General Chat

I got one too...a new name that is cheesy dippindunkin...lol see you all tomorrow...bye

hi SuzyQ yes Josh is here going ok at the moment got a part time job for practically nothing but gets him out of the house at least he cooks our evening meal nearly every night he enjoys cooking and doesn't do anything else to contribute so we let him do that and he s quite good at it except he loves pasta and I can't cope with it 5 times a week hehe he is still thinking he can control his problem can't seem to realise that many have tried to control it before and it hasn't worked either he is going to board with a lady in town while we are away and I don't know about that but he is 29 so have to let him make his decisions sometime. And Jamie well I havn't heard from him for a while but will call him today have been meaning to for days but can't seem to get around to it there is a problem with his dad who is my brother and don't want to get involved so it makes it hard as Jamie is ver y bitter towards him and I have to say sometimes he is right but as I've said to Jamie there is a time in your life when you have to take responsibility for your life and stop blaming your parents, move forward and just get on with it and It's hard not to get cross as he just keeps on and on about it I suppose because of the brain damage he has but he is also such a character and has a wicked sense of humour so if he is having a good day its ok to call him so will try this afternoon as I know he has applied to go back to Queensland and do his rehab as an outpatient . Josh couldn't get to a shop ,so he bought us chinese for dinner on sunday nite for my pressie and I said just having him sober and home is enough for me but the food was lovely too, Cassie has bought me a scrapbooking bag you know like a luggage case with a pull long handle but I won't get it till I get up there and I used the phone once on sunday to thank reb for the lovely card she made me and my daughter in Melb rang so I got 'happy mothers day' in a message on the phone more than I got the last two years so maybe I will get a lovely poem one day here's hoping . Julie yes that was the movie Flight Plan I thought it was good and Mike took me to the movies yesterday while the car was being serviced and we saw Brokeback Mountain and I liked it except it was a bit slow very sad too as the poor little wife really loved him and I felt for her as she didn't know at first yes it was a sad not an uplifting movie by any means , can't wait to see The Da Vinci Code I have a puzzle here girls and boys have you Sydney peeps heard of a company from the 1800s called Quong Tart & Co amongst my Mums Jewellery was a locket type thing withon the back engraved With Best wishes from Quong Tart & Co 9:1:86 and it has two photos in it of Mum when Little so I think it may have belonged to my Nan Grace Smedley , but on the front it has initials engraved and they are N with and S entwined so could be S first initial or the N although the N has one of its down strokes over the top of the S making me think the initials may be N. S and Nana's Mother was Ellen Walsh but her single name was Ellen Stock and she was known all her life as Nellie even on her her wedding cert she was Nellie and I thought maybe she was known by the peeps she worked for by her maiden name of Stock therefore Nellie Stock it also has some little dents in it like a baby had bitten it as my locket has from one of mine chewing on it I would love to know about this CO. who they were and where or what they did please if you know someway I can find out please let me know . By the way forgot this bit 'You're are not my mother 'bought me some beatiful iris's and some cobram cream so there you go pays to be the mother osf his children too . see you all tonight folks Lara

This may be of interest, Lara: About Quong Tart 2003 is the 100th anniversary of Quong Tart’s death. Quong Tart had close ties with the City Council. He was a tenant of the QVB and hosted various official dinners in the Elite Tea Rooms. He sat on the famous Royal Commission into Gambling in 1892, which was chaired by the Mayor and met at the Sydney Town Hall. The City of Sydney is proud to host an exhibition about Quong Tart’s tearooms to mark the centenary. The Quong Tart Centenary Commemorative Committee has coordinated a number of events over the next twelve months to celebrate the life of Quong Tart. Mei Quong Tart was a leading nineteenth century Sydney merchant and importer from China. He had a network of tea rooms in the Sydney Arcade, the Royal Arcade and King Street. His crowning success was the ‘Elite Hall’ in the Queen Victoria Market (QVB). He was also a community leader, well connected with the local political and social elites. The Chinese Emperor made him a Mandarin of the fifth degree in 1887, in acknowledgment of his services to the Overseas Chinese community and to European-Chinese relations in Australia. Despite the virulent anti-Chinese agitation in Australia at the time, Quong Tart was ‘as well known as the Governor himself’ and ‘quite as popular among all classes’ in NSW (Daily Telegraph, 10 October 1897). When he was brutally bashed and robbed at his office in the QVB in August 1902, the crime shocked Sydney. He died at his home in Ashfield in July 1903. Lew Lew xxx

Hi Lara, I am pleased to hear that the family are doing alright.. When are you going to get away, it is North Queensland that you go to isn't it. Thanks for dropping by Tony. Now everybody, fingers crossed, arms crossed, toes crossed, legs crossed. We need to win this week, can't have Tony working so hard that he can't have a chat with his girls now can we. A nice send off with some extra spending money would be great. Hope that you arrived safely Laurie and it's not too cold. Ray must really be feeling all these different temperature zones. The desert one week and ice fields the next. You will just have to cuddle up close. Been filing and i now have back ache so i am going to put my feet up for a bit Bye SuzyQ

