General Chat

Hello all,

I've not been on for the last few days, as I get depressed at this time of the year. My OH calls it the 'nothing' time of the year as the weeks are so disjointed.

Thunder forecast for today, which could mean bushfires. Like Tony in Melbourne we've had very high temps and no rain so the vegetation is tinder dry. Fortunately, dept of Conservation do carry out 'controlled' burns prior to summer to keep the vegetation thin.

I start at the Shire of Waroona tomorrow. two days this week, three days the next two weeks and then another two days. At least the money will cover the cost of the new computer and fridge, together with a service and a new set of tyres for my car.

Allan

I forgot what day it was on Monday and took Tuesday's tablet....

No idea why I knew it was Monday when I got up - it was rubbish collection day, and I changed the sheets like I always do but by the time I got to the kitchen to have breakfast the Monday had become Tuesday. My brain likes to stay ahead of itself.

Keep this up and the year will be over in no time.

Tony, My cousins house is brick - she lives in Opal Court.

Persey xx

First time on this thread, sort of fell in when passing by. Got to reading and see Perse is having senior moments. Doesn't know what day it is. I can emphasize with that.

Tony I am surprised they haven't banned Chinese lanterns in Oz, theya re dangerous enough here being a fire risk if they come down in the wrong place.

Isn't it strange when you go onto a long running thread for the first time? You sort of feel like an interloper.

Hello Ann,

No need to feel like an interloper or even an anteloper :0))

I started this Thread way back when as a bit of a joke, as you will see if you read the first couple of pages.

It has now become more like a general chat thread now, with people joining in when they can. Sometimes we might not 'see' them again for a while.

So welcome and post when you feel like it.

By the way, I live in Western Australia about 170 kms south of Perth


Allan

Evening All ;0))
Very wet & windy here today . wish i could hibernate till spring . not a lot going on . just now . but lets look forward & see what 2011 has in store for us Take Care Barbra xx

Hello everyone, and a belated happy new year to all, especially Allan, Barbs, $andie, Persey, Tony and Ann.
Yesterday was nice for much of the day so today of course is overcast. It is supposed to be summer, but better this than the high 30s that were threatened New Years Eve and NYDay. I don't know how high it actually got.
Hello again Ann, nice to see you. We pass like ships in the night on another thread.
I was back at work, not quite bright but early on Tuesday 4th. Had to be on site at 7 to 7.30 am, and about a 30 km drive. Then back to the office. One blessing, traffic is relatively light this week, being school holidays and many people still away. Even the woefully inadequate south west motorway, known locally as the M5 parking lot, was moving fairly freely.
I do think this is a nice time of year to be working in this country and NZ, where it is the warmer time of year.
Colin at 11.13 am Sydney time.

Hi all~~

Spoke to most of you on other threads today/yesteray, I think...?
Begining to question my every post after my c*ck up on my Food thread.lol.Allan.xx
Try and cheer up hun , know is't hard ,I stayed in bed today til 1,30pm despite having to get up for the postman then to pick up the phone and then was dispupted by 3 other calls (kept the phone in the bedroom atfer the 1st)

Cheers Barbra for your thoughts~~xx.. glad now the deccies are down..well only a tree and cards ! xx
Hi Tony and Colin~~~xx
In Oz terms, I believe from how Allan descibed the description you may be seniors....shoot my down in flames if I'm wrong , I'm hopeless on ages.
I think the definition arose when I said I had retired at 50.I don't get any pension til 60.then it is works pension only ,no state pension..but I wasn't happy with the change of management,and being forthright in work decided to call it a day! Could have done another 10 yrs to get a full works pension, but didn't feel it was worth the hassle, health comes before wealth.
Consider that, all you 'unhappy ones'if your personal circumstances allow!.

Our schools have gone back Tony so the roads are busy again in the mornings. Pain !

