General Chat

Hi everyone,

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas & a Happy New Year.

Tony, your Christmas sounds very much like ours, except we try & play cricket in the afternoon, usually merry, but a good time is had by all.

Our Family Christmas will be very special this year, on Monday our 1st grandchild was born - a girl, which was the first girl in her fathers family for 3 generations!!

I will try & get back more next year.

Arvo.

As we are only just a week away from Christmas day..i just wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone on the thread a very merry christmas, however you spend it.

May your xmas stockings be full of joy,laughter and happiness....and most of all...free from illness for the coming New year.

For us this coming Christmas Eve we will start of the night at around 7:30 pm with our traditional large seafood platter of Shrimp, Tiger prawns and Crab meat on a lettuce bed with spring onions and tomatoes, and a bowl of Barbs traditional home made cocktail sauce. Two Lobsters,Red,Green and white bowls of small pickled onions and a few chicken peices and hungarian hot sliced salami ( yum!! ) along with Avacado and Relish dips ect.......herb & garlic bread and a few bottles of Ricadonna to wash it down.....:>))

At about 8:30 pm on the Tele "Carols by Candlelight" held at the Melbourne Myer music bowl will get us all in the relaxed mood and a sing along.

Hit the sack at around midnight, and wake at about 6:00am Christmas day. We have a few staying over this year,( Xmas eve ) so hope everyone brings their sleeping bags..lol

Round one:
After a few pressies given out from under the Chrissy tree, most will have gone, and Barb and myself will prepare a full Christmas lunch for her family coming at about midday.( 8 people )

Around 5pm that lot will be on there way, and Barb and myself will do a quick wizz round the house and clean up.

Round two:

Approx 6:30 pm onwards my lot will turn up for Christmas night ( 35 people ) Great Gran, Siblings, Daughters and spouses, Grandkids, Neices and Nephews and their kids , Great newphews and neices............ All will bring finger food and cold left overs from their Chrissy lunch.....and we will start all over again till about 2am boxing day....lol


I will awake on Boxing day at some stage, and walk out to the decking and family room ( with a hangover and a bottle of Berocca ) which will look like WW111 has started.....scratch my head,swear like a trooper, and vow never to do this again..............................................................











..................................but next year we will do the same thing all over again!!!!!!!......lol


Why!!......because we love it....:>))




Just in case i dont get back on line ( Very busy with work )
Merry Christmas to you all, and may god bless you and yours.


Stay safe.


Tony....:>))

Evening to all from Fred [de snowman] from frozen north.where i have already battened down the hatches on returning from town yesterday afternoon.
Enjoy your Christmas Marie ,somewhere dry and sunny for you i hope,but no matter ,you will be with your family,and that's the main thing .
Your chalet is safe for now Mary ,a tad cold in the veggie stores but still standing against the white menace ,lol.
The forcast yesterday looked a little unsure ,so we both went to town ,and Cramlington while the roads were clear,and we struck lucky,Sainsburies had irish beef on sale which i thought was apt seeing as i was going to corn it,and i got a lovely piece of topside for £12 a huge piece for the price which just fitted in the bath to soak,in the new fridge [ no need to use the chalet anymore] ,lol.
We also found a beutiful gammon joint for £10 also pretty big ,which i will roast in a water bath ,giving some lovely gravy for making soups,so ,what with those two purchases ,plus a big top upon the veggies ,we came back well chuffed.
Just as well too seeing as when i got up this morning it was snowing again ,a day early,but the heck with it ,we is warm ,dry and ready for owt ,as they say up here lol so it can please it's bessie.
Made a lovely red Thai Curry for dinner and a nice pot of Carrot and Celery soup for tea .
I brought myself a Chrissie present too from a B &M store that has just opened where the son lives at The new factory outlets in Rokerby,and also brought a king size duvet set for the other main bedroom so that room is now nice and snug now once we go to bed.
My present is an electric frying pan that will cook anything from a full B B Q indoors to a rice dish with trimmings which can be used anywhere there is a plug handy without having to stand over the cooker ,with heat and timer controls because i is a lazy Bu**r on the quiet .he he.
The wife had one hell of a morning upstairs wrapping the bairns presents with the cat ,he he,,the furry pest kept nicking the labels and running off with them little pest ,she had me in kinks but when the wife started to lose her cool ,i removed said puddy twat ,whereapon she plagued my life instead he he ,lying on my puter so i couldn't even see the keyboard ,never mind use it .ooooo it's a good job i love the furry pest..
My son ,by the way has fallen foul of one of these road idiots that swerve in front of you and then slam the brakes on so that you land up ramming them up the rear,and then claim it's your fault.
I have sent for two of these cameras that mount on the front windscreen and rear window ,both fitted with time and date recording ,and full video recording ,so if anyone tries that with me ,they are in for one hell of a shockas these cameras are admissable for the police to look at or even be used in court as evidence of an insurance scam,£80 well spent i reckon and saving your no claims bonus.
Sad state of affairs though ,but this scam is rife over here ,some even working in gangs ,and making big money out of it ,and putting everyones insurance up.
Well ,i am off on soup detail and will say goodbye for now,hope everyone is okay ,dry ,and looking forward to Santa Claus,specially the toddlers he he,catch you later ,Fred.

