Wednesday 31st August, 2011
As at 31st August, 2011 we are paying:
Petrol.........132.7 cents per litre
Milk.........$2.38 per litre
Bread........$4.36
Potatoes..........$2.99 per kilo
Bananas.........$10.99 per kilo
Beef...........$19.95 per kilo
Chicken Breast Fillets...........$13.99 per kilo
Lamb Loin Chops...........$25 per kilo
Council Rates...........$315 per quarter
Average price of houses in Adelaide..........as at March 2011 the median price was $405,000 but due to the economic downturn the price has slipped to $397,000
Popular car models driven on Adelaide roads are: Holden, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, BMW
Holden Commodore, 2011 VE Series..........$39,990
600ml bottle of Coke...........$3.00
Mt Franklin bottled water (600ml)............$3.00
Chocolate Bars (Cherry Ripe, Mars Bar, Snickers, Kit Kat)...........$1.85
Cadbury Block Chocolate............$3.99
Carton of Crown Lager Beer.............$46.99
Popular Take Away Food places are: McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, Dominoes Pizza, Wok In a Box, Red Rooster, Fasta Pasta, Barnacle Bills.
Average Wage in South Australia for 2010 was $60,414
Popular girls' toys........Barbie, Moxie Girls, Zsu Zsu pets, Little Pet Shop,
Popular boys' toys.........Lego, Nerf gun, Matchbox cars
Popular games.........Wii, XBox 360, Game Boy, DSi, DSi 3D,
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Dear Katie
Wednesday 31st August, 2011
Dear Katie,
It has been 12 months to the day since I wrote my first blog. I have often been asked why do I do it. The reason is simple. YOU were my inspiration. I hope that in the future this will give you, your children and your grandchildren a glimpse into what life was like back in 2010-2011.
You have often asked me what did I do in the olden days. You want to know if we had cars, did I play with toys, what school did I go to, did we have television, and a myriad of other questions.
After answering your questions I tried to explain to you that these days are going to be your olden days to your children and grandchildren. You didn't understand what I was trying to say.
The last 12 months I have tried to write down our daily activities. I know I have missed some days, but on these days nothing much happened. Poppa and I just did our normal things, he was at work and I was home doing what I normally do, housework, ironing, shopping, cooking.
I plan on getting these last 12 months into book form and as you read through the months I hope it will bring back many special memories of the times we spent together, the weekends when you came to stay and the fun times we had.
Poppa and I will always treasure these special times. We didn't think we could love you any more each day........but we were wrong!!!
I am going to continue blogging, maybe not everyday but I will try to blog about the important things in our life as they happen.
Hugs and kisses
Nanna and Poppa
xxxxooooxxxx
Dear Katie,
It has been 12 months to the day since I wrote my first blog. I have often been asked why do I do it. The reason is simple. YOU were my inspiration. I hope that in the future this will give you, your children and your grandchildren a glimpse into what life was like back in 2010-2011.
You have often asked me what did I do in the olden days. You want to know if we had cars, did I play with toys, what school did I go to, did we have television, and a myriad of other questions.
After answering your questions I tried to explain to you that these days are going to be your olden days to your children and grandchildren. You didn't understand what I was trying to say.
The last 12 months I have tried to write down our daily activities. I know I have missed some days, but on these days nothing much happened. Poppa and I just did our normal things, he was at work and I was home doing what I normally do, housework, ironing, shopping, cooking.
I plan on getting these last 12 months into book form and as you read through the months I hope it will bring back many special memories of the times we spent together, the weekends when you came to stay and the fun times we had.
Poppa and I will always treasure these special times. We didn't think we could love you any more each day........but we were wrong!!!
I am going to continue blogging, maybe not everyday but I will try to blog about the important things in our life as they happen.
Hugs and kisses
Nanna and Poppa
xxxxooooxxxx
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tony, Is Not A Romantic
Tuesday 30th August, 2011
Tony and I have been watching Dinner Date on TV on a Tuesday night. It is another reality TV program but we enjoy it.
They alternate each week with a girl having dinner one week and the following week is the guys turn. The contestant is given 5 menus that have been made up by their prospective dates and from these menus each contestant has to choose three menus containing the food that they would love to eat.
