General Chat

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

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

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 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 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

Hello HZ,
I have E-mailed you
Regards Marie

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

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.

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

G'day....:>))

Well the English ( me Cuz ) arrived safe and sound at Melbournes Tullamarine airport at 7:30 pm last friday week, after there c.23hr flight from Heathrowe, with a quick one and a half hr stop at Kuala Lumpur while in transit. After lots of cuddles and handshakes they were happy to set foot in the Colony. A quick walk to the car, and luggage packed safely in the boot, we whisked them away through the Melbourne streets, and arrived home after a 40 min drive.
First thing me cuz did was go into the kitchen and turn on the tap to see which way the water went down the plug hole.....lolol
( considering we in Oz are the upside downers....lol )

After all her myths were dispelled....:>)))).... the Kettle went on and they relaxed into the first night on Aussie soil. Cuzzes hubbie had a browze outside at the full moon, and the clear skies showing off the stars of the "Southern Cross",and took in his surroundings, and then asked me what were those big growling cats high in the trees outside!!!, to which Barb and i had a giggle. Those arent cats i says...hee hee..they are our grey Possums ,and a bit like your grey Squirrels i says ...more vermon than anything else, and will reek havoc inside our cavity walls where some nest and sleep during the day. Ours are as big as a full grown cat, and come mating season ( spring ) they will growl like dogs,or if you get to close to them. Normally harmless, but very sharp claws for climbing trees, and not a nice feeling if they run up your torso to escape you.

After a good 15hrs sleeps to get rid of the jet lag, and get the body and mind set to Ozzie time, they sat down to a full Ozzie brekky/brunch. A jump in the car and we took them on a guided tour around Melbourne suburbs and city to see the sights and to get the feel of the Aussie layed back culture.
A pub lunch in the bush saw my cuz and hubbie bog into a 500g rump steak with side salad and chips that overflowed the plate, and they left quite contented with a smile on their dial.

Barb then took my cuz into the large shopping plaza's to compare prices and to check out the similarities of our food prices. From what i am told by her, that our ( Aussie )traditional small leg of Lamb ( say,Roast for 3 people ),.....c. $12au.... would cost them back home in England 12GBP ( $24 au )

They eventually hired a car, once they had got their bearings, as our road system and laws are similar. The only difference perhaps is that on a 3-4 lane Highway/Freeway in Victoria Oz ,you are allowed to overtake on the left, which to their amazement....lol
Cuzzes hubbie says if you do that on our freeways in the U.K its a definate No-No....to which i replied......well this is not England mate, and here its legal....so relax, and you know that saying...... When in Rome!!!....lol

After a few days driving here and there, and getting to understand our traffic laws, and feeling a bit more comfortable with it, they took off on their own, taking in a few short trips to the towns of Ballarat & Geelong, and Victoria's Great Ocean road. They will also take in a few Country towns along the way to get that being in the "Bush" feeling.
We will see them again on this coming Tuesday, and i'm sure they will have some great stories to tell us.

I did say to them ( out of curiosity )...Although you have only really been here a week, and just touched the tip of the ice- berg, as far as sightseeing............In one word decribe what you think of Oz so far....lol

Cuz said...."Space!!!!!!!" .....and her hubbie said. " Relaxed Atmosphere" and he could feel the tension and stress just dissapearing from him by the minute.....lolol

So i think they are enjoying it so far......:>))
Cuz's hubbie did make a comment that our Beer prices are very steep, and a lot cheaper in the U.K.......but i did explain that Oz is a very warm Country generally, and the average Aussie ( Male ) are big Beer drinkers, come summer, and our Government take full advantage of it. ( tax )


Tony....:>))

Hi Mary, Good to hear from you . I have received the info from HZ and hopefully will start on the research on Monday.
Tomorrow is the big Grand final of the Aussie Rules Football for our area and the Bathurst Bushrangers have all 4 grades in the competition so it will be a big day for our family the comp. starts at 9.30AM and finishes at 5PM and we will probably all be hoarse from Barracking.
Hello Merle it is lovely to see you back and you do sound happy and very busy Modelling and making cards I had a cousin and a daughter -in -law who make cards and they are really nice I am too busy in the garden to do things like that. Keep well Merle, Tony will have to go on a diet by the time his friends go home LOL he will also need a rest He He. Badger how was your Malay meal ahhhhh HOT!
Time for me to Push off and have a bite to eat and some of that lovely Rickadonna wine I started Last Night.Have a nice evening all HUGSSSSSSS Marie