Dear Mary , such good news about John .
I hope the recovery continues.
Mary I am flying to Brisbane on Tuesday 21st of Dec .
Thanks to my very Generous daughters Barbara & Kathleen also Brian my son-in-law. It was part of my Xmas Present
God Love them they have such generous hearts, is a pity my sons don't have half the compassion as Barbara & Kathleen.

I must get to bed as it has been a very busy day as we had our Xmas tonight as they will all be away for Xmas.

Best wishes to you all Marie

Hi everyone.. Don't faint its me again..We are so lucky that we are nowhere near all the floods and in fact we have had very little rain..not like poor Marie, who has copped the lot..

Merle Butter about the other knee.. Twas bad enough with the first one so you reeeely didn't need this with the second one..big hugs my lovely..xxx Glad you are enjoying doing the cards, you are very creative and the poem is lovely..keep me informed re the hospital treatment,,xx

Marie Thanks for the Christmas news and photos ,,They are really lovely and you did a great job of it..Will be in Orange for Christmas, so will let you know when..

Fred,, Hope that snow is off my chalet,,, don't want the glass to break..

Well we have some good news ,,John has seen a new doctor and he has put him on prednisone and he is starting to come good at last,, The poor man has been through the mill for the past 5 years so its good to see something positive happening..He is quite happy to go to Orange for Christmas which a few days ago I thought we wouldn't make it this year..

Tony How was the funeral,, Hope it was a nice one.big hugs..

Well am off to bed.. Keep warm you Uk'ers and the Aussies keep dry..

Love Mary xxx

Morning to Marie and Tony ,where Fred is having a well earned rest having cleared the last of the snow away ,he he ,just before the next load arrives at the back end of the week.
sorry to hear your news about the cousin Tony especially as there was a special link between the two of you,hang on to those memories Mate ,they will be a comfort to you in the days ahead.
It sounds as though that house was much like my grandads place in Chestnut Road,just up the road from Richmond Park,a longish narrow house like most Edwardian ones of that era ,five rooms downstairs ,and four bedrooms up.
My sister and i spent many happy holidays there with fluffy [the dog ] and a nameless cat. just after the wars end.
.I can remember three pennorth of chips too ,with scraps thrown in as well [batter off the fish] if you were a regular customer ,cor ,those were the days .lol.
Seems the weather is going to pot all over the world ,even Russia are having a tough time ,with the Ukraine having lost it's potato harvest due to flooding as well,and a very miserly grain harvest.
We are off out shortly to top up on supplies in case we get hit hard again ,he he ,no Christmas B B Q on the patioTHIS year [perish the thought],but i just might put the wood stove to good use instead.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend ,as i'm sure our Mary did after the good news from her hubbys' doctor ,what a result after all the agro and worry.
Catch you later all ,Fred.

