General Chat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great day/night to all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xox

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

Hi all Looks like we are all in the pink

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

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

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

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

Have a nice weekend all and keep warm .

Love Mary xx

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

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

Howdy Doody girls and boys . . :)

Long time no see . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi All, and hello Laurie,nice to hear from you and wow you do get about lucky thing,I would be off too if money wasn,t so scarce ,good luck to you it sounds great, I am off to Italy in September, it will probably be my last overseas trip,then I will start using my Rail pass.
Tony are you still with us or are you in Phuket sipping those cocktails, if not I bet you can almost tast them.

I have a new Granddaughter 8 lbs she has a welsh name, ( after her grandfather) it is Nia Morgan, get this she has an irish surname O'Donnell her father is my son Sean her mother is Nancy no second name just Nancy. Nia was born at 8-30 pm Saturday night I havent seen her yet as it was a difficult birth and Nancy had to go to Surgery afterwards.

Our weather has been miserable lots of rain, very cold and windy I am hoping it will clear as our yard is boggy.

How are you Badger? there is nothing doing in my garden,too wet, I am hoping my Natives will survive all this rain.

It was nice to hear from you also Yevette,and Yes we all seem to be leaving these shores for a little while I hope you have a great time.I am not in count down mode yet ,I will start to get a bit nervous in August as I will have to prune all the roses before I head to Italy otherwise they will be a mess when I get back.

Merle I hope you are well and getting into the packing and of course tossing out things as well,it is so hard to get rid of all the things we have collected over a life time.,so many precious memories when you touch these things.Sorry Merle I didnt mean to get morbid I guess I am thinking of all the cards and Baby stuff I still have.

I must go I have a new grand child to visit .

Kindest regards to you all
Marie

Arvo....:>))

Sunny day in Melbourne town.
Well......the suns out, but there is no warmth in it...lol

Merle. Nice to hear from you, and sending you lotsa hugs mate,from Barb & me, and hoping all goes well.

I dont know about Bar-code Barb, but i'm packed and ready to head north - west...........far north and right off the continent, and far away from Melbourne's temps of 12,13,14 celcius.......6 sleeps to go....hee hee

Did a check list of my suitcase last night.
1 pair shorts
1 pair of sandals
Some slip,slop,slap.....some sunglasses, and me Akubra hat.....and thats me packed....:>))

On the other hand...her whom thinks she is the boss, will take everything bar the kitchen sink, and her suitcase will be overweight on the airport scales, and you can "betcha life nellie" she will pay excess.....lol

Nephew and his girlfriend will be house sitting for us while we are away, feeding and looking after the pets, so that saves us putting them in a pets sanctuary, which would have cost us around $300


Lunch time here, so some sardines on toast sounds good to me.

Will try to jump on line when we are in Thailand and say G'day.

http://www.merlinphuket.com/merlinbeachresort/index.html


Av a good un.




Tony.....:>)))

Good evening . . . Sheeesh it's cold . . :)

Wont be like this in . . . .

4 SLEEPS . . . . YAYYYYYYYY :)

It's not the going that's a problem for me with the excess baggage . . it's the return trip . . .
But we get a little extra allowance being Qantas Club members . . so we dont usually have a problem . . :)

Got some serious baby shopping to do this trip . . no not for our Mason . . but for Little Duckys first grandie that is in the oven . . :)
(She been slack and not come in and told you so I am spilling the beans . . teehee)

Supose yah busy packing Merle me love . . . just keep that Watilda working to help you :)
Thinking of you . . . and dont get morbid . . enjoy the journey down memory lane as you pack and cull . . . and when you have to cull . . . . you still got the memories . . they are all yours xoxoxo

Oh Marie . . Italy . . now that should be a wonderful holiday for you . .
On our bucket list we have written a month in a villa in the Italian countryside . . :)

Congratulations on the new Grandie . . . Nia is a pretty name . . .:) Ahh enjoy the snuggles
My friends daughter had a bub last week . . she named her Niamh (pronounced Neev) an Irish name . . .
Mind boggles at how you teach a wee lassie to spell her name when it doesn't match the phonetic sounds.

I'm working on a book for the Mother in law (from Hell . . teeheee) for her 90th birthday next month . . got some ready to print so best get on with it . .

