General Chat

Morning troops,it was a nice break but ,by 'eck ,it's nice to sleep in your own bed again lol.
Yep ,way to go Tones,free energy sounds good to me ,if i wins a bit of money i think i would follow suit ,no bother .
Now Tony ,to finish it off ,you need one of the new Nissan leaf electric cars,plug that in every evening Mate ,and you will never have to pay for fuel again,and once the new batteries are up and running the range will be up to 320 miles on a full charge.
The weather on holiday was pretty naff ,i have to say,high winds ,torrential rain,and even a thunderstorm at 3 am one morning that lit up the caravan ,and at one point i thought the roof was coming off he he.
We did have some longish sunny periods however ,and we did get out a bit despite the sniffles ,and sneezes.
Can't remember which morning it was ,but at 2-30 a m something woke me up ,but i quickly rolled over and went back to sleep ,then at breakfast time ,i heard that we had had a small trembler,so that could have been what woke me up.
The new camera is great,but i need the son to come and set it up for me ,it's all automatic and needs to be connected to the computer to be set up,a bit beyond an old goat like me ,he he.but with a spare lithium battery in the carry case ,i should be able to snap away all week without running out of juice.
The new phone ,he he ,ditto ,i need tother son to set that up for me,the one who worked for orange for six years,it should keep him busy for half an hour.
Once it is set up ,i can call oz as well as the u/k as well as having all the APPS,and internet on call ,handy when i am out and about.
Hope your leg is getting better Pearl,you could do with some better luck about now..
Catch you later peeps ,back to bed i go now ,hoping the ruddy cat will leave me in peace and stops bouncing all over me like Tigger,Fred.

Arvo to all...:>))

Beautiful Autumn day in Melbourne for the 1st day of April.

Our Summers and Winters are eratic in this neck of the woods, but Autumn is still my favourite season/time of the year.....warm sunny days and crisp night skies with a full view of the stars.

OH ( Barb ) and myself have decided to go full Solar energy now. We have Solar gas hot water installed 2 years ago, which is becoming a real saver on the bills, but now with rocketing Electricity prices for Oz going through the roof, we did a bit of homewok and will now go full solar power energy, with another 10 solar panels installed on our house roof. Our daughter has had them now for 2 years and for a family of 4 saving around $150 a Qrt.
Saving that kind of money each year i could afford more holidays...hee hee

Fred. Enjoy your holiday, and good on ya for buying yourself the camera. Its nice to buy something for yourself ever now and then. I need a new camera myself, so might walk the shops when we are in Thailand. I could buy one in Oz...but most are only imported anyway, so why pay the import costs ect. This is the only problem with us here in Aussie, as we are so far away from the rest of the world its far cheaper to book a holiday o/seas, enjoy ourselves, and buy up big to boot.....lol
Sounds a bit un-patriotic,not to put the money back in the country sometimes, but if there going to charge me import tax,GST tax, and ever other blahdy tax they can dream up, i might as well travel to the Country where they make the damn things and have a holiday as well....hee hee
We are the most heaviest Taxed Country in the world....so they tell us ( Gets off me soap box )

Just joined up on this "Facebook" thing. Dont understand it much, but its where my kids, neices and nephews hang out, and at the least i can get to see the Photos of my grandkids that they upload. I have 36 freinds already on FB and thats more than i have had in a lifetime!!!!......lol

Wishing all a great weekend.


Tony..:>))

Hi Marie,Tony,and anyone else who turns up,from Sunny Fleetwood,which we arrived at ,lunch time yesterday.
The van which we are staying in this week is brand new,centrally heated,with two bedrooms,and both are big for a caravan ,the double one being huge ,with it's own toilet and shower through a door in the corner,with another off the lounge in the main sitting room.
The other bedroom is a twin berth,but it too is big with a three foot isle between the bunks.
We will be okay for eating out ,many new cafe's opened up since last year,most of them pretty cheap for meals what with the competition,and there is a new bakery in the high street selling my meat and potato pies,50c each which has forced the other bakery to reduce their prices by quite a lot,seems we now have a buyers market down here now
Glad to hear you enjoyed your break Tony ,so ,now you are back at work,saving the coppers for the main one later in the year,so i hope all goes well for you what with the uncertain quake possibilities in that area,but hopefully by that time ,things will have settled down.
I think i would love it there,with all that fish on sale ,tuna swordfish,and other goodies ,i could eat like a king,and i would be making a green curry every day ,lol.
Hissy is being well looked after ,she has her big auto feeding bowls ,and the son is going over every two days to let her out back ,and play with her.
When we get home on Monday ,she will make one heck of a fuss of us,cling to me like a limpet ,until she is sure we arn't going away again,but as soon as she sees the cases being unpacked,she will flounce off in the sulks,usually ignoring us until bed time ,when she will forgive us he he..
Fred was in love as soon as he went into blackpool,looking in a store window,i spied a beutiful Sony digital camera ,and decided that this was my holiday treat,all my holiday money gone in the first day but well worth it .
I told myself i needed it anyway ,my wife's camera giving up the ghost a few weeks ago ,resulting in me giving her my Fine- pix camera so that she could her family get together thing sorted ,she hasn't seen her sister for months ,so it's photo time again,what with all the children,whatever ,a woman thing,me ,rather being fishing lol.
Time to go now ,i have to sort something out for dinner as soon as i have taken the wife to the stores for the weeks bits and pieces,have a good week all,Fred,in holiday mode ,shorts on and seeking sun on the sticks i call legs he he.