Dear Tony,
I am so sorry for you ,we always want to keep the ones we love, no matter how old or young they may be . May Carmel rest in peace .
Remember her suffering has all gone, this is what I try to remember when any of my dear loved ones pass away.

The rain seems to have finished ,but the water is still oozing out of the hills above us running down through our land .
Many of my plants are now dead. If we don't get any more rain in the next week or so we may dry out---Hopefully and I will then try to replace some of my plant's.

I will be sending you a Xmas news letter, please let me know if you receive it as we have had some difficulty sending it. My Grandson suggested that you file it so that you can read it.
You may not have any trouble as you probably are better at this than we are.

Regards to you and Barbara
Marie.

Arvo.

Just popping home for a bit of lunch, in between house calls. Busy, busy,busy and everyone wants everything done before christmas.!!!!...lol

Don't know why?.....as Christmas day only last 24hrs, and then its over...:>))

Bit of a sad day yesterday for me. At a funeral
My cousin died last Friday after a battle with cancer,and she was my favourite cuz ( my mums niece ) growing up as a kid.
69 years young and i have a great pic of her carrying me on her shoulders when i was a 1 year old. She was 7 years my senior and a bit of a tom boy as a young girl. Loved to climb trees, and kick the football around with the boys in our street in th early 50s. I remember the first tree house and rope swing out of a used car tyre she built me in the back yard when i was a 6 year old living in 386 Church street Richmond. House is still there today, and both her family ( my Aunt and Uncle ) and my own family lived altogether in the one house. It was a big double storey and we lived down stairs, and they upstairs............before my father bought our first home in 1952.
Back then my cuz ( Carmel ) every saturday, would take me to the fish n' chip shop up the road, and buy 3d worth of chips, and then take me to a park and we would sit and eat them on the swings. Ater that we went to the local Milk bar shop and would buy an ice cream with her chores money she earnt during the week. Mum of two grown up daughters now and 4 grandkids........and will be sadly missed.
At the least, she left me with some good childhood memories....something you cant buy, and something no one can take away from you.

Marie. No there is no Air-con in these block of units operating as yet. Well....there are Air-cons, but they are not up and running as yet.The units are all empty, and only just been built,( brand spankin new ) and ready for renting out or for sale. Power is not turned on until someone buys/rents or moves in to them. There are 12 units per level, and 4 levels. Built with all the mods and cons, and bells and whistles ( elevator ). Most are open plan living ( no hallways or divided walls ) Kitchen ( breakfast bench )looks straight out onto the large family/lounge room.....and most are two & three bedroom units with ensuites. Top floor is a bit more up market ( penthouse so to speak )Glass windows celing to floor, and step out balconies facing west in the afternoon, and thats my job to see that they are covered with blinds and awnings. 347 of them....lol

Thinking of all those caught and perished in these floods we are getting from as far south as Victoria, right up the east coast into Queensland.........and still more rain to come they tell us. Last year and before we were crying out for water to put the blahdy fires out, and this year we have so much water peope are drowing in it.
Only in Australia.....and like one of our icon poems says:
I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges, Of ***droughts and flooding rains****. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea,
Her ****beauty and her terror*** -The wide brown land for me!

Take care everyone, whether your trying to keep Warm from the snow, Dry from the rains, or Cool from the heat......And in this big Country of ours we call Oz .... we can have all three on the same day,somewhere!.....:>))

Av a good un.

