General Chat

Morning.... from a rather cooler outer Melbourne City....:>))

Autumn is definatley here, and the sounds of people in the streets raking the leaves off there nature strips, as well as footpaths and roads,that have fallen from the giant Pin Oak's.

My own nature strip appox 60metres in length and 8ft wide, one side of the house, and another 30 metres on the front side is 4 inches deep in orange, yellow, red & green leaves, and no matter how much i rake it, the very next day it 4inches deep again.....lol
We rake it to the gutters ready for the council street sweeper truck that comes twice a week now, but with cars whizzing up and down the road it blows straight back onto your nature strip....:>((
But its great for the garden compost too....:>))

The Grey Possums that visit the trees at night eat the acorns, and around midnight you can hear them growling at each other as they fight over the biggest ones. The Possums we have here are a bit larger than a full grown adult cat

Every now and then the acorns drop onto my fibre glass decking roof and it sounds like someone has thrown a bag of marbles onto it...lol

Next morning down come the pink and grey Galah's, and the multi coloured Rosella's, along with a few White Cockatoo's to fight over the spoils on the ground, that were left by the possums.......Everyone gets their share..:>))

Our new moggy cat *Bourban* keeps bringing fallen acorns into the house and dropping them at my feet while i'm sitting at the puter.
He likes me to throw them, and then he chases it and bring it back to me.
I think, he thinks he's a dog...?????? lol

Our 4 large Camelia trees are in full blossom of dark and light Pink & White flowers and is a sight to behold, looking at them through our lounge windows



Not long now ( 2 months ) till we fly off to Thailand ( Phooket ) for a bit of R&R and a few green, red, yellow curries...Yummm!!


My Footy team ( Collingwood ) is on top of the A.F.L ladder, so all is well down this end......:>))
Hope all is well at your end of the planet.


Best i go look at the swimming pool, and take the 2 inches of leaves out of it to see if there is any water underneath....hee hee
Must be time to get out the chemicals and winterize it, and get the cover out and drape it across the pool....... me thinks!!



Av a good un


Tony ....:>))

Hi everyone ..Cant believe it is so long since I was here,,Been a busy time what with our 50th Wedding Aniversary and my brother staying here so that I could feed him up and get him well again , Then Anzac weekend when the family got to Sydney for a day or two. so now life is back to quiet again.. and quite boring..so better get back to some family history..

Marie Happy Birthday,,Sorry its a bit late..Hope you had a good one..

Colin..Sounds like you have been busy also..dont work to hard,,

Tony.. Not long now to Poooket..Whoes counting the days..LOL..

HZ Great news about Baz.. Bet you are glad he is back home again..Bet you are tired running everything while he was away..

June How many sleeps to your take off...lucky girl..xx

Merle How are you ,,Hope you are ok..xxxx

Did I see Yette drop in,,Whoo Hoo..


Have a nice weekend all

Love Mary xx

Wow, its been ages since Ive dropped by, months infact, I will have to go back and find out all the goss. Ive been very rude and not logged in for months

Sir Tones, was only mentioning you this morn on the other thread, been so long since we have seen you, glad you and Barcode are well, I see you will be jaunting away again very soon, lucky beggers, have heaps of fun and dont overdo the drinks now will you. Missed you at Toowoomba this year. Ooh Tone, guess what, its not the acorns falling onto your roof, its the leftovers from your huge possums...lol

Hi Mary, Yvette and the lovely Hz, not long now before Bz is home with you, Rob says Hi to you both and glad for Bz

Hello all , from lovely Autumn toned Bathurst,where the Sun is shining after the frosts and we are with out the southly busters that we have been having since Spring last year,no kidding folks, we should be the capital of the wind farms here, lol

Tony, so sad Collingwood lost to Geelong, I was hoping they would beat them, as I would love to see them win the Premiership this year, I think it might be between Geelong, Collingwood & Freemantle. Sydney hasn't a hope, SAD.