Stay well, safe and happy . . :) L xoxo

back again, it has to be a record for me.
only a couple more sleeps Lozzy, until you are nice and warm.
Marie, I live in Shellharbour by the sea, thats what keeps the frost away. I think we have our own micro climate here as it doesnt get too hot in the summer. Lozz will longingly remember those more than balmy north easterlies blowing in off the water, but all that gadding about it dont really matter. Tones - I'm green.
Rotten black dog Merle, lucky you have the woofa as well.
Mary, will I send up the young un to keep John company?? he can cook you know and he dont mind curry either.
Well I have had my last break now for 10 weeks. By the time I get to retirement age, I hope I have got the work - break ratio down to 2 weeks work, 10 weeks off instead of the other way around. Now thats a plan.

take care and happy traveling xoxox

Evening all We have had a lovely day and so mild..and sunny..

Well Tone is off tomorrow and Lozzy went today I think..Cant keep those two down,,they love their travel..
I am leading my quiet life but hope to get to Canberra later this month to see my granddaughter who is in Europe now and heading to the UK..She will be home on 27th so got to go and hear all about her trip..

Merle How is the packing going ,,Do hope you are managing ok.. take it slow and do a little each day..

Marie Not long till you go OS..Are you getting excited yet..


Hope all are well and keeping warm.

Love Mary xx

Hi Mary, I am not counting down yet but my friend Barbara informed yesterday that it is only 8 weeks till the 19th September,I have a lot to do before then, the last few weeks of Aug I have to prune all the roses then we are moving them to another part of the garden.
I tripped over on wednesday evening and smashed my nose on what, I dont know? I had a glass and a coffee mug in my hand which smashed to pieces,I ended up in emergency and had 3 stitches in my nose I am a sorry sight the bruising is turning green, the nose is still swollen and rather sore.I am lucky I didnt break anything.
Yvette is it the Shell Harbour in South Aust. We are having very heavy frosts,I am hoping it wont rain for awhile , I am thinking of getting a pair of rubber boots,as it is very wet on our bit of dirt.
Well Tone's will be sipping his cocktails Probably very soon maybe in about 2hrs.
Hz How are you and your hubby?
Lauri must be just about ready to fly out as well, its going to be a bit quiet around here for awhile.
Badger how goes everything with you and your oh also the garden?
I have a new grandaughter her name is Nia Morgan O'Donnell she was born on the 10th July and was 8 lbs. she looks like my babies did when they arrived so we got a lookin with this one.Thats all for to-day folks Sleep well.
Regards Marie

Hi everyone. we have a lovely day..sunny and cool.

Marie You are a duffer ..no more falls or you will spoil your holiday..They wont let you in if you dont look like your picture in your passport..hee hee hee..
Yvette lives in Shell Harbour just south of Woolongong..just out of Sydney..she is one lovely lady..

Lozzy is shopping like mad as she went to Indo with a long list of things to buy..bet her is bending the plastic with great ease..LOL

Tone Will be sipping a cocktail by now in Poooket..

My brother and sil came to visit and informed me they are off to the UK next May to see a new grandchild to be born in Nov..this year..

Merle I hope you are going ok,,let us know how you are..xx

Went to the bloodsucker today to check on thyroid problems.. after all the blood they took I am sure I am at least a kilo lighter..LOL

Take care and have a lovely day.

Mary xxx

Hi Mary,It is overcast cold and a bit windy we did have some sun but not a lot.
My nose is several shades of green, I go to have the stitches out to-morrow they wouldn't remove them on monday the Doctor said it needed a few more days.
I trotted off to the gym to-day I took it easy but was happy with what I did. I am hoping they will let me go to water aerobics on Thursday. Thank you for the info on Shell Harbour.
Badger is a bit quiet he may be away.
I guess Merle is busy packing and tossing.

Allan from WA hasn't called in for awhile,nor Tony from Sydney,and everyone else is off into the wide blue yonder.
I would like to go north to get away from this cold weather.