Tony....;>))

Hi Badger , the rain continues and yes many places are flooded and at least 4 people have drowned, most because they have tried to drive accross flooded causeways.
All along the east coast is flooded and also western area's of Qld. and NSW.
Here in Bathurst it looks as if the rain is easing the clouds are breaking up so hopefully we wont have any more rain, for awhile.
I received an email from a cousin with pictures of Russia and the winter they have been having, not inches of Snow but ten to twenty feet of snow the pictures are amazing I dont know how one could live in those conditions. One picture was of a man with grapling hooks and climbing boots,, climbing up the wall to get to his flat through a top floor window.
I will say Bye now
Kindest regards,
Marie

Just seen on the news this morning that there are some nasty flood areas in and around N S W,which is making life very hard if not impossible for a lot of folk over there,stay safe all ,specially along the river banks.
The world is sure going crazy about now,and i thought we in the u/k had troubles,but they are tiny compared to the ones over there,
Fred.

Hello all ,so nice to read the posts , I am afraid there wont be any prose from me but if we had Skype I could sing you a lovely Xmas Carol

Merle I can sympathize with you I am having trouble with my right knee I am off to the doctor on Thursday, I am hoping she will order a scan for me as the pain has stopped me from exercising for the past 2 weeks.

I woke to sunshine just after 6am this morning Yippee.
I hope it stays around for awhile as all my Veggies are looking sick from too much water.
We have drainage problems, we sit half way down the hill and the water has been pouring down into our yard. I have built up beds but the water has been going under the higher beds and into the lower ones so the plants have been constantly in water we keep pumping the water out ,but because of the constant rain everything is saturated and I have mud and slush all over my grey pavers.
What a mess
We are having our Xmas Party for all our Gym buddies after classes to-day I wont be exercising but I will be there with my Santa hat on, only food no Alcohol no no
Tony you will be slim by Xmas all that work , is the air conditioning working in the building??

Mary if you are looking in Happy Xmas in case I don't get back on for awhile, I haven't written my Xmas letter or written one Xmas card.I'm not feeling up to it this year I have the blues as all will be away and I will be on my own. Never mind I guess I will get a few things done that I have been putting off.
Merry Xmas Badger, Tony, Merle ,Hz , and all the best wishes , from ********The Xmas Fairy **********

flippin eck Tony ,32 c would kill me ,never mind fitting blinds in those sort of conditions ,he he ,you must have the constitution of an ox.
The sarnies sound the biz' are they pure veggie ones,or do you add aa bit of meat or fish to them,? i could be easily persuaded to try one or two ,without any bother.
Have to agree with your summing up of politicians ,the biggest crooks going ,ours here are already fiddling their accounts again ,before the stink and dust settles from the last big government witch hunt,lol,rumour has it that the rats [the four legged ones are at it too,down in the basements of number 10.
I don't have trouble with white mites here ,but the red spider mite are a real pain ,and have been known to kill tomato ,and cucumber plants ,and i'm still looking for an effective treatment ,the best so far being a bomb ,set off in march ,before i start the seedlings.
Well,that's me off to bed with a cup of horlicks and my garlic tablets ,he he ,they should have had them in the old days ,they seem to keep the missus over here side of the bed ,so i reckon they will even keep the vampires away ,but as Tony says ,even garlic [and this is in tablet form] ,along with onion in any shape of form is death to any cold bugs,last thing i need in this weather is the dreaded sniffles ,or worse.
Hope everyone has had a good weekend .Fred.

Morning.

I do so like the weekends.
Gives me a chance to ponder around the garden and just relax. Just dusted my tomato plants to keep the pesky tiny white moth at bay. We seem to have an abundance of them at the moment with all the rain and humidity.
Picked a few Spring Onions, as i do like them chopped up on a sandwich with sliced garlic knobs and sliced green or red capsicum......sprinkled with a little salt and black pepper.
Barb stays well away from me when i start munching on them......lol But you will never see me with a sniffle or cold come winter.

