General Chat

Howdy Doody girls and boys . . :)

Long time no see . . .

Like Mare . . just plodding along . . going up to Brissie to see the grandie as often as we can and planning some more holidays . . :)

We're off to Jakarta again next week for 10 days . . sooo looking forward to hot and steamy weather . . work for TLR . . but play for me :)

A week back and then we will be up in QLD again for a week. Wooohooo

We go to Vietnam on 1st Sept . . my oughty birthday pressie . . and from Saigon, we will go up to Cambodia to Angkor Wat . . so looking forward to that - a place I have wanted to visit for ages. A tinge of sadness . . it's a trip we had planned to take with Lew & Tez.

Such great news about your new home Merle honey , just what the Dr would have ordered, the sad part will be downsizing and having to part with "things" . . just remember . . they are only things and the lovely memories you can take with you.
Big hugs for you xoxo

Hope everyone is well and giving the grin gear plenty of exercise :) L xo

Hi to Yvette,Badger, Tony,Mary and a special hello to Merle,its is so good to see you back & to hear the good news about the Unit how nice that it is near your friends.
We are in the middle of our winter and boy its cold also wet.
too wet to garden,so I have been knitting for the grand children.
Not much family research going on. Tony do you remember the O,Brien I have been looking for,I have decided to take a look at Mental Asylum and Benevolent Homes records, the only thing is I will probably have to go to the Archives in Brisbane to access the records.

Yevette where are you that you dont get frost, lucky you,I suppose it gets very hot in Summer??
Good night to you all
Kind regards Marie

Hi all Looks like we are all in the pink

Merle So good to see you back and kick that black dog outa the house..The new place sounds lovely and you will have such fun sorting yourself out when you get in ..Sounds like its quite near to where you now are which is great,,How is the knee,, do hope its bearing up..Keep well and pop in more often..we miss you..xxx

Well I dinny realise it was so long since I was here.. How time flies..Nothing much happening and life just plods along,,Granddaughter is in Europe and then heads for a short visit to the UK and then home on 27th so hope to go down to visit her and hear all about the trip and see her photos..

Tone How many sleeps to Poooooket..bet you are numbering them off each day...LOL.

Marie Its not long till you head overseas to.. Not fair,,everyone is going OS except me..boohoo...LOL How long are you going for and have you got any place special that you want to see..

Have a nice weekend all and keep warm .

Love Mary xx

Hello all, I'm back again .Been visiting the black dog again among other things.Hope all is well with everyone. I've missed you all. Have just been allocated a brand new 2br unit two streets away along with my back fence neighbour and another friend so we're all a bit excited.Because we've been good little tenants we got to choose which ones we wanted. I've picked a front one coz it's easy to get the gopher in and out. They arent finished yet so have to wait a bit but not too far off. What a relief not to have to go into the pensioner ghetto they were planning on placing me in. Surrounded by an ugly great wall and much too quiet for me.I'm sure I'll be able to get into more mischief where I'm going..Brand new. How lucky is that!
Patches the dog is roaring for his tea so better attend to him. He is the most delightful dog. Very gentle(not a bit like me)Loves his daily walk now. It was a real struggle at first. Eight years old and never taken for a walk. Mostly he takes me now.Never learned to play either but seems content as long as He has someone to talk to and boy does he talk! Any how he's great company. Cheers Luv me

Hi ,
Popping in for a quickish visit. boy, us Aussies are leaving these shores in droves, hopefully when I turn 60 Sir Tones policy will have been passed by parliament and I can look forward to a retirement of gallivanting.

We have a wood fireplace, but tend to rug up rather than light the fire. Still its a good standby as is the little propane camping stove. Life is fine so long as you can have a cup of tea.

Lucky we don't get frost here, my tomatoes are a testament to that. I have 8 good sized plants that are going to be so productive when the warm weather comes back. I've got flowers and some fruit, but it will take ages for them to ripen.

I'm off to my parents place to see the frost and fog this weekend, just to know what to pack for my holiday in the UK later in the year. I'll have to keep a diary because during the week I wear work clothes - tights and t's with the appropriate jacket. Same as you Marie, I'm not counting sleeps just yet, I'll wait until I cant countdown on my fingers.