June , I hope you have a lovely trip to England and strike the Jackpot with your Family research.
I am looking forward to my trip to Italy,I wish that I had the money to include England & Ireland,when I win Lotto.LOL

Shaz nice to see your name on here don't leave it too long before you pop in again.
Has anyone heard from Merle? Cooeeeee Merle we miss you, I hope you havent fallen over any more dogs or slipped down the stairs.Keep well Merle.

Hello Mary,I hope that your nursing duties are all finished.
Sydney has certianly been awash with all the rain you seem to be having, I have had to slow down the last few weeks as I have been unable to fall asleep untill the wee hrs of the morning, I thing I have been overdoing it, so then I have too much running through my brain, when I do wake in the morning I feel exhausted.

I would love a break away by myself. Just to sit in the Sun and do nothing.Just Dreaming LOL
I must close, Love and Hugs to you all ,xxxxxoooooMarie.

Arvo all, nothing to report, very quiet here, weather a little nippy, certainly not like Bathurst, gladly I left that weather all of 44yrs ago, being a Lithgow girl, that is the only thing I dont miss,,brrrrr

Spoke to Loz the other day about Merle, she is ok, Loz soke to her by phone and said she is fine

Wish we could get some of that rain Sydney has been having, but alas, poor old Narellan doest get much of it at all, and we could certainly use it, all of 10mins last Friday, then, as quick as it came, was all gone again

Spent yesterday with Loz and Ray on a picnic, my that Loz certainly is the hostess with the mostess, food was delicious

Seem to be having posting on here, , is anybody else having problems. Can keep typing, but cant see what I am writing as the page doesnt go down while entering, very weird. will attempt again later

Hi everyone.. We have lovely weather att he moment..rain and cool.. we need both..

Been busy with family history as I think I have found my elusive grandfather 3 times removed..lol.. The only trouble is he might have been born where he said he was but he wasent baptised there.. everything else fits so dont know what he was up to..waiting for a death cert. for his father in case it has a clue to solve my mystery.I feel pretty sure its him..

Life here is very dull and nothing much has happened.. Had a lovely surprise visit from JA and Lozzy a while back and it was so good to see them..Daughter from Orange might be down next week to stay for a few days,,Hope she can make it,,Might go up to Orange for a day or two in a couple of weeks time for grandies confirmation..

Hope June is enjoying her trip and Merle is fit and well..

Marie Stay warm and hope you are well..

Love Mary xx

Morning all you people over the pond,from Newcastle over the water ,where ,at last it is starting to warm up again ,lol,i had to turn the heating back on two days ago,after a stunning week of very warm sun for the time of year ,resulting in me getting the shorts out and starting to get the legs browned up again.
If your grandad was baptized shortly after birth Mary ,it's his parents you need to blame ,not the bairn ,he he ,i did wonder about that when i remembered a family member who was Born in Kent [Maidstone] and showed up on the cencus as being born in Bucks [HighWycombe] they got their knickers in a twist because they found her baptism in Wycombe and thought ,that will do me mate.instead of checking further back ,albeit only a few weeks...Any way ,you have him sorted now ,he he ,wait till you find another ,then you can start it all over again.
Well ,i have the new gas B B Q all set up and ready to go ,the old one is now packed in the back ofthe car and is going up to the daughters later today.
the new one is slightly smaller than 'tother which gives me a tad more room in the corner of the patio ,but the main reason i got it is because it has a raised lid ,on hinges for smoking fish and meat as it's cooked,and i can now cook on it even if it's raining ,something you lot don't have to plan for over there he he.
These sausage and burger mixes we found are great ,the same taste ,and texture as meat ,but no fat or sugar added all quorn and soya, ideal for you coliacs and vegeterians ,with the added bonus that you can add herbs or spices as you mix the ingredients up ,adding your own flavours.,and 87 p a packet to make 8 sausages or big burgers isn't at all expensive,all Asda products too ,so we can buy them locally.
The car has had it's M O T and is going back to Nissan on the 20th of June when we pick the new bus up,just in time for a trip to oxford to help the grandson out lol, seems his freezer needs filled up and he hasn't got a clue as to how much he needs to buy,or the varieties of stuff he needs to get in ,ruddy marvelous aint it? ,he has the knowledge to stuff a Hercules aircraft to the hilt with supplies and just manage to shut the doors,and manage to calculate it's full take off poundage so that the aircraft can lift off ,but can't manage to do a freezer ,drrrrrrrrrrr.
We are not complaining really ,he will expect us to stop a couple of weeks anyway ,which will be a holiday for us too,and a chance to check over the new motor .
The inbuilt sat nav ,Mary,turns out it is controlled by an S D card you just plug the card into the computer and get you upgrade off the net ,neat ,eh?.
I Am still keeping my Garmin Nuvi one though ,just in case i can't get on with thee one built in ,us old folk get a bit set in our ways don't we ,lol.
Hope everybody is enjoying the cooler weather,and to give you all an interest ,only 7 months to Christmas [Fred runs off page lower right ] he he ,
catch you all later ,Fred.