Merle. Sending lots of hugs and support mate, and hoping all goes well. I absolutely love your poem, and the way you have worded it. A very fitting chrissy bush poem to put in a card. I dont get the oppotunity to just sit and write at the moment. To much going on in my life, with either one thing or the other.
The company i contract for just sold 347 sun blinds in a new block of units ( 4 storey new building )....and they have to all be fitted before the 31st Dec so they can start renting them out.......Strewth!!!
Its times like this i wish was 21 years of age again, and fighting fit....lol On a good day i can install 30...but i need to soak in a hot bath afterwards.....lol

Marie. Dont think to much of any Gov. to be honest.
One thing i have learnt in my short time on this planet, is that it dosent matter who is in power in whatever Country..........the people will lose out, one way or the other.
I'm not a polictical minded person, and just get on with my life doing what i have to do to survive. There all crooks, regardless of who is in power, and look after themselves first, and the people only when it suits them. Just to sit and watch them bickering in parliment on the tele reminds me of my kindergarden days as a toddler.....:>))

Well.... its Sunday morning, and sunday morning means bacon & eggs.

Av a good un.




Tony...:>)) 32c today.

Morning Merle,sorry to hear that the other leg is playing up now ,it makes my hip Arthritis look very puny so i won't mention it again ,i will suffer it gladly ,rather than having what you have.
Loved the poem ,and i reckon Tony will too ,when he reads it ,anyway ,i will pass it on to my eldest son ,who does this sort of thing too ,having had a couple of small ones published over the past few years.but nothing as good as you two serve up ,he he.
Wow ,am i glad i sniffed the possibility of weather trouble after suffering from it many years ago when i was a young Joey in my mums pouch ,lol,we had a couple of real corker winters setting in early down in Bucks.
I set too three weeks ago ,getting in extra supplies while i was able ,extra meat ,veggies and dairy stuff ,on top of dried fruit ,yeast;and flours.and long life ,and dried milk.
Finished off filling the battle bus to the brim with diesel enough to get me to Cornwall ,and back to Birmingham,and ,it turns out i made the right move in doing so.
We can't even get the car out of the drive for ice and snow,the roads are vitually impassable ,no buses or trains,after 7 pm in the evening.and walking in these conditions is a nightmare,so Liz ' and Fred have done the only sensible thing ,locked the doors .clo0sed the curtains ,turned the heaters up and B****r the fuel bills ,he he ,and are hibernating until it warms up a little.
Guess you lot will find the shoe is on the other foot ,and will be worrying ,as are your neighbors over the pond about the possibility of bush fires and drought,i really feel for you ,far easier for us over here to warm ourselves up than it is for you to keep yourself safe and hope you don't loose your homes from fire.
Take care all ,we can always swap you a little snow ,for some of your heat [i wish ] Fred.

Hi all, can't believe I've let time get away again. The greeblies are back and life turned upside down.Have been having trouble with R leg now.
had a date set for nov4th tohave a cancer taken off and a skin graft, however it was discovered that
i was carrying a staph infection so it was cancelled without telling me I might add.Open warfare!!!! Had treatment and finally got date Dec 14th but I had to go to another anaesthetist and would you believe he refuses to do his bit. Reckons its too dangerous. A younger bloke who won't take the risk damn him. Have had a battery of blood tests and have to have an ultrasound and E K G on the 10th .AAAAAAHHHHH!
If it gets done at all, will be confined for two weeks with leg up. Thats Christmas taken care of! If it takes all this for such a small op I'll have mine and Buckleys of getting other knee done.
Am still making cards furiously. Have had a few orders so feel quite chuffed about that. I enjoy it and it keeps me focussed on the here and now.
quite relaxing really.
this is the third year I've written my bit to put in them.Not in your league dear old .ser .tones but here it is just the same.AHEM....
How sad the billabong looks, owl said
as he moodily scratched his ear,
Theres not a thing to be seen of the xmas green
thats usual this time of year
The drought has dried up the billabong to a muddy looking tar
The bush babies fear that xmas this year
means Santa won't know where they are.
But owl, o wise one, flew off with a smile
and didn't come back for quite a while.
I've been to the big billabong, we'll xmas there he said
There are trees and grass for our picnics
and reeds to use for our beds.
Santa will find us by the light of the stars
as the shepherds did long ago
when they looked for a babe in a manger
the story I'm sure you all know.
so they played on the sand and swam in the ocean
and so can you with plenty of lotion.
Thats how traditions are firmly kept
no matter where we celebrate them.
.with family and friends from near and far
I wish you joy wherever you are.
luv.me still dont' have copy of everyone.