Hello to all, which isnt many, Hi Badger I popped into the other thread and I see you are off for a weeks holiday I do hope all goes well with the weather. What do you do with Hissey when you go away?
Is she moodey when you get back our cats were always so pleased to see us but my daughters cat stalks around and is a bit anti social when they get back .He shouldn't be the place he goes to is called "The Kitty Ritz" and it really is something she grooms all the cats every day and you could eat a meal off the floors. It looks just like a home and costs the earth but you can go away knowing that they are treated as well as they are at home.
Hello Yevette and Shaz hope you are well
Hi Tony , it would be nice if someone paid our bills for us,ho hum no good fairies here. Just got my Power bill it was almost $400 and I only used the Air Con 3 times this Quarter I dread the winter coming as last year my mid winter was below $500 but the cost has risen since then.
I will close with,
Kindest regards to you all
Marie

Arvo....:>))

Beautiful sunny Wednesday in Melbourne City.
Blue skies and sunshine.

Had a great relaxing holiday with kids and grandies up north on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Our view from our apartment on the 38th floor of the Chevron Renaissance in Surfers Paradise was fantastic.
Watched the sun rise each morning in the east sitting on our balcony with a cuppa. As our apartment was self contained ( with full kitchen ) cooking up Bacon & eggs each morning for myself while the others slept, and eating it out on the balcony each morn in peace, i can understand why some peeps might retire up here.

Took us a little while to get used to the height of these resort towers,and if you suffered from vertigo, then its not the place for the faint hearted looking down....lol

Did quite a bit of walking around Surfers Paradise itself,and we did all the theme parks ( Movie World, Sea World,Wet n' Wild ) with the grandkids, and they were in their element. Although it wasn't really hot weather,circ 29c the humidity of the north allowed us to swim in the beach and resort pools. The stroll along the beach side markets at night kept the daughters and Barb happy as they bought various novelty's.

It was our 4 year old grandsons first flight, and he loved it Zooming up the runway sitting in a plane. I gave up my window seat for him, so we could watch out the window as the plane took flight. Tried to explain to him that those fluffy white cotton wool thing were clouds below us....lol
Coming back down to land ( Cabin pressure ) played up a little on his ears, but we kept him supplied with chewing lollies and i tried to teach him to hold/pinch his nose and try to blow through it to pop his ears....Think he blew more nasal and spit on my hands than he did to pop his ears.......hee hee

Came back home to a garden full of Vegies, thanks to my neighbour who watered them each night,collected our mail, and looked after my Budgie avairy.
Have soooooo many Tomatoes,Capsicums and Chilli peppers i could start my own grocery store.....lol

So its back to work ( Bills to be paid ) as they dont go on holidays....lol
Looking forward now to later on in the year for our big family holiday to one of my favourite resorts in Thailand.

Hope all are well.

Tony...;>))

Hi Yvette,I had almost finished this post and I lost the lot so here we go again, the left knee which is giving me so much pain is free of that relative
you mentioned, I had another session with the physio to-day she said if it isnt any better by friday when I see her again she will have a talk to my doctor.I have a lot of inflamation and some degenerative disease under the kneecap so Hi Ho its more ice packs and Ibuprofen. I think it has improved a little as I have had more sleep in the last few nights which I think is a good sign.