Hi again Lara and Lew. That's a very interesting story about Quong Tart, more research for you Lara, how she got the locket. Fame at last maybe LOL How many are hovering for the next 0 are you there Rebs SuzyQ

Hi from Auckland. . . . guess whats out my window giraffes luv Laurie

BINGO! Heeeee

Hi Laurie, Did you take them with you? SuzyQ

Bugger, missed it by 'that' much!!!!!!! :-(((

and ditto from me

Hey, wait a minute, Laurie. Check out the posting times! I think we should share that one, lol. Lew x

Definately a tie. The ref has spoken.

Thanks Ref, the usual bribe, oops sorry, errrm, gift is on its way to you. Lew Lew xxx :-))))))))))))

all contributions will be gracefully received Ref

The ref can say what she likes . . . . but at full time its the score that counts - Has taken me ages to read the last two pages inbetween unpacking. We are staying at the Hyatt Regency, on the 16th floor looking out over the harbour - and yes the giraffes are there . . . Ray had the hide to say I could cook him breaky seeing as how there is a big kitchen here . . . in his dreams, hotel kitchens are made to look at! The first thing you notice about New Zealand . . . is GREEN . . . lovely bright green . . . not something you see much of on home soil these days. Well, we have just been called to go out to dinner, so I best get off here and make myself boodiful. Glad you are OK Tony, and everyone else - stay well ! Using Rays lappy at the moment and its a silly Apple, nothing is in the right place. - but it is not as bad as the ones in Germany. Talk to you soon luv Laurie

Hi all you lovely peeps.. Home today after a night on the central coast.. actually sleeping in my own bed tonight..LOL and tomorrow also,, then off to Orange for 2 nights and then home again..Have done quite a few miles in the new jalopy and am very pleased with it.. Laurie,, You are in a fantastic spot in Auckland,, Have fun and hit the shops.. Lara Are you still home.??? hope the van comes soon if you are.. Sorry I dont have time to read all the messages but I thought I better pop in to let you know I am still alive..and kicking.. I just received 2 marriage cert. and they are 1 step up my brick wall, so lets hope it wont be long before I get over the top.. Anyone got any HUMBERSTONES OR FOSTER in their family tree.. 2 new names for me to search...originating around the Kent and London area... Well I have to go and get tea so love to you all and stay well all of you.. Love Maryxxx

GRRRR !!! I have just about had a gutfull of this site and some of the nasty, vindictive little bast*rds on it. If I don't show my face for a while, don't panic. btw, susan had a good idea re; Bris meet. We'd really be in BrisVegas. Need ya glad rags though. I'll forward it on and you can all let me know what you think. cheers folk, and thanks for being such a happy little bunch of vegemites. Rebs x

Arvo all, Anna, the free AVG anti-virus program is brilliant and updates continually. I'd never had any probs with it, but thought something that had a 'Name' would have to be better! Wrong! So I went back to AVG on my new computer and it's been great. Could someone who has Firefox please tell me where I find Notebook (or similar) cause I can't see it on the toolbar and I can't remember everyone's news! I see Shazz is joinging Jood in the naughty corner and Laurie can't keep away from the computer even if she is in the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' I've never, ever seen identical posting times before - must be a first I reckon. beautiful poem - made me cry. It is all worth it when those special moments come isn't it :) it's just hard remembering them sometimes!!!! ~~~~~~~~ to all, am out tonight Vonny

(((((HUG))))) Rebs.

Gosh that's so interesting about Quong Tart, Lew you are fast becoming 'resident researcher on site', Lara your locket sounds sweet and now you know more about it's origins. Glad you had a nice mum's Day darl. You'll have to encourage Josh to try some new ideas in the kitchen, get out some recipe books and ask him to make something that's your favourite. Men that can cook are VERY POPULAR tell him !! lol Nice to hear an update on Jamie, he will have a long road in front of him and a good sense of humour will help greatly. My new name has to be 'fingerlickin' 'cos I just finished the last bit of Mother's Day Choc cake that one of the girls bought in yesterday for us all to finish up, it was delectable!! Laurie enjoy NZ esp those Marlborough Sound whites. Bit awful about that trawler going down from Bluff, lucky they got three alive and three bodies, the weather was treacherous. Hubby's ggfather & ggmother and four of their 8 babies are buried in Bluff Cemetery, it's a spectacular spot, but the weather!!!! Nice to hear from you Mary, you sound so busy..... Rebs just ignore the b.....ers life's too short LOL. Ok peeps, back to the fray....it's quite down the streeet today and I've got time to take down the Mother's Day display. Replacing it with Financial Year Diaries - yuk..... Have a nice evening all, fingerlickin' heather