General Chat

Allan when we lived in lancs. our two sons were young, we had our house decorated outside, only ever did it once, it did look good .it would cost a fortune now . there are a lot of wind farms going up along our coast & inland . a lot of protest & letters in the local press . but maybe thats the way to go use the energy from nature .i dont think they look to bad . better than the huge towers at power stations . oh i am in a save the world mode tonight , better go to bed before i need a soap box to stand on . night & G`day Barbra x ~~~~~~~~~~Colin & Tony

Hi Barbra,

There will be some assistance for the farmers, but it is never enough. Would just cover the basics.

Obviously I can't talk about other parts of Oz but people in my locality are cutting back on having their houses all lit up over Christmas as the increase in electricity prices have been horrendous this year alone. The bills give you a graph of how much you've used this period, how much you used last period and how much you used for the same period last year. We haven't used anywhere near the amount that we did last year but still pay nearly 50% more.

Allan

Hya Allan
your weather in Oz doesnt sound to good just now . we have very cold .winters now. but not very high temps the way you do in summer,, the farmers must be devastated. do they get any gov help for loss of crops . dont know a lot about it . suppose they must get something, all the villages are lit up now for Christmas very busy Sat Morning near us, the shops dress there windows & the best one gets a prize . the eletric shop always wins I wonder why ;0)) Barbra

Hello to all.

Weather now a lot cooler over in the SW of WA but still no rain.

The experts reckon that the flooding over East and the drought in rhe West will cost the economy billions in lost Agricultural sales as the grain harvest is likely to be devastated. I suppose that we can look forward to higher food prices in the shops.

Is everyone ready for Christmas?

Allan

Hello Tony
Do you wear a straw hat to keep the sun of your golden locks ?
a bit of a lad, your rellie,,. the area your talking about sounds beautifull . will have to keep, doing the lottery. so will be able to visit OZ .if we win that is !! not a fan of Crt OH watches & listens on the radio . Enjoy your Wkend you & yours Bye Barbra ~~~~~~~~~~~~Allan&,, Colin we have gas central heating & a log fire in our posh room . !! dont need extra blankets . hot blooded us brits !!!! xx

Arvo.

Don't mention the cricket....its not Ethical....lol

Don't really follow it ( test matches )...but do enjoy the 20/20s and the one day 50 over matches.

Adelaide is quite a pleasant city, and been there many times over the years. When the Ghan ( train ) ran from Adelaide to Alice Springs only, we drove from Melbourne to S.A ( Adelaide ) 700+kms....... loaded the car onto the Ghan and did an overnight trip up to the N.T ( central Aus. ) A great trip,fantastic views along the way while relaxing, having dinner and a nice Chardonnay or Riesling in the train, and recommended if you get the opportunity.

Also, my favourite in South Aus. is the Barossa Valley, but not just because of the wines/wineries, but the scenery is fantastic, and spent part of my honeymoon ( 1970 ) at a place called "Tanunda" ( the Gateway to the Barossa )
Dating back to 1842 with a very German influence and much to see.

A few of my English immigrant ancestors settled in the Adelaide Hills around the 1850s. One being my grandmothers uncle, who jumped ship leaving a wife and child back in the U.K He married twice more in South Australia and left about 20 children to carry on. Bit of a playboy me thinks....lol
One decendant is a member on GR

Warm and humid in Melbourne 32c and 32c for Sunday


Wishing all a great weekend

Tony...:>))

lol Colin

For obvious reasons I refrained from commenting on the cricket!

As an ex-pom and now naturalised Aussie I have mixed loyalties :0))

Allan

Yes indeed, Adelaide was a nice little city, although I haven't been there for many years: a week or so in SA in 1973, a bit less in 1976, a flying visit by coach on the way to the NT a couple of years later and a week or so in 1983.
I am sure it has changed a bit in that time.
I cannot conceive of the snow they are having in parts of the UK. I did live in a town for a few months where it snowed a couple of times while I was there, including one quite heavy fall that rather blanketed the town, but it melted overnight and it was back to the usual rain.
Barbs, you can laugh at the English cricket team until you look at the Aussies. How are the mighty fallen. Some are too old, several can;t bat can't bowl and can't catch (I wonder whether Indian bookmakers were involved). And don't get me started on the selectors.
Try to stay warm. Do you have oil or gas? Or lots of warm blankets?
xx Colin

Bye Barbra, keep warm

Allan

Not bad Thanks;0)) freezing fog for tomorrow & snow .wont be going far just local shops .enjoy your wkend Bye for now Barbra x

I'm fine thanks Babra, how are you?

Adelaide is one of the few Capital cities in Oz that I haven't yet visited. OH has been as part of her train trip on the Indian Pacific amd reckons that it is a great place. I wlll have to visit there soon.