Shaz, thank you for the information I would like to go but I wont be able to manage it as I have too many commitments in the next 3 months, thank you for thinking of me I hope you all have a great time I will be thinking of you.
Hi Fred , I know how you feel my eldest Michael will be 48 in August, my youngest grandaughter is only 8 months and I will be 72 on the 11th May.
I truly dont know where the time has gone
I lead a very full life and I had 6 children, I think that always having a plan of what you want to achieve for yourself and your children has kept me healthy and active, I enjoy everything I do , In my early years before marriage and children I was a Singer, Pianist, after work and I continued this while married and having children I was in a large number of musicals and choirs, when my youngest Ryan went to school I then took on full time work to help with the children's Education
After I retired I was needed for some time by my daughter as her husband walked out on her when she was 9 weeks pregnant with their second child.Once she was able to cope I then joined the University of theThird Age .In the next term I am going to form a group and tutor them on the Pleasure of Singing how to breathe correctly and sing as a group in Unison and Harmonies.I have been missing the singing.
I am also organizing a reunion for the Hayward Family in Mackay Qld on the 1st & 2nd of October this year. So I am one busy person but I love it.

As soon as this leg is ok I will be back into my garden and also to the Gym,
Rhubarb was mentioned, I have a very large one, the stalks are 2ft. long and the leaves are huge, I have it in full sun and before I planted it several years ago I put composted manure into the garden so I guess that is why it is so big.
Fred that Hissey of yours has you wound around her paws I can see it and it is a lovely picture.
Well my friends I must go, it is getting late, and I feel like a cuppa.
Kindest Regards,
Marie

Hi MarieWattlers meet is in Sout Oz on the days 8th to 11th April at the Tanunda caravan park

Tones, good that there is still some good samaritans in this world isnt it, go aussie

Shaz

Morning to all from over the biiiig pond lol,where Fred has already been in the garden because pest Hissy kept looking at the sun outside the window ,looking at me and dabbing my leg with her paw ,and looking back at the sun and patio again ,
This female isn't daft ,knowing sunshine and warmer weather means sitting outside with me as i have my cuppa ,so ,being in a lazy mood anyway ,i gave in and went outside as she wanted,lol,she sat on my knee purring her head off ,while i enjoyed the sun ,and drink of coffee.
I did the fence repair too before i came back indoors ,and that should hold until the autumn when i will replace the two panels with new ones,when they are cheaper ,the season over.
Rhubarb will grow anywhere in partial or full sun so long as the soil is rich and kept damp,so if yours is not doing well ,lift it up ,or out ,dig in plenty of compost ,or better still ,horse muck ,chicken poo ,maybe even 'roo droppings ,lol .and put the rhubarb back ,and watch it go .Me ? it's climbing French bean this year,supposedly they give a far better crop ,and being off the ground and climbing up canes ,you get other crops in far closer ,ideal for small gardens.
Liz and i are away out tomorrow morning to find a birthday card for the eldest son for Thursday ,ouch ,how does a body know they are getting old ,lol,from lifting ones arms above shoulder hight to trim hedge tops ,and being in agony the next morning with aching muscles across the back and shoulders,no ? then how about the eldest son having a big 40 birthday card ,double ouch ,he he ,that really does hurt .
Off to see to dinner now ,back later Fred.

PS, hope the doc gets your knees sorted Marie. If its that relative Arfa Ritis, its better aching from doing something because the pain will still be there from doing nothing.

Fed, I am contemplating my rhubarb to near the brassicas, its not doing very well at the moment
xx

hi ya,

life is plodding along quite nicely. I don't have much family history to do as the relos have all been so good with their oral history over the years. Told the kiddies a couple of the naughty stories but it all adds up to a colourful past. Adrian was happy to see a bit on the tele about Kings Lyn where his gggrand parents lived and worked for customs - what a rotten job then.
I've planted the seed re visiting the UK again next year, this time with his lordship. I cant wait to go back . There wont be any children to worry about as the youngest child will leave school this year and has already got his new abode sussed out. I encouraged the eldest to broaden their horizons by leaving the nest, I didn't expect him to follow the trend so readily. I suppose I should feel lucky that they all felt adequately equipped to do it.
The weather has cooled down and I anticipated having the winter veges in but I've been slack and have been feeding the bugs with stuff that has gone to seed and needs pulling out.
Gee the weekend flies, its back to it tomorrow nice and early and not much longer until we embark on our Easter holidays to Malaysia. We will both be more than ready for a break in routine.