Hello everyone,
What a nice autumn we are having........ even last weekend when there were some treacherous storms on the coast to the east, we didn't even have any wind, just steady rain for a couple of days, just what the doctor ordered !
The rain knocked down all the leaves though, so like Sir Tones, now we
have the sweeping up to do, but I have designated dumping spots for the
mulch, which will be so useful next summer. Love kicking through the scrummy leaf piles though (still a kid!).
Baz is recovering really well from his surgery. He had keyhole surgery
which is less invasive, but even so has a tender belly. He is going into the shop again early but I notice he is having a morning nap when he gets home each day. I am leaving a list of little jobs for him each day (eg please bring in the washing), so that he is distracted from bigger ideas like "I think I'd like to repaint all the guttering" ..... once he's brought in the washing and peeled some veg for tea, I'm home too and can keep him occupied gently !!
Hey Tone, I think you sent your possum up here to me ! When Baz was away in hospital, there was a possum killed by a car right out in front of the house.
Then I began to hear noises in the night, on the roof and out in the back
garden I even got up one night to see if I could see anything. Next I noticed that something had started eating one of my butternut pumpkins I had left out under the pergola to harden off.............My theory is that the lonely partner possum was foraging for a week or so. He/she now seems to have moved on, and my pumpkins are safely locked up inside!
Shazz, were you born in Lithgow? know anything about it's early
settlement history? - I have an interest mid 1850's - perhaps re mining
there, was it just coal or other minerals.
You are a good grandpa Fred, helping out the grandson with the freezer.
I have to admit to being pretty clueless myself re food and cooking until I was in my late twenties......... believe me in the long run he will really appreciate your help, remembering what you have suggested.
Marie I have started my broad beans and peas for this year and some are
up, this time I have just put in a few seeds each week ! At the same time,
I am still picking chilli peppers Fred ! and some have coloured up on the plant in the sunshine in the last two weeks !! And I still have green tomatoes to pick.
Love my veg patch ! When I can't sleep Marie I listen to the radio with
earphones, if you can get the BBC they are excellent and it stops me
over-thinking things. Funny though how I can't sleep from 1am to 4am, then by 6am I want to sleep for 5 hours but have to get up by 7 !!
I posted a 'care parcel" to DD today, she is about to sit exams, so I sent
chocolate, a packet mix for triple-choc fudge brownies, a lip gloss, a bath
bomb, and a mystery envelope from her Dad ( i think the stuff inside was
fairly green lol).
Time for a cuppa, then I might do some FH cos I did the household bills last night and am all up to date, blessings to all, Hz

Hi everyone.. We have rain again but not heavy..yyyaaayy

Marie I am like HZ. I have a little tranny and with earphones I pop into my ear so it dosent wake John and listen to the radio when I cant sleep..Its amazing how many times I go off to sleep with it still going..lol..
Life is quiet at the moment but have my brothers coming for lunch next week so that will be nice..I might get up to Orange in a couple of weeks for just the weekend,,up sat. home monday..training it as it is more relaxing..

Tony How many weeks to Pooooooket..hee hee hee...

Hope all are well..

Love MAry xx

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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

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.

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.

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

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

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.