Allan

Hello Allan your weather sounds ok just now our cricket team is in Oz seen it on the news .looks very nice [ Adelaide ] at the moment . how are you ? Barbra

G'day to Colin and Tony, and good evening to Barbra and all in the UK

It seems that we are all having fickle weather at the moment, although I must admit that it has coole considerably in the WS of WA and is now quite pleasabt. There is even RAIN forecast for this weekend. I hope that it happens

Colin I quite agree with your comments regarding major visits etc. Next year CHOG are meeting in Perth. Security (as the Queem will ne here) is expected to cost $90 million with WA picking up the tab for one third of that.

Also due to road closures etc, which effectively means the closure of the centre of Perth, the State government have altered the Public Holiday due a week after the meeting to now take place during the meeting so that fewer people will need to travel to the city centre.

Our State Police force is already undermanned yet cops will be drafted in from our country areas as well as the Fed force.

Fortunately we already have the SAS here ay Swanbourne Barracks, but as many of them are in Afghanistan again antiterroism people will be needed

Why the b*ggers can't just meet in a pub and discuss things over a pie and a pint, I'll never know


Allan

Hiya Barbra.

Yes...we are getting on our news that our U.K mates are getting snowed in.
Hard to imagine where i live ( snow ), and at the moment 11:45pm we have the doors and windows open trying to find a cool breeze, and the ceiling fans on....lol

Normally, for this part of Aussie ( far south east Victoria ) we dont get the humidity that our northern states get, but very humid at the moment.

Cheers. Tony...:>))

Hya Tone, sounds awfull for the farmers, locust ,as well as flooding . my giddy aunt , the climate is very eratic & unpredictable .
snowing very heavy now in Dumfies & galloway looks beautifull but cowd .lol good to see you again ,Take care Barbra x

G'day from a very wet, but humid Melbourne, and Victoria in general.

Our states northern communities cant win at the moment with this up and down erratic weather.Flash flooding causing havoc in some towns.
Pity the poor farmer working on the land at the moment too.......its either not enough rain, or to much rain, and recent flooding destroying acres of farm land, wheat belts and fruit crops. Some will try to salvage what they can, but another loss seems imminent. Just to make thing worse than what they are already, our news this morning tells us that a swarm of locust 25km long and moving south has crossed the NSW border into Victoria, and will most likely devistate what may be left, if anything.

On a lighter note, hope everyone is keeping well.

Tony.

Hello Colin
Grumble all you want . our David Beckham & William. couldnt secure world cup,,. dont want to say a lot .but money does the talking
It is really bad over here snow & ice & freezing temps .the roads are in total chaos . lets hope it easys` off a bit . people are panic buying . if you just keep a good store cupboard & make your own soups . & bake thats my way doing things ,.Anyway Colin. Take Care young man Bye for now Barbra xx

Nice to see you back, Allan.
I see that it has been very hot in Perth, unlike here. Not so much cold, because it is December (the beginning of summer) here but rainy, cold and miserable.
I have just completed a week of night work, doing dust monitoring at a very public building. Cannot say where for confidentiality reasons but you could guess. We cannot start until the public and most of the staff have left, usually about 11 pm and by the time I get away from the office it is about 5:30 am. Dawn, so with the splash of daylight my time clock resets. It knows it's morning and nothing I can do fools it. Not even a cup of warm Milo. Milo is a chocolate flavoured malted barley additive that you stir into milk.
One night the start was even later, 1 am. I knew in advance but don't really understand why. OK, it was possibly a security lockdown. Even the night supervisor was told to come in late. Not sure who they were protecting, possibly the governor general, less likely the prime minister. My guess is Bono.
In case you think that's silly the whole East Circular Quay area will be in lockdown on December 14th. Buses will terminate several blocks south of their usual terminus, I wonder where the ferries will stop. Mid harbour? And I don't know if trains will stop at Circular Quay station. They didn't for the Asia-Pacific leaders conference a few years ago. This time, it is all for the benefit of Ophra Winfrey.
God help us. The city shuts down for an American TV star. It was bad enough a couple of years ago when the city shut down for the Pope.
And since the racecourse was handed over to his visit for ten weeks, we poor sods collectively had to front up with $40 million compensation to Racing NSW. Who really need the dough.
I wonder whether the long suffering British and Aussie tax payers will be paying compensation to the organising committees who failed to score the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. Not enough back-handers and smooging of delegates perhaps? And how many soccer players does Qatar actually produce, as distinct from buy?
Grumble grumble definitely not in the Christmas spirit. xx Grumbleb*m

lol Sue

Allan

God, my heart bleeds for you, Allen

White wine at room temperature just vaporises here!

Sue x