Enjoy the week,

xox

Hi Tony ,
Good to hear from you I know you will have a great time in Phuket, Re daughter its great to have friend,s like that who drop all to help, that is one of the good things about our fellow Aussies they are willing to help especially if there is a few beers at the end of the day
.
Fred I had to end up going to the doctor as the pain started to get to me , I am to have ex-rays done on both knees to-morrow to see what the problem is. I do dislike not being able to get around as I enjoy going to the gym and being in my garden.

We harvested a beautiful watermelon to-day and had some of it after our Dinner for dessert it was lovely so sweet, and for part of our veggies we had eggplant which was lovely.,I pulled out the cucumber vines last week
I was going to plant some more beans the small bush ones but then I hurt this knee so I havent been able to turn the soil or plant the seeds.
It is late and I am feeling very tired , I hope all is well with you and oh also Hissey.
Badger what is your wife's name??

Bye have a nice day Marie

Morning Tony,Marie,and all the rest of you over the pond,where you all seem to be coping okay with your weather,which is diverse as to where you live ,as normal.
Seems like you have the holiday situation well in hand Tony,you must be looking forward to the first one very much ,a difficult year so far for all of you in ,Oz ,and even more so over the water ,in New Zealand,where the City of Christchurch ,is still having strong aftershocks,and still more over the next months ,the experts reckon.
I watch both your countries on Disaster Watch which keep me well informed as to what is going on,and i can keep my eyes on what my rellies ,and friends are having to put up with weather wise.
Wow Marie ,my garden is so small i couldn't grow Pumpkins if i wanted to ,lol,i don't even know what they taste like ,apart from in soups..
I stick to the staples ,like climbing French bean,runner bean ,and broad bean ,they all grow very well in the buckets and it saves wasting water ,all of it going straight to the roots.
With the lack of really hot weather here ,we put out stuff in ,in early March to april ,and that's it for the season,we get no chance of secondary planting,and the winter cabbage have to go in within a month after the spring and summer cabbage seeds are planted.
You sound well green to ,i prefer that to artificial fertlizer ,although that word artificial is a misnomer,all fertelizer comes from the soil and is green ,as it were,all this green balony is just a way of screwing the public for more money as they pay lot's extra in the shops for crops that cost no more to grow ,than any other.
my only contribution to green crops is planting Pyrethium Daisy around the garden,the only plant that exudes natural pest killer as it grows,lol,i just move it around every couple of years,and you can also buy it in liquid form for watering over your crops ,to kill the bugs,and being 100% natural ,dosn't hurt the birds ,or wildlife.
made some lovely Parsnip&Citrus soup yesterday ,and it was lush ,no pepper or salt needed ,and freezes well too.
I have about 6 kilos of Parsnip left in the greenhouse ,so i will make some more soup this afternoon parsnip curried i think ,then i will freeze the rest down for roasting ,and adding to mashed potato, later on in the year.
No parsnip going in this year ,because the soil needs a good feed of manure so root crops are out,onions this year i reckon.
Well ,time to go and do some work,around the house,too cold in the garden today after a heavy frost ,but not to worry ,it's killed a lot of pest this year after the sever cold,there won't be many wire worm around for a few months,and the chunks of Rhubarb i put under all the Brassica at planting time ,will also keep the club root away.
Take care all ,and have a good week,Fred

G'day to all...:>))

Havent been on the thread for a while.

Busy,busy as usual.
Lots of work about as we move towards the end of our summer.

Looking forward to some R&R and a few cold beers in Queensland ( Gold Coast ) shortly for a nice break.

Also booked and fully paid for is our upcoming trip back to Thailand later on in the year ( Phuket ) and apart from one daughter who will be travelling Europe.....there will be 16 of us holidaying in Thailand from my own immeadiate family....lol
The number has grown since 2007 ( our 1st trip ) when there was only 8 of us. I'm now thinking of doing a deal with the "Thai resort" heirachy as a PR man........as it might get me a few free Red & Green Thai curries for bringing more custom to their resort......hee hee

One daughter got flooded out ( House ) during the recent Melbourne floods,and it was going to be a very expensive excersise to clean up the insides of her house, so with the help of her work mates from the Footy Workers Social club ( Carpet Cleaners ) where she works, they al turned up and pitched in............. and got the insides of daughters home back to normality. ( for free )

Hope all are well.

Av a good un

Tony...:>))
ps. Time for a cuppa and a Jam & cream Lamington.

Hi Fred, Gosh your cooking sounds good and it makes me feel Hungry.
I wish you were my neighbour I would be in for a meal, of course I would work for it either in the house or better still in the garden, but not to-day as my knee is still giving me pain.
I would love to get back to England again,. I would employ you as a guide , it sounds great the way you describe it.