Never had a spotted dick Mary? lol ,a well known pudding in blighty ,but ,please ,i don't know where,or how the name came about.
It is a steamed pudding ,done in a cloth in boiling water ,though there is a version done in a basin and steamed ,
Six ounces of self raising flour,three ounces of shredded veggie suet,a teaspoon of lemon essance ,two ounces of raisens ,or sultanas ,and you are ready to go ,mix ,put in the cloth and put into a pan of boiling water for one and a half hours ,turning one half way through the cooking time.
Good on it's own .or with custard.
Done in a bowl and steamed you can add jam ,or syrup instead of the fruit,also yummy.
I never pay that sort of money for a marrow our Mary ,lol,i have scots blood you know he he,30 to 40 p is the max ,lol
Emerates is as big as singapore by the way ,run by the arab gulf states ,so we are now spoilt by choice ,the return fares to oz are now down to under £700 return ,so ,if they come down even more ,and Liz travels okay ,we will be going for it.
Back later Fred.

Merle So great to see you back and sparking on all fours..Your cards sound lovely and you and Tony should go into business together..He writes the inside and you do the outside..You two would be millionairs in no time...lol.go easy on those knees and no pole dancing please..Love ya.xxxx

Marie Am so glad you were able to help HZ.. It gives me a buzz when I can find things for other people..

Fred WOW Newcastle Airport is come of age..Singapore airlines is the best so if you can travel on it do..Dont know much about the others..Did you pay 25pounds for a marrow..or was that 25p..If it was pounds was it studded with diamonds..lol..sounds yummy though..

June Hope you are ok,,Have you found another job or are you now retired...

Tony is having a great time with his English cuzzies,, He is playing lots of Aussie jokes on them and they are cooking him some real Englaish dishes,,They made him Spotted Dick the other day..lol..What is it please fred...lol..

Have a lovely weekend all and keep smiling..

Lotsa love Mary xxx

The delinquent returns!!!. Hello all you lovely peeps.Thanks for your concern, those who were.I'm fit and well. Had my two weeks in Perth and enjoyed it but glad to come home. The specialist wasn't much help. He just told me the retina tear that was lasered is fine but another one there and he doesn't propose to do anything about it. but don't get your glasses changed yet.. Thats all I got. thank you very much. Everything else was as expected. Irreversible.Live with it.
I modelled clothes from our local Millers last week at the Hospice day, and just for once didn't fall over my feet. It was a very successful day, raised lots of moolah and had fun.
Also, have a new man in my life. He's seven yrs old, black and white Papillon and absolutely gorgeous. His owner died so needed a home. He's well trained and we seem to have clicked.He sings to me, loves his cuddles, like all males, and actually sleeps in his own bed.unlike all males! He's also 2kgs overweight so we're both walking every day, when it isn't raining. this week has actually been quite nice. My knees groan but I'm sure it does me good.
Am busy making more cards. Sold 85 at the school chaplaincy fundraiser a couple of weeks ago.That was my donation to them. Yesterday, got an order for 10 xmas cards with Australiana theme. Have written another ditty to follow on from last years and am trying to find other stuff to put on them. Not easy to get..
Homeswest had a unit for me while I was in Perth so missed that one. Don't mind really.
The family have finally decided what to do with himselfs ashes. Kevin and Amanda are finally in their own home and in November will plant a tree especially for him. We're also Christmassing out there so that will be nice.
Well, enough of this rambling on, have a good day everone, and as usual, luv Me

