
Bye for now, bed time .
Love MARIE