My Garden is getting to the stage of pulling out and preparing for the winter crop, we have some large Pumpkins and I am hoping for a little bit more of summer as the watermelons are not ready for picking .my dwarf beans are doing well i must pick some more to blanch and freeze., my eggplants are almost ready for picking I am looking forward to eating them.
How do you do yours?? please let me know as I would like to try your way.

The family worked very hard in the Native Garden on Saturday they went and got a load of Bush rocks and put it round the edges for me .

IT does look good we need another load to finish it off , also some more mulch as it breaks down fairly Quickly. I use all our cuttings and I rake up all the pine needles that fall into my yard from next door as the native's love acidic soil, I have a chipper on my Mower so when I am pruning I chip all the small stuff and add it also, we also have 2 compost heaps on the go and I also have a Eco Bokashi Bucket for all the scraps then I use the Liquid 1 part to 100 ratio for the lawn or garden beds, what is left in the bucket I dig a trench and add this to the garden.makes lovely humus.

Political news: there is a big Debate on at the moment as the GOV. has announced that we will be moving to a Carbon rebate system In 2012??not sure about the date so much ado going on, For and Against.no matter what they decide it will cost.

Hi Mary I hope you and oh are doing well .

Have a nice week Fred
Regards
Marie from over the BIG POND

Hi All,we have a nice morning again ,becoming a tad milder now ,and i have managed to get a couple of early morning cuppa's on the patio to keep the cat happy.
The wife ,silly Moo,didn't think to tell me how bad the headache was,which was an indication of a migrane attack,never had one shje winged ,dosn't matter says i ,there is always a first time for anything ,lol,still ,she will know next time,he he.
Hope everyone over there is managing better ,hopefully things will eventually settle down again,and return to some semblance of normality.
I have heard from both the cousins ,one in Brisbane ,and tother over the pond in Christchurch,both fine ,and both loosing their phone lines for a while.
We are having a quiet celibration up here in the north east ,with the deal done over the reopening of the Redcar Steel furnace and works,such a relief for a town where there is such a shortage of jobs,what with the other plants and factories that relied on the steelworks for their support jobs,up to ,and including the pits that supplied the coking coal.
Only four weeks until our first week away in Blackpool.and seeing is' in law and her dasft Yorkshire hubby ,a real tyke ,but a darned hard worker,like most of his ilk,and a very god provider ,
We are looking forward to the re visit to Cornwall later in the year too ,i fancy one of those proper oggies again ,the so called Cornish pasties made by Ginster are a ruddy poor comparison ,even if they are Cornish made .
I really am looking forward to revisiting the big tin mine which is shown on the television every so often,the two hours we spent there last time was nowhere near long enough,and going back to Padstow is another must it is a lovely little town,with a great sense of it's culture,and the only place i know of that you could still buy a reaal miners pasty that was taken [in the old days ]down the pit ,for their [bait] meal,consisting of meat at one end ,and fruit at the other,a real treat in one crust .lol.
My garden is coming along well ,the last of the parsnip are in the greenhouse until this coming week ,when a lot of soup will be made ,the remainder of that crop being frozen down for a treat through the summer.
Most of the soil is now full of cow poo ,and lime ,waiting for the seeds to go in ,and the greenhouse buckets are empty ,having been sterilized and waiting to be filled up again.
Mary's little garden sounds amazing ,what with her orange and lemon trees ,and her herbs ,and i am looking forward to her pics ,when she gets them taken.
Have to go now ,i had a half hour to myself after the housework this morning but i am under orders from the grandson ,for his mince and dumpling dinner,one of his favourites ,lol.
I have a few slices of New Zealand lamb in the freezer for midweek ,as a treat ,rolled up and filled with sage and onion stuffing ,begging to be roasted,he he ,must make sure it isn't dissapointed,lol.
Catch you later all ,hope you are all managing to get something of a weekend ,God Bless ,Fred.

Hi Fred, yes more trouble in our area, the disaster in New Zealand is dreadful, the number of deathsare now over one hundred and to see the beautiful Cathedral smashed,it will probrbly have to be demolished.
I feel very sad for all those who have lost family and friends .
I have friends who live in the north Island and have visited both Islands twice, it is a beautiful place but they have a history of Earth Quakes having several fault lines through the country, and an active volcano in the north Isle.
I am sorry to hear your Oh is unwellI hope you don't catch the bug as well. you do seem to manage to pick up the bargains, every little helps with the tight budget.