I'm waiting for a marriage certificate from the GRO, when it comes I'll look for more matches on here.

xox

Hi all, thanks Fred we will have to watch out for the storms and make sure we turn off all appliances, I have just been talking to some of my friends in the UK you are having some hot weather they have their Fans going at night so that they can sleep,while we had our largest frost so far this winter it was a freezer this morning, but we do have the sunshine to-day Yipee,and I will be out in it very shortly
I didnt watch the game between Germany & England so I dont know who won but I do hope it was England.
I love Mushrooms Fred and use them all the time,we are able to get fresh mushrooms all year and the Varity of mushies is good I like the brown one as I like the flavour and they hold their form when cooked.

Hi Tony, I hope you & Barbara have a great time in Phuket.
I havent started my countdown yet as we dont leave till the 19 September, those Italians wont know what hits them when we arrive.well my Swanies weren't good enough to beat Collingwood I would like to see Colingwood win the flag this season, when we lived in Melbourbe they were the team we followed must go. Regards Marie

Evening to us here under the southern cross, and good morning Fred...:>))

Yes, its all happening down under.
Rudd out, Gillard in.....all within a 12 hr time frame....lol

Went to bed last night....knowing one Prime Minister was running the country, and awoke to find a new Prime Minister running the country.....No wonder we are known as a weird mob.....lol

Have a great day/night to all.

Tony...:>)) * Who will be sipping on cocktails in Phuket not long from now*

Morning Marie,and to everyone else over the pond ,where it all seems to be happening in a heck of a hurry,hope the country gets sorted quickly for you all ,'specially as Sir Tones was a tad slow in getting his application in he he.
Yeah ,the disaster site, re N A S A. and the coming sun activity reckon that the erupting storms at the end of the year could well land up killing any turned on electrical equipment on the spot ,from engines that are turned on,through to communications gear,the electric and gas ,water pumps and whatever ,so ,as said ,old Fred is laying in a log burner ,bottled gas cans for cooking ,and heating to keep the missus warm and fed ,just it turns out as bad ,if not worse than they reckon it could be.
We done ,by the way to the Ozzi football team,this could turn out to be very interesting ,hmmmmm,what if ? England survive the Sunday match with Germany and Oz and England have to play each other ,lol,wow,if it turned out to be like the rugby matches ,and the cricket ,it would be another real grudge match ,tons of fire and attitude ,a real treat for all the fans ,weeeell ,i can dream can't i ?
Found some nice mushrooms on offer at Morrison's on the way home from the Cramlington market yesterday ,45 p for the pack of four plate type Musshies,so for dinner today we have musshies, stuffed with cous-Cous and Mossarella cheese.with a couple of sweet peppers ditto to use up the remaining stuffing,nice.healthy ,and quick.
I notice that the Hot Matches are in too ,so ,i'm off to have a look at them,you never know ,do you?,catch you later Fred.

Hello to you all,
Wow things move very quickly in the Labour Party, OUR First Woman PrimeMinister Miss Jillian Gillard
I hope she hasa stomach of iron as she will need it, as those old F---s in the Parliament will surley test her out, there are several that come to mind but I wont mention them here.

Sir Tones I heartly agree with your solution, Hear Hear.

The honourable Sir Badger, I have not read the predictions on the coming solar storms in 2011-12 please put it in the minutes and I will have it looked into.

I think we should all rise and resume this session later.
Hear Hear Mr. Speaker.
Regards Marie.

Fred seconds Tones application for the new oz prime minister ,lol,better still ,i can nominate him as the treasurer too ,that way ,no one else can get a look in ,he he.
Nice morning here ,hey ,things are looking up ,three nice mornings in a row,which sounds promising for the back end of the month.
Anyone else seen the predictions on the coming solar storms in 2011 -12.?,i look to be buying a wood burning stove for the front room,and getting a two burner & grill camping stove to augment the B B Q in case we lose power over the winter ,so i can keep the two females warm.he he.but it will be a bugger if we lose all the internet and phone lines ,as well as the transport,oh well ,back to the horse and cart until the sun calms down again ,and us poor peeps have enough problems after so many years of muddler Brown ,he he , i said there would be tears here over the scottish maniac being let lose in our country didn't i ? yeeeeeees i did too ,lol.
Our furry boss is outside on the patio ,looking through the door at me ,hmmmmmmm, looks like she is dropping hints at me joining her outside with a cuppa,so ,i will be off for now ,and come back later ,Fred.