They then get to meet these 'dates' by going into their homes, and the 'date' has to cook a 3 course meal for them that they had listed in their particular menu. After they have eaten at the 3 'dates' places they get to choose one guy/girl and are given a weekend away with them to get to know them better and if there could be romance in the future.
So far there doesn't appear to be any ongoing romances, but some have remained friends.
While watching it one night I asked Tony what would he serve me. Hmmm.........after much thought he said he would go to Barnacle Bills and get Seafood Cocktails. "What about the main course?" I asked. He said he would cook me bacon, eggs and baked beans. Nice!!! (lol) Then what about dessert? Well, seeing I had asked him to bring home an apple pie for our dessert that night and he forgot, he said, "You won't get any apple pie, but maybe I could give you some icecream." Wow!! when are we having this romantic dinner??
I didn't dare ask him where he would take me for a romantic getaway. The bedroom would have been his response. Bwahahahaha.
Tone, I love you dearly, but as for being a romantic.....pass!!!
Tony and I have been watching Dinner Date on TV on a Tuesday night. It is another reality TV program but we enjoy it.
They alternate each week with a girl having dinner one week and the following week is the guys turn. The contestant is given 5 menus that have been made up by their prospective dates and from these menus each contestant has to choose three menus containing the food that they would love to eat.
They then get to meet these 'dates' by going into their homes, and the 'date' has to cook a 3 course meal for them that they had listed in their particular menu. After they have eaten at the 3 'dates' places they get to choose one guy/girl and are given a weekend away with them to get to know them better and if there could be romance in the future.
So far there doesn't appear to be any ongoing romances, but some have remained friends.
While watching it one night I asked Tony what would he serve me. Hmmm.........after much thought he said he would go to Barnacle Bills and get Seafood Cocktails. "What about the main course?" I asked. He said he would cook me bacon, eggs and baked beans. Nice!!! (lol) Then what about dessert? Well, seeing I had asked him to bring home an apple pie for our dessert that night and he forgot, he said, "You won't get any apple pie, but maybe I could give you some icecream." Wow!! when are we having this romantic dinner??
I didn't dare ask him where he would take me for a romantic getaway. The bedroom would have been his response. Bwahahahaha.
Tone, I love you dearly, but as for being a romantic.....pass!!!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Is That A Whale?
Monday 29th August, 2011
While downloading the photos from my camera of the photos that we took on Saturday I noticed something very stange.
In one of the photos a wave is hitting something in the middle of the water. In the photo previous to it there is no object or rock sitting out of the water and the photo after shows nothing as well. Could it be a whale? I zoomed into the photo and to me it looked like a whale.
When Tony came home from work he checked out the photos and he said it looks like a whale too He also said he noticed it in the water while we were parked at the Bluff but at the time didn't realise what it was. He thought it must have been rocks, but after seeing the photos he realised that there were no rocks there.
Maybe it's not a whale, maybe I've just got a vivid imagination.
From the Lens.............
While downloading the photos from my camera of the photos that we took on Saturday I noticed something very stange.
In one of the photos a wave is hitting something in the middle of the water. In the photo previous to it there is no object or rock sitting out of the water and the photo after shows nothing as well. Could it be a whale? I zoomed into the photo and to me it looked like a whale.
When Tony came home from work he checked out the photos and he said it looks like a whale too He also said he noticed it in the water while we were parked at the Bluff but at the time didn't realise what it was. He thought it must have been rocks, but after seeing the photos he realised that there were no rocks there.
Maybe it's not a whale, maybe I've just got a vivid imagination.
From the Lens.............
this is the first photo
this is the second photo
O marks what we think is a whale
this is the third photo
make up your own mind...is this a whale?
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Finally Got To Do The Backyard
Sunday 28th August, 2011
This morning, after breakfast, Tony rang Troy to see if they would be home so that he could go down and install their new bathroom fan. They were out but Troy said to give them 20 minutes and they should be home. Tony went down around 11 and was back home again about 12.30pm.
While he was gone I went out to make a start on the backyard. I tidied up a few of the pot plants and then when Tony came back he dug out a couple of plants and we replaced them with some new ones. We weeded the back garden and then I vacuumed the patio area. It looks so much nicer.
Now to have no wind, no leaves and the patio should stay nice and clean. Yeah, right! I still have to wash down the outdoor setting but I can do that during the week.