I have managed to do some damage to my left knee and I am mighty uncomfortable I may have to see the doc about it, that is if I can get an appointment. I think I over did it at the Gym and then when I came home straight into the garden for a bit more exercise , then on friday I helped my Daughter with the girls at the Pool as they are having swimming lessons, All a little too much for the poor old knees LOL
We have had a little rain here to-day very nice now I dont have to water , but I must go and do some dinner for myself.The Plum sauce turned out nice.
Kindest regards
Marie

Hi to all ,and Marie,i have been a tad busy as of late ,what with research and the garden ,and car ,but never mind ,i isssss back ,lol
The wife wasn't too well last night and went to bed early complaining of headache [a woman thing ,lol] aching all over and feeling generally yukk'y ,and is no better today so it is fortunate that she has had the two injections for fighting off flu ,and worse ,cause it sounds as though she has a mild dose of flu.
I have told her to stop in bed today ,so there is no chance of falling downstairs or on the floor,and saving me having to pick her up .lol
She won't feel like eating for a while so i am having my treat today ,Swordfish loin steak yum which i will do a new way once i look up a recipe off the net later.
I have had my first coffee of the season ,out back on the patio,sun shining ,and Hissy sat beside me with a smug look on her face ,as if to say ,hah ,i knew i would manage to get him out here sooner than later.
Sipping my cuppa ,and looking around i see the first signs of spring, the apple and plum trees starting to bud,wild onion ditto,crocus in flower ,and other bulbs that i planted last Autumn ,showing through.
I found my self a computer stand with a built in usb fan that blows on the laptop underside to keep it cool.
The unit has a built in rotating base ,and a table that adjusts to tilt the laptop to a comfortable keyboard hight ,and flattened down ,slips into the computer carry case ,for transporting on holiday,not bad for£10.
Seems all you peeps over that way are still in the wars ,now New Zealand with yet another quake ,and a lot worse one than the last,i'm glad my cousin is only on the outskirts of Christchurch and should be fine with any luck.
Time to take the missus a cuppa up ,at least she can keep that down ,but i had better keep her off coffee for the time being.
Be careful all ,and stay safe.Fred.

Hi Shaz , yes it looks that way, I have been too busy to keep pushing it along it is very sad, it looks as if even Badger hasn't been on for awhile.

Hi Badger how are you, I guess you are busy with your garden as I am.
I put the beans down for winter and made Plum sauce I have started to prune my natives that have finished flowering, also I have been pulling out the horrible couch grass that continues to blight my life.

I will soon be putting in my winter vegies, we have a good crop of pumpkins, I just hope the frost holds off for awhile as some pumpkins are still a bit immature I also have some eggplants not Quite ready.

I hope you and your Oh are welland that you are still having lots of sunshine our nights are getting cool, mind you the days are still very warm ,(very Nice )it is as we had so much rain earlier as you know.

Well Fred I must go Busy Busy ,
Kind regards
Marie

Afternoon people, gosh, seems this thread is almost dead, no body here any more.

Gosh Marie, some bash that party of yours, sounds like a good time had by all

~~~~~~ To anyone peeking in

Shaz

Hello Friends,
Tony Merl,Mary,Yvette, Hz if she happens to look in,and Fred .
Finally I have found time to look in truly I don't know if I am Arthur or Martha, its been more than a week since I opened my computer.

We had a large costume Birthday Party for my son-in-law last Saturday (the big 40 th ) we had 80 guests and I & my daughters Kathleen Brians wife and Barbara cooked for 3 days, spent Friday cutting meats and Saturday making salads etc.then jumped into the shower with only1 hour to get the costumes on and dress the children for a 6 pm start.
Everyone dressed up and a wonderful time was had by all, and as usual for Aussies we over catered, lucky we have freezers and extra refrigerators in the shed for Xmas & drinks.

It has been very hot up our way which has made us all a bit tired, especially myself,the past 2 days have been cooler but the weather man say's it is heating up once more .I do hope we dont have any more bushfires I think this country and it people could do with a little bit of relief from all our bad weather.
I hope you are all keeping well.
Mary thank you for the email re the Wattlers Meet, I havent had a chance to get on to the Posts, hopefully next week I may be able to set aside some time for that.
Merle I do hope your leg heals soon. True friends are always there when needed..
I must close as I am feeling a little hungry, it is well past my lunch.
Love to you all,
Marie