Arvo...:>))


O'k i have the solution....:>))


Each person at 60 or over gets $3 million dollars from the government.......Not $3 mil per couple........... but $3 mil per person ( Hubbie and spouse )

All those at 60 or over ***must retire***, but with the $3 Million..."must" build a new home, renovate, or add extentions to existing property....with "solar power".
Each person must also buy a new car.....and take a 6months holiday ( in the country )
1 mil each person...... must be invested with a high return rate for future prosperity, with no means tax. ( or invested in something returnable )


So what this does with those retireing, is opens up the work force and creates jobs,and lets the young people coming through find work, taking over from those now retired.
This new home buying idea opens up the building industry ( New homes being built all over the country )...ie: work for Plumbers, Painters, Plasterers,Electricians, Carpenters, Brickies, Solar energy, White goods, Carpet layers, Floorers, Glaziers, Tilers...ect, ect,ect ......and the list goes on endlessly....creating work

Buying a new car opens up the car industry, and removes old unsafe cars off the road, and creates work in the car industry.
Taking a 6 month holiday opens up the tourism industry all over the country. Transport, Planes, Trains, Buses all working ( Free transport for those who cant drive )

This money is now being spent/invested back in the country, and the government/country is getting most of it back anyway.

Those retired now...have a new house fully paid for with solar powered energy, new car, nice holiday, and a high returnable 1 - 2 mil investment for play money....and can sit back and relax and watch the footy in peace.

It needs a bit of work....but its sounding good to me...hee hee

Tones for prime minister.......:>)))....lol
ps. Free medical/medicines for all over 60

Hello there Fred , It is very cold and very wet here to-day, I have been praying for some dry weather but down it came again last night and it continues as I type. No hope of doing any gardening I went to Water aerobics this morning when I got home I slipped and slid my way to the Garage ,I have only this week managed to get the car back in the garage if it rains much it will have to stay there till it dries out again.
I hope you had a nice time in Blackpool.
I do agree with you about Politicians and all their freebees but I do think the worse thing is the superannuation Payments that they get especially when they might only serve one term in office. we all have to work to retirement age to get our Super but not so for the pollies. It is grossly unfair.
I dont know about us bribing your goal keeper, but I would like to know how much Germany Paid our coach to leave out our 3 best players when we played them.We didnt expect to win but we should have been able to compete and get a couple of goals.
Hello to Mary , Lara, JA,& Hz if you happen to be looking in.

It wont be long till the shortest day of the year for us in the Southern Hemisphere I love to see it go, mind you our coldest days are still to come, but it means the days will get longer and I will get more sun on my gardens,I miss having my hands in the soil , and watching the new growth on the trees and plants.

I will say goodbye to you all regards to Fred and your Oh. Time for a nice cup of tea,
Marie