We finished up around 4.30pm, came in and had our showers. After dinner, we spent it watching Fox News and their coverage of Hurricane Irene. It was causing so much damage and lots of rain to the east coast of America.
Our Foxtel gets turned off tomorrow and I think this is what I am going to miss the most. Any world event that's newsworthy to the rest of the world, I would watch Sky News, Fox News or CNN for continuous coverage. Yeah, free to air has 24 hours news services but they don't give the coverage like these news services do.
From the Lens............these eagles really do keep the birds away, especially the pigeons
This morning, after breakfast, Tony rang Troy to see if they would be home so that he could go down and install their new bathroom fan. They were out but Troy said to give them 20 minutes and they should be home. Tony went down around 11 and was back home again about 12.30pm.
While he was gone I went out to make a start on the backyard. I tidied up a few of the pot plants and then when Tony came back he dug out a couple of plants and we replaced them with some new ones. We weeded the back garden and then I vacuumed the patio area. It looks so much nicer.
Now to have no wind, no leaves and the patio should stay nice and clean. Yeah, right! I still have to wash down the outdoor setting but I can do that during the week.
We finished up around 4.30pm, came in and had our showers. After dinner, we spent it watching Fox News and their coverage of Hurricane Irene. It was causing so much damage and lots of rain to the east coast of America.
Our Foxtel gets turned off tomorrow and I think this is what I am going to miss the most. Any world event that's newsworthy to the rest of the world, I would watch Sky News, Fox News or CNN for continuous coverage. Yeah, free to air has 24 hours news services but they don't give the coverage like these news services do.
From the Lens............these eagles really do keep the birds away, especially the pigeons
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Tech Support - Where Is It?
Saturday 27th August, 2011
On Thursday I received all the paper work for the mobile wifi broadband that we had bought and I thought it strange that we still hadn't received the modem. On Friday I waited until the postal delivery and there was nothing so I thought I would ring them. I was informed that it was waiting at the local post office.
It had been delivered to me on Tuesday and no-one was home. Hey, I was home all day Tuesday and no delivery was made plus there was no card left in the letter box. OK, I said, I will go and pick it up.
Late Friday night Tony decided to activate it. I was a bit concerned that it might over ride our home internet and so we rang Tech support. Four technicians later and we still had no luck. Not one of them knew what we were talking about, and knew nothing about how to set it up. One of them told Tony because he had Windows7 and IE9 that was the reason why he couldn't get it to work. What a laugh!!!!
I was so annoyed I let them have it. To me it should be Telstra's business to make sure ALL of their technicians know what products they are selling. They tried to put us onto a Level 2 Technican (?) but came back and said that there was quite a long line up of calls ahead of us. I think they have now got these Indians speaking with either an American or Canadian accent. Every one we spoke to had one.
After we got off the phone we attempted to activate it ourselves. We thought if we stuffed up our internet connection they should be able to get us re-connected. After about 15 minutes we finally got it to work. So much for Windows 7 and IE9. There wasn't a problem!
This morning Tony finished putting the music onto Troy's Ipod and then we headed out. We called into Jodi and Troy's to give Troy his Ipod but they weren't home. We then headed off to Victor Harbor.
We called into McLaren Vale to have some lunch. We thought we would go to the Bakery there, it is always winning the pie of the year competition. Tony had one of their pies and I had a pasty. He said the pie was alright.
We then went to Medlow's. They make the nice jellies. They also had a large stock of Robern Menz chocloates and lollies, like Fruchocs, and also a whole heap of other choccies and lollies I didn't even know Menz made. We bought some, hehehe.
On the way to Victor we called into the Alexandrina Cheese Factory. Here they also make great milkshakes with the fresh milk from their farm. I had a mango and Tony had lime. Yum!!! We also tasted some cheese and ended up buying some Gouda cheese with the caraway seeds. One of the nicest Goudas I have tasted.
It was then off to Victor. We made our way around to the Bluff and parked the car. The sea was very calm but we didn't see any whales. It had been reported that there had been about 5-6 whales there during the week.
There were quite a few magpies nesting in the trees around the area. The magpies were obviously used to people, they must feed them maybe. Anyway there was this agro seagull and it kept swooping one of the magpies. It was quite funny to watch.
Tony got his laptop and tried to connect it to our mobile WiFi. Yay it worked!! We had some trouble connecting the Ipod. A few of the Apps worked but some didn't. The ones that didn't work kept asking for an internet connection. Oh well, we'll have to sort that out.