It does sound such stupidity of the peeps lettiing off those Chinese lanterns in such conditions you have at the mo:(
Such a contrast to Q'land, I was looking on my BBC homepage today at the dreadful sceens there and of their sufferings, my heart goes out to you all that suffer exteme weather conditions.

We are used to heavy snow in winter, it causes disruptions and car bumps on the roads,we're used to it.
I heard and Aussie say on the the news they were used to it, but nothing compares to the flooding of your home,loss of personal belongings, to a bump in car,what's a bit of metal!?
Don't get me wrong there have been many fataliities in the last snowfall with vehicle crashes whilst I don't know of any personally, I send the families concerned my sincere sympathies.

Perse~~~xx
I check the day by the daily paper or computer as now I'm not working I don't remember which day it is.
As for tablets be careful on doubling up or forgetting a day..seriouslyI
I used to use a weekly tablet box,with each day printed out for MIL,dad used to put his out every night for the next day..he had all his marbles at 91 more than I have now .lol
I used to use a tablet box myself when I was on different meds at different times.

Nite or good norning to anyone I haven't mentioned in person, I also go on the Aussie only thread, ..can't remember quite to whom I spoke on there.

Nice to see you on here AnninGlos.. xx ..they are a lovely bunch:))
Have to iron a shirt for hubby fo tomorrow, before I throw myself into bed so Byee all for now~~~~

Luv Sandie.xx

Arvo/Evening/Morning...to which ever applies....:>))

Allan. Best wishes with the upcoming work at the Shire of Waroona,mate.
Been a few years now ( 2000 ) but i vaguely remember passing through Waroona on our way to Bunbury on holidays.
After leaving Perth then Fremantle we stayed in Mandurah, and then headed down South to Bunbury.
It was my only visit to the West really ( apart from Broome & Darwin N.T ) Because of the size of Western Australia you would need a lifetime to see all of it or most of it, and OH and myself are waiting for full retirement to see the West properly.
We travel quite a bit O/seas while we are still young and fit enough to do so, but one of our dreams is to purchase a Winnebago ( Motorhomes) or similar, and spend our retirement years driving/camping around this big Country until we end up in the old age nursing homes,on a drip....lol We do a lot of trips up and down the east coast, but looking forward to doing the same in the West one day.
They do have the best sunsets....:>))


Persey. We lived in Longstaff Rd. ( 1970/80s ) New estate back then. I know where Opal crt is, as we rented in Orange grove, while waiting for our house to be built in Longstaff rd Bayswater.We also lived in Scoresby and later Wantirna, neighbouring suburbs to Bayswater.


Ann. Its a real worry with these Chinese lanterns, and perhaps the folk who lit them are newbies to Australia, and not properly educated about the devastation they could cause during our summer. I may also be wrong, and perhaps they were just idiot Aussie kids!
We ( Melbourne ) did have Fireworks to bring in the New year, but they were hosted in the CBD Melbourne ( Concrete jungle ) and under the watchful eye of the State's fire brigade no doubt. But when you see these Lanterns floating around in the semi rural area's beneath out ranges & national parks,that run for hundreds of miles to the boarders, its a real concern.....and a nightmare for our SES
I hope our laws will ban them. They may look nice up in the sky,but when they touch down and perhaps smoulder...MMmmmm

Sandie.I'm young at heart,mate...but do remember going to the pictures to see Nelson Eddy & Janette McDonald....lol
Both OH and myself are in our early 60s and both self employed,so no need to retire just yet.
We work at our own leisure and pace nowadays,so no pressure as to when we were younger.....Might call us semi-retired.
Full pension retirement for Aussie males is mid 60s and a little less for females. I have a friend ( on another site ) born in the U.K and moved here to Aussie in the 60s.
She receives two retirement pensions. One for her working years in the U.K and another for her working years in Aussie.
My OH is in the hairdressing business since the 60s and had her own Salon's, and had thoughts about retiring as was finding it harder as the years went by to find that get up n'go.
Five years ago we gutted an old Barn at the back of our property,and myself being a tradesman,with a few mates in the Electrical and Plumbing trade we turned it into a Hairdressing Salon for her ( after Council Approved ) and now she is 10 seconds walk to work.
Straight out of our house and straight into her Salon. ( stress free ) The salon is decked out with its own kitchen,Sitting room, and has a Tele,so she can watch her beloved Tennis and soapies during the day...plus,i get a fee hair cut....:>)) lol