Afternoon all you peeps over the pond ,from old Fred newly back from a couple of days in Blackpool ,and noticing at last an improvement in the weather.
I got the house straightened up yesterday ,removed tons of cat hairs [am i pleased her majesty is a short hair] the cat ,not Liz ,he he.
this morning i did a long cut of the lawns ,and filled up my tattie barrels ,only one more fill to the top i reckon,now but they both look good .
The tom's& cucumbers have flower in ,and the stuff in the garden is doing great,the runners halfway up the canes ,the french bean with flowers ,and the broad bean fast catching up.
My first lot of pak choi are ready for the pan ,and the salad leaf mix is also rarin to go,so it looks like a good year ,so far.the few losses in the brassica pots now sown with perpetual spinach,which will crop over the winter if all goes well.
The car is now ready to go back,and i heard from the garage this morning asking for conformation on the car we ordered ,re ,the model ,engine type ,colour,so we should get the change over late this week ,or early next.
I think british rail lost the plot some years ago Mary,they are all on about leaving the cars at home ,and taking public transport ,but instead of bringing prices down ,and encouraging people to use busses and trains ,they keep bunging the prices up ,well beyond the average person in the street,.
To make matters worse ,the dole offices ,upon hearing that a person has a car will tell them that they will have to take work as long as they can get to a workplace within two hours of home ,with fuel prices as they are here,the prices of the busses ,and trains ,the government in the main are living in cloud cukooland.expecting people to spend half their wages on travel to and from work ,with a wage freeze on ,,yep ,that's about right ,no money left to buy food after all the bills are paid ,unless of course you happen to be an M P ,on silly money,and them with subsidised meals ,at the houses of parliment ,and all the other free bees grrrrrr ,all right for the boys,in the upper echilon.
Knew i should have insisted that Liz leave her mum,and emigrate to oz ,or Canada when i left the forces when the chance ,and the jobs were there for the taking,[sigh] could have been an ozzie by now [almost] he he.
Have to ask you over there ,how much did you pay our goal keeper to muff the stopping of the ball He He ,talk about manna from heaven ,lol,still we wouldn't get much further any way ,even if we do survive through to the second round,too much to ask for that ,our countries teams still playing the wrong kind of football.
Well .i am off now ,i am going to take the curry meal we brought from Morrison's last week we got the two double meals for £6-50 which wasn't bad at all ,and it makes a change for me not having to cook one from scratch.
Hope everyone is okay over there ,stay safe all ,Fred.

Hi Mary, Tony, Badger, also Hz and our friend Merle if you are looking in.
It is rather cold up our way, but we are a tad better than Orange, usually 2 degrees warmer LOL.
We are lucky with our train travel,Last year I and my friend went out to Broken Hill by train it only cost us the booking fee.We did a tour arranged by the railways it cost us about $680 and this included our accomadation meals also entry into museums and such we spent 6 days at BrokenHill, it was very nice.Barbara & I are thinking of doing a train trip to Queensland next year some time probably in winter.

Badger,The Pensioner discount for bus, train & ferry is very good, each State in Oz has this concession,
however if you go by train into another State you my have to pay full price for the part of the journey you do interstate.
The sun has almost dissapeared over the horizon so it is time to close all the blinds and turn on the heating.
Bye for now Regards Marie.

Hi everyone.. We are having lovely weather..sunny and cool..
Marie I got to Orange last sat. and came home on the morning bus and train on Monday..Went for my grandsons confirmation and had a lovely time catching up with family and friends..Sad I couldn't stay any longer there so that I could have met up with you but never mind..perhaps next time..I really only had one full day there and that was at friends place for a long lunch..Weather was cold but sunny so was very happy about that..
John seemed to manage ok while I was away so might go visit my other daughter in Canberra in a month or two when my granddaughter comes home from her Europe holiday, which she leaves for in a weeks time..want to hear all about her trip and see her pics..

Hope all are well and Tony not long now to Poooooket..lucky butter..LOL..

Fred.. It cost me $53 return to Orange and that is with a seniors discount..and first class on the XPT train which sells meals and drinks,,Return I got a bus to Lithgow and a electric train from there back to Sydney..Reason I dinny get the nice train is that it gets to Sydney late at night and didn't want that,,I got home about 4pm getting the early train..It was a 4hour trip each way on the train..so our prices are a lot better than yours by the looks of things..We pensioners get 2 free train trips a year each and all we have to pay is the booking fee of a few dollars..pretty good..

Well I better go and get some lunch..Have a nice day all

Love Mary xx

Evening from the south east...:>))

Very cold,wet, and miserable days in Melbourne.

Cant seem to get our Temp above 13c

Birthday boy to-morrow 14th Jun......and her Maj the Queen has given me a day off work ( Queens birthday long weekend )

Not much happening down this end of the planet.
5 weeks to Thailand, and have packed my sun tan lotion in anticipation.....:>))

Barb is sitting in family room watching her beloved Leynton Hewitt play Federra in final ( Fox sport1 )....sooo she is in her element.


Took advantage of FMP( Find my Past ) 3hr freebie that they promised all whom were registered, as long as England is still playing in the World Cup, and at 4:30am this morning (Oz Time east coast ) my alarm rang to let me know it was time.
It was hard getting on line but managed eventually and downloaded 5 x 1911 census extracts of my great Uncles and aunts to see who was living with them ( children ) so was very happy to have this data.