I am having trouble with the page jumping all the time
I tried to report it the last time it happened but I didn't hear a word from GU.
Bye Mary Regards Marie

Morning everyone he he ,you were right Marie ,the old git WAS away on holiday [Again] down in darkest Oxfordshire and Wiltshire having a great time.
Ask our Mary about the jumping pages ,as she knows how to stop it ,i don't have this problem using Google as my browser ,the jumping page is peculiar to Windows explorer it would seem.
I sent Mary the pics i took of this years garden.which is doing well so far apart from the peppers which are not getting the sun they would like ,middle of July here ,wet [again] and the temperatures are only around 20c,and me poor old knees are going pale again ,lol [help Tony 'send me some of the Malaysian sunshine please it's in short supply here he he.
Your conk sounds painful ,the last time i did owt like that it was at my sisters years ago ,when i was chased by her Geese ,grrrrr ,jumped the gate in panic and dented my face skid on landing.
Any chance of hiding in your rellies case next year Mary ,i can easily evict the plants from your chalet for a while although i will have to wrap the peppers in a woolly jumper at this rate ,even the outdoor patio peppers out front are looking miserable.
Hope your new grandie is born on the 19th of November Mary ,i could have another link with Oz then ,more so hearing about the thyroid problem ,my mum had to have her's removed after she had a growth on it ,and was on tablets for years to keep her system ticking over.so i hope yours continues as it is and gives no more trouble.
sounds like Yvette is in a like situation to us over here in the north east of England ,Newcastle seems to be in a little pocket near the North Sea ,when all around us in the winter ,its bleaching down with snow all around us ,and yet Newcastle seems to get very little normally ,not complaining mind except Christmas week when we never seem to get any ,lol,still ,you can't have it all ways i suppose.
Oh well ,i can't put off the dusting any longer [grumbles under breath] so i had better get on with it before the boss lady [not the furry one ] kicks off he he ,catch you later all ,Fred.

Gee Laurie and Sir Tones both knew when to take a trip to the tropics didn't they ! We seem to have had fog or frost every morning for weeks, it's been a REAL winter. I managed half an hour in the sun this afternoon getting dandelions out of the lawn - I compost them, they are full of nutrients, the worms go ballistic on a feed of dandelions!

We have just had our daughter home on her half-year break from Uni - she couch-surfed a bit among friends but we also had our share of foreign bodies in the lounge room! She has managed really well sharing a flat for the first time, budgeting, acquiring a cat ! and enjoying university life. We had a few cuddles on the sofa watching the Tour De France late at night with a cuppa and a chocolate digestive lol, sharing Home Truths!

Marie, congratulations on the new grand-daughter, Nia is a beaut name! She won't remember how you looked all blue and yellow with stitches in the first few weeks of her life lol ! Hope you are healing nicely.

I was very lucky last week to have TWO visits from passing Wattlers, JA from Canberra with her dear Rob came through Albury on the way home to Canberra from Melbourne and we had a lovely long lunch, then lo and behold a couple of days later I was in the office at the back of the shop and I heard a "yoohoo Hz" and it was Yvette .......... she had brought her parents to town for some doctors check-ups so I got hugs from all of them and a quick chat. Vette was very excited because she had managed to show her parents the internet on the mobile library when it came to their little town, and her dad saw on Facebook photos of a cousin he hadn't seen in 30 yrs, the Librarian grabbed her digital camera , there were tears in his eyes. There are lots of older people who don't know and understand what the technology of these days can do aren't there. My dad (92 and fading) really doesn't understand how I know so much more about the ancestors than he ever did - he'd accept it if it was all in a book, but I don't think he can really grasp the internet.

Better get some shut-eye now, it's nearly the weekend - blessings everyone, Hz

ahh it is the weekend, and after spending some time at my parents place, either 6 hours drive or in my case 9 hours of public transport, I'm never moaning about winter again. Hz is 3 hour round trip from my mums, but they like going there . What a great country town/city. I would have loved to spend more time just wandering about. Anyhow, I got my share of frost and fog, I didn't end up with new shoes.

The internet is more daunting out there too as not all areas have normal reception and you have to organise a satellite dish to get it. I looked on the library booking form, and users were few and far(in distance) between.
Hz, 43 years since my dad has seen his old buddy, I'm going to visit him later this year when I'm in Scotland.

You are an aqua addict too Marie, I remind my mermaids that if they fall in the water, at least they don't take skin off. yeek, the thought of stitches just makes the accident seem worse. Hope it heals well.

Did you visit Stonehenge for the summer solstice Badger??

I would love a chocolate digestive, I saw them in Wooolies the other day, but ended up getting choc wheatens. They were for the wheels on Miles' train 17th birthday cake. haha, he said he fancied real icing.

Mary xox


enjoy the rest of the weekend xxxx