G'day to Colin and Barbra ~~~~~~~

"When I'm Calling You ooh ooh oo oo" c'mon Tony they were me mum's favourites. I think she did take me to one of theirs. She took me to Deanna Durbin movies and then we did all the musicals eg Brigadoon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers etc.... my dad would never go to the flicks so I was the one as soon as I was 5 or 6.
Our pension kicks in at 65 - so my OH has that and a free bus/train/ferry pass. I am just too young to qualify - but I am older than Allan - all I get is a free cup of coffee at Maccas.

Hi there Glossy Ann - it is nice to see you on a different thread. Have you ever been to Melbourne Ann? The CBD traffic system there has a completely different set of rules to the rest of Australia. When we are there we do not turn right we go right out of the system around the outside and back in again. My OH could not get his head around someone stopping ahead in a bay on his left waiting to turn right. But that's not all there are the trams in amongst it all. However, the trams are wonderful especially the free ones, we have had many a lovely play on them.

Sandie - my tablets are in a memory pack but when your memory goes to the pack it doesn't work. My FIL couldn't remember which pills when etc when he was in Auckland for cancer treatment and my MIL was in the first throes of alzheimers. I drew up charts I had them ticking them as taken, I arrive to check and find that they have ticked off tomorrows as well.

Wednesday 5th Jan at 9.54pm

Persey xx

Hi All, thank you for the welcome. Seems like you created another Aussie thread Allan. Nice to see people chatting anyway. (sorry Sandie, wasn't ignoring you i know you are a Brit!

Perse, no never been to Melbourne, never been to Oz, travelled quite a bit but OH doesn't fancy the long hours to get to oz or NZ no matter how much we'd like to see these places.

Feel so sorry for the people of Rockhampton, it is going to be some time before they get over this. Even our floods in the Lake District in 2009 have left places still not recovered and the flood were nowhere near as bad. And here in Gloucester we had floods back a few years and people are still scared when we get a lot of rain that they are going to flood again. The fear must be always there.

Most of you I have spoken to (Hi Tony) on other threads so you don't really feel like strangers but it is more like interrupting a conversation when you break into a thread.

Sandie, as I've said on other threads (and also on this one) I am 62 and will turn 63 in March. I am not yet eligible for a stae pension which kicks in at 65, and depends on your financial circumstaces, but am receiving a "Transition to Retirement" paymment from my pension fund free of tax.

My OH retired a couple of years ago as she was very unhappy in her job. Changes at work led to may conflicts. Being under 60, OH can receive pension from her fund but it will be subject to tax. Once she turns 60 it will be tax free.

By the way, lets put your do called 'c*ck up on the other thread down to this busy time of the year :0))

Tony, when you and Mrs Tony buy the Winnebago we would be delighted to see you down here and take you to places which may not be well known outside WA, including Gnomesville (Google it).

Persey, with a mind as sharp as yours, I'm sure that the glitch with your pills was due to the added pressures at this time of the year. I can take all my pills in the morning and then an hour later wonder whether I have taken them or not!

At least it gives me a reasonable excuse for not communicating with those members of my family whom I do not get on with!

Allan

My sincere apologies, Colin, I have only just seen your post.

May you and your family have a very good New Year

Allan

Colin, sorry I missed your post also.

Oooh isn't anyone as old or older than me *sobs*.

I am 70, head thinks I am forty body thinks I am 80 sometimes!!!