I noticed written on one census 1911 that my grandfathers elder bother born 1869 was listed as "Army Pensioner"..? Was wondering what War he fought in, as this was before WW1....and thinking perhaps Boer War maybe.??? ....The Second War (1899-1902)...but not sure.
Perhaps Fred might have a clue which War it might have been. He was an Essex lad ( Demetrius Henry Hull )
He is not missing off any Census from 1881 to 1911


Hoping all are well.


Tony...:>))

Hi Fred,We are having a lovely sunny day to-day & only a light breeze,I hope it stays that way we had a decent frost but I dont mind that if we get the sunny day with it.
We have had several water leaks Brian has managed to fix the one that was in one of my gardens, which supplied the water to my house,thank goodness as I had been without water for several days I had to shower at the house that they live in and carry buckets for the toilet, I took my washing over to my other daughter and used her washing machine, we are spoilt ,it wasn't that long ago that we had to rely on water tanks ,and with the change in the weather we are now putting in tanks once more.
Our Ski season has opened over here in fact they opened a day early, we are celebrating the Queens birthday to-morrow with a public holiday.
Mary did you get to Orange to see your daughter?.
My grandson Sebastian has finished his 1st semester exams he only had 2 ,my daughter Barbara has more to go next week. Abigail will be 3 on the 19th which is Saturday she is very excited as her father and her grandparents will be coming to visit , She and Emily miss their father very much.
I watched the Rugby Union match between England & Australia last night a good outcome for Aust.
In the Soccer we are unluckly to have to play Germany in our first game one of the best teams in the world, I dont think we will have a hope of beating them, we couldnt even beat the USA, in a friendly game.
Well folks I am cooking the dinner to-night so I will be off,
Regards to you Badger Mary HZ & to all who are looking in. Kindest regards Marie

Mornin' to Marie,and anyone else who turns up to play today.
We went to Sunderland last week after renewing our metro passes ,and had a nice day out ,me enjoying the sun in my shorts and light weight tank top,and Liz in a skirt no less he he ,her legs have seen the light of day for the first time this year ,and the sun off her legs was turning my reactions darker than the direct sunlight.
We went into the park down there after we had dinner,and went to our usual spot ,a small grove of trees ,near the winter gardens where we claimed a seat in the shade of the trees ,next to a small lake with a wooden bridge over the middle where you can watch minnows in the water as they feed.
There must have been something in the air that week after the Hissy and bird episode because ,while we were sat there we saw a sparrow hawk [the first i have seen this year] being chased by a very irate crow,and all this while we could hear modern jazz being played live from the bandstand over the back of the afore mentioned trees,seems we chose to visit the park on the first day of a music festival in the city,and it was nice to sit ,dozing in the sun with nice music to listen to.
The city was clean and bright ,no rubbish in the streets and the paark ditto ,and again i was comparing Sunderland to Newcastle and finding my home city wanting ,as usual.
The weather this week has taken a nose dive yet again ,down to 18c during the day and i have had to restart the heaters because Liz is shivering.
Wet ,it's pouring down as it has been since Saturday ,i feel like a ruddy frog ,he he,but really it isn't funny because if this keeps up ,the sea won't warm up at all leading to an even worse winter than the last one ,the winds off the sea being that much colder than usual.
Well ,the new car comes next Friday ,and i am thinking i should have ordered a boat instead,lol.even Hissy has decided to stay in this morning,instead of galivanting around the green,and garden,and i am glad now that the wife and i went to Morrisons shopping yesterday,where we brought two curry meal deals for 2 at £6-50 one Dansac and one Khorma, one in the freezer ,and one left out for dinner today.
You have a far better train service over there than we have i'm afraid .it costs us about £160for two returns to London from Newcastle ,out of the question for two pensioners ,so it's either the car ,or coach to go long distance here,they go on about using public services here instead of using cars and then make it more and more expensive to use the trains and buses.
We have at least our oap bus passes that we can use to get around in England ,but coaches are still
full price ,but even they are a better bet than the train prices ,that go up every couple of months ,while the standard of service goes down.
The amount of water we are getting here ,and your mention of the trucks getting bogged down ,reminds me of a story from Lincolnshire during the war ,of an airfield called Ludford Magna with the nickname Mudford Magna where a couple of yank and Oz airmen were complaining about the rain and mud,the yank complained that if they removed the barrage Balloons ,the airfield would sink in the mud ,lol,wonder what they would have made of this June up here he he.
Well ,work outside is out of the question so i think i will have a look at the innards of my puters and see what files i can get rid of to speed things up a tad.
Catch you all later ,Fred.