Hello Fred also Tony ,
It has been raining for the last 3 days Pis---G down as we say in this country, Water water everywhere, the farmers had a bumper crop of wheat but it will be all damaged Poor Bug---'s no good once it is wet.
My daughter Kerryann breeds birds,.several varieties including Budgies.

Fred we are keeping up with the news reports on the very bad weather you are having in the UK, we are all in woolie's here as the rain has made it very cool,--- hard to take after last weeks Lovely Sunshine.
Tony what do you think of the new gov down your way?
Stay well
Kind Regards
Marie

Yeah ,right Tony so you never heard of snow,lol,you flippin' cheapskate,you never heard of dishwashers either ,go on ,be a REAL man and spend some of your ill gotten dosh ,on a dishwasher for your wife ,never mind tea towels,he he.
Glad i'm not the only one who gets kitty presents off the feline,my cat tries to bring them indoors to lay on the mat,lol,sending Liz onto the nearest chair,because the cat brings them inside ,alive ,alive o.
Poor Bourbon,not even a bonus bugie for all the mousing ,you is a 'ard man Tony,lol,hope you keep a treat for him Christmas,i'm sure he would love a bit of Chuck' or turkey.
Hope everyones veggies are okay with all the water ,can't even see mine for the white stuff ,it's all under two feet of snow.,catch you later all . Fred.

Evening..:>))......and good morning to Fred the snow man..lol

7:30 pm in the south east and just finished making dinner for two ( Me n' Her )

Tony's traditional home made Spag Bolg with all the herbs and spices.....and baked Garlic bread......washed down with a nice red. Red for her and Amber with froth for me.

Gettng our fair share of rain in Victoria over the last week, and flooding up in the north of the state ( Victoria ) so our tele tells us. The Campaspe river has broken its banks and causing some chaos to the local communities, and for some of our crop farmers.
Poor beggars cant win.....its either not enough rain, or to much rain..!!!...and if neither of those two, its the locusts swarms eating acres and acres of land and wheat belts.

Work is keeping me busy, and all being well, i should be able to afford to buy the mrs ( Barb ) a little something for christmas this year. Bigger tea towels, so i wont have to dry the dishes.....:>))
Looking forward to getting a bit of me time, come the festive break 24th Dec till 2nd Jan 2011

With all the rain and sunshine at the moment my summer Vege patch is going berserk, and should be fruiting around the next 3 weeks...right in time for christmas day ( lunch ).

The cat,( Bourban ) now 1 year old is earning his keep, and an excellent mouse catcher.
Has caught 6 in the last few months, and brings them to show me that he is worth having around, plus his little pile of Cicada's that he stores in the back garden.

As i have avaries, and have been breeding the Budgie ( Budgerigar ) for years now,he is keeping the mice at bay during te warmer weather.
Have 15 new baby budgies this year, and had to extend my avairy to 15ft by 8ft
I breed both Australian and English pieds only. Its a hobby, and something i have enjoyed doing since i was a lad.
Actually.....The name budgerigar is derived from the Aboriginal word betcherrygah (meaning good food)....but the cat knows not to enter the avairy or breeding rooms, and sits outside the door with a look of "roast chick" in his eyes.....I have warned him, he will be cat gut guitar strings if he steps one foot inside the avairy...lol


Hope all are well.


Tony...:>))

What is snow!!!

Never heard of it.



Tony..:>))

morning all ,Fred is on snow clearing duties ,there being a foot of snow on the path and drives ,the car virtually covered over,normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.lol.any volenteers ?Fred.