Hello folks
Colin good to see you ~~~~~ x
Sandie . keep having a little look on F& D adding my contributions . not a cordon,bleu chef .x Tony & Allan Ann , wander on here just to see how folks are . been on GR since march 2009 talked to some great folks & had support over the time been on . opened new horizons . . well of to do my chores . dull day here & very cold Tatty Bye x Barbra

Morning from Melbourne....:>))

Persey. I only sing in the shower mate..lol
..will you answer true..o'h.ooo..ooo..
Brigadoon was on Tele last week here.
Van Johnson,Gene Kelly and the lovely Cyd Charisse (sp )

AnninGlos. Yes....i have seen your postings around the boards for many years. I joined GR in 2003 ( GC ) and again in 2004
Have been to Gloucesteshire,and what beautiful countryside it is. We only saw a small part though. We stayed in a B&B at Cheltenham, and a farm house B&B in Winchcombe. Visited Sudeley Castle ( Henry V111 ) We toured the Cotswold's mainly....Stow on the Wold,Bourton on Water, Upper and Lower Slaughter,and many of the small surrounding Villages. Absolutley loved it, and quite different to what you might see in Melbourne....lol

Allan. Will take you up on your offer when we do eventually get over to the West,as there is so much more to see in W.A

I dont normally visit or add to many threads now, as to be honest i really dont have the time.( work ) My main focus is the "Trying to find board", Records office and Tips boards to see if i can help others looking for relos in Oz....as my FH is now 40 years of research,and over this time i have collected many Australian cd's and resources regarding FH ....and hopefully try to help or assist others.
My grandkids are decendant from the First Fleet 1788 ( convicts ) on the "Scarborough" to the Colony, so writing up a FH album for them when they are old enough to appreciate their roots. I do enjoy a banter on the Chat boards or General when i'm not doing my tree or look-ups,and have spoken to some lovely folk on GR and met quite a few face to face.

Have a great day/night


Tony...:>)) Melbourne 8:30 am

Tony, I am not native to Gloucestershire but have been here almost 19 years this time and we were here for 8 years in the 70s, love it, the Cotswolds are beautiful. We are about 8 miles from Cheltenham.

Dear all,

We had a day of heavy rain yesterday but no thunder. Temps have also dropped to mid-twenties.

Ann, it was never my intentention to start another Aussie thread as I used to be a regular on SueMaid's thread. This one was just part of a long standing joke about a couple of us male contributors to Sue's thread going off the rails everytime Sue went away.

As most others on here know, I'm originally form the UK. Born in Manchester and came out here with my young family in 1982. We have lived in the Bunbury area since 1986 and OH and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary last September.

Regarding the job at Waroona, I phoned yesterday to find out what time they wanted me, only to be told that my 'boss' is on leave until next Monday. I have his email saying that I should be there today and tomorrow so it looks like two days sitting on my hands! OK so long as I get paid for it; it will certainly go on my invoice

Allan

Hello Tony
use to have most of our holidays in the cotswolds . had a few days there & then went to Devon & cornwall . stayed in Bourton , lower slaughter . moreton in marsh , beautifull places , then started coming up to scotland 16yrs ago & finished up living here . 4yrs now love it . no competittion here .very freindly in the village . & shops . when you go to the gp maybe 4-5 people in the waiting room . & they have time for you . hated all the hustle & bustle of busy towns & traffic .. time to chill now & enjoy retirement . Take care All ~~~~~~~~~~~~Barbra x

sounds like you have picked a good area Barbra, Cotswolds are lovely but not a lot of peace and quiet.

Allan, yes I know (from the panto last year) that you started life as a Brit!

My apologies, Ann, I had forgotten that you were one of the Ringlea...er, participants, on that thread :0)). Ah happy days!

CC is still up to her usual verbal shenanigans on Auntie Motie's thread.

I never really travelled to the Southern realms of the UK unless it was to do an Army Reserve Camp, but i did travel extensively in the North of England and North Wales.

Allan