Hello ,Mary HZ and Badger,Hows your bloomin Lot, it sound like you are all doing well with your health and the gardens, mine is at a standstill, too busy too cold and too wet. Very big frost yesterday and also this morning, however the day was sunny and without the cold wind we usually have.
Hz ,Sebastian is also doing exam's my Daughter Barbara had her first one to-day also. I have been very busy looking after the children so that she could study for her tests.Grand children sure make you tired.
I have been knitting for charity I have also knitted a scarf to take to Italy in Sept and now I have two cushions to do for Abigail's Birthday on the 19th.of June.I have to try and do that in the next few days.
Mary, wise woman the Train is much more comfortable also a lot cheaper than to take your own car.
Badger as usual I could see what was happining as I read your Post ,I had a good laugh.My Daughter and son-in-law have a Bbq with the lid, it does roast pork and vegies beautifully melts in your mouth yum yum..

We have had a very wet Autumn in Bathurst our Yard is so wet Brian had a tank delivered last week and the truck got bogged trying to turn in the paddock the cement truck also was bogged up to its axle when he delivered the cement for Brians, New (You beaut, )huge shed so our yard is very cut up. We need at least 2 weeks of Sunshine to dry it out, so you lot stop praying for rain you have over done it . LOL
I must away I need a feed and a very hot cup of tea.
Cheers to you all and yes Sir tones you must be off soon I hope you and Barbara have a nice holiday.
Regards Marie.

Morning all ,from a sunny [at last] Newcastle on Tyne ,the cpover is off the new B B Q already yaay ,and the buns are out thawing .
not much happening here at the mo,but i was rudely awoken from my snooze on the patio early last evening ,lol,such a noise from next door ,loud meows,and blackbird alarm calls followed by Hissy erupting over the fence ,jumping down onto the veggie patch and flying into the house via the patio door closely followed by a very angry blackbird with a hell of an attiude problem ,he he ,it flew over my shoulder after the cat ,and then banked port and climbed up the wall of the house like a fighter plane.
All this time i sat there frozen with awe and shock ,mouth agape taking it all in ,lol,as the bird disappeared over the roof ,the cat reappeared through the door ,sort of chuntering to herself ,and slunk under my chair and lay down ,sides heaving .
As i said to her ,that will teach you madam ,leave my blackbird alone ,he he, i rather think she got a little too close to the birds nest ,and was seen off good style..
All this exitement ,great stuff ,to end a good day ,i got the tatties filled up again so only the tips of the leaves were showing,put in some new shrubs and herbs and now the gardens are filled to the brim ,and only a tad of room left to take the patio peppers ,and my new herb plants which are just showing through the soil of the pots.
Mary mentioning the word Orange reminds me ,the little orange tree is ready for a bigger pot again ,the roots now showing in the water tray,so ,i reckon she is safe now ,and will keep growing each time i pot it on ,until it has to go out onto the patio for the summer ,going into the chalet ,just over winter to protect it from hard frosts.
We don't get a lot of leaves in the fall here ,as there are not too many trees around ,but i do collect what there are and add them to my compost bin,which is now half full of good ,rich compost for next year,maybe to be added to my tattie barrels as needed to fill them to the top.
This talk of possums and animals dropping Acorns on roofs ,reminds me ,another few weeks and it will be tin hat time again ,with the birds bombing me and the garden with cherry pips [wonder if blackie will dive bomb Hissy with them for revenge .he he] it could prove to be interesting ,,i may even have to make her a tin hat out of one of her water bowls.
Time for the housework peeps ,i did all the carpets yesterday so ,it's just the dusting today,and i will get that done before the washing finishes .
catch you all later ,hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend.
Fred.