Morning all ,from a nice sunny Newcastle ,steps back in amazement ,lol, so old Badger got his wellies on and shot off into the back garden to get some work done.
I say shot ,but it was more like a totter ,he he,owing to a bad night and sleeping in the wrong position .[ouch],any way ,i got the green bean plants pulled because they are finished ,and got the smelly stuff put into the buckets so it has all winter to penetrate all the soil,followed by a good dose of lime to kill the bugs.
I also did as quick clean up and pulled a few weeds and put the stuff in the recycle bin ready for the bin men in the morning.
Have two of the grand bairns this weekend and have been requested to make a nice chicken curry for the dinner ,great stuff seeing as i made up a new curry sauce late last week ,no shop bought gear in this house ,lol only use shop paste in emergencies.
Luckily we have four nan breads in the freezer to go with it so i will make a start in a few minutes.
Need to get the lawn done after dinner if the rain holds off ,we still need a few bits and pieces for the cases.
Nearly time to fly now ,he he ,this time on the 27th we will be getting near to Paphos airport and sun sun sun ,whoopee .
Fred is off upstairs to try on the new shorts ,[rubbing it in .],so ,i will catch you all later.
Next year we will have three new airlines operating rrom Newcastle international ,so who knows ,if the wife manages cyprus okay,,we will have Emerates ,Singapore,and easy jet,giving us real scope with prices becoming more competitive .
Fred.

Hello all , I am mad as a cut snake I had just written a post and was signing off and the whole lot just dissapeared Butter. Hi Tony, 'Badger,Mary,and Joy.
HZ by the River I have sent you an E-mail.
The rain has gone after a big hail storm last night.
It is a beautiful day now and I must get out into the garden as I have soooooooo much to do.
Best wishes to you all.
HZ I hope to hear from you soon.
Marie.

Heard that goat was nice Mary ,and i will give it a go when i get over there, but for today we have settled for a small stuffed marrow that we found in Morrisons for 35 p,which i reckon was a steal .
i have made up a cous cous added some lime juice and lemon to the mix,along with some butter fried chicken pieces and a yellow pepper fried in with the fowl,mixed it all up and pushed it into the scooped out marrow halves.
I have done a few carrots out of the garden ,some kale ,ditto ,and some nice new potatoes that i will toss in a little butter before serving ,a meal fit for a king ,and so easy to do.
If you need some rain over there ,you can have our rain for a bit of your sun ,lol,fair swap i reckon .
The cat has had half a poached plaice for her tea,which after the love i got off her afterwards i will do again in a few days , ,pity the missus hates fish ,i could have been on a promise .,he he.
Off for a look around the boards,so i will see tou all later.Fred.

Hi all.. We are still mild and whoo hoo we had a bit of rain last night, but its back to sunshine again..

June. What a butter about your job..but your ideas of a trip to the Old Country sounds fantastic..will you have a spare room if I come over,lol..I got a disapearing distant grandmother who I cant find in Kent..got her name on the marriage cert but cant find her anywhere else before that...bet she changed her name..your party sounded great and that restaurant sounded yummy...bummer about the house...put it on hold for a little while till you get back from the Uk...

Marie.. Would be great if you can find more info for HZ.. I went to the Sydney Library and had a great time finding some info for her ..so excited that you would have thought it was my ancstors I had found..wish I could find stuff like that for my lot...lol..mine are all under a bush somewhere in the UK..hee hee hee..

Tony Enjoy your cuzzies visit.. Am sure that they will have a great time and bet you they will want to emigrate by the time they go home...lol...

Fred. Ya should have got one of those goats before they left..Roast goat is yummy...we have it most times when we visit the kids in Canberra when we go to the Helenic Club for dinner and they make sure they have roast goat on the me and you for us..yummy...seems terrible cos I love goats...hope Sean is over the bite and back sparking on all 4's..

Love to Merle..xxxx

Hi Joy..nice to see you drop in..

Well am off to do some FH..Hope all are well..

Love Mary xxxxxxx

Hi Tony, Welcome back,sounds like you had a great time. Hi Fred have a nice day.
HZ ,The local Family History group works out of the Library,I will pop into the library and ask about the Newspaper of the time. I will email you through Genes Reunited after I visit the library,I will pop in to-morrow .
I hope you are all well .
Best wishes to you all ,
Marie from Bathurst, ( It's still cold here)

I am well, thanks, Tony, and still enjoying retirement. Yes, the world seems to get smaller :-)

Have a nice meal, Mr Badger.