While there Troy rang wanting Tony to come and check out an exhaust fan he had bought for the bathroom. Tony told him we were at Victor and we would call in on the way home. We left Victor Harbor around 5.30pm.
On the way back we called into our favourite pizza place and had pizza for tea. We had to eat it on the run as we still had to call into Troys and time was getting on. We got there after 8.30pm.
They have been busy getting the house ready to sell........still got heaps to do. I can't see them having it ready until nearly the end of September, maybe later. It was supposed to be put on the market next week.
We didn't stay too long, Jodi had been in bed and got up when we got there. Tony told Troy he would come back in the morning and put the fan up for him. They also want some light fittings and power points replaced. Tony said he would do them another day.
When we got home, we had a coffee and weren't too long out of bed ourselves. Driving is tiring, well sitting in the passenger seat is, hahahaha.
From the Lens..............
On Thursday I received all the paper work for the mobile wifi broadband that we had bought and I thought it strange that we still hadn't received the modem. On Friday I waited until the postal delivery and there was nothing so I thought I would ring them. I was informed that it was waiting at the local post office.
It had been delivered to me on Tuesday and no-one was home. Hey, I was home all day Tuesday and no delivery was made plus there was no card left in the letter box. OK, I said, I will go and pick it up.
Late Friday night Tony decided to activate it. I was a bit concerned that it might over ride our home internet and so we rang Tech support. Four technicians later and we still had no luck. Not one of them knew what we were talking about, and knew nothing about how to set it up. One of them told Tony because he had Windows7 and IE9 that was the reason why he couldn't get it to work. What a laugh!!!!
I was so annoyed I let them have it. To me it should be Telstra's business to make sure ALL of their technicians know what products they are selling. They tried to put us onto a Level 2 Technican (?) but came back and said that there was quite a long line up of calls ahead of us. I think they have now got these Indians speaking with either an American or Canadian accent. Every one we spoke to had one.
After we got off the phone we attempted to activate it ourselves. We thought if we stuffed up our internet connection they should be able to get us re-connected. After about 15 minutes we finally got it to work. So much for Windows 7 and IE9. There wasn't a problem!
This is the "thing"....our mobile WiFi
This morning Tony finished putting the music onto Troy's Ipod and then we headed out. We called into Jodi and Troy's to give Troy his Ipod but they weren't home. We then headed off to Victor Harbor.
We called into McLaren Vale to have some lunch. We thought we would go to the Bakery there, it is always winning the pie of the year competition. Tony had one of their pies and I had a pasty. He said the pie was alright.
We then went to Medlow's. They make the nice jellies. They also had a large stock of Robern Menz chocloates and lollies, like Fruchocs, and also a whole heap of other choccies and lollies I didn't even know Menz made. We bought some, hehehe.
On the way to Victor we called into the Alexandrina Cheese Factory. Here they also make great milkshakes with the fresh milk from their farm. I had a mango and Tony had lime. Yum!!! We also tasted some cheese and ended up buying some Gouda cheese with the caraway seeds. One of the nicest Goudas I have tasted.
It was then off to Victor. We made our way around to the Bluff and parked the car. The sea was very calm but we didn't see any whales. It had been reported that there had been about 5-6 whales there during the week.
There were quite a few magpies nesting in the trees around the area. The magpies were obviously used to people, they must feed them maybe. Anyway there was this agro seagull and it kept swooping one of the magpies. It was quite funny to watch.
the seagull swooping the magpie
Tony got his laptop and tried to connect it to our mobile WiFi. Yay it worked!! We had some trouble connecting the Ipod. A few of the Apps worked but some didn't. The ones that didn't work kept asking for an internet connection. Oh well, we'll have to sort that out.
While there Troy rang wanting Tony to come and check out an exhaust fan he had bought for the bathroom. Tony told him we were at Victor and we would call in on the way home. We left Victor Harbor around 5.30pm.
On the way back we called into our favourite pizza place and had pizza for tea. We had to eat it on the run as we still had to call into Troys and time was getting on. We got there after 8.30pm.
They have been busy getting the house ready to sell........still got heaps to do. I can't see them having it ready until nearly the end of September, maybe later. It was supposed to be put on the market next week.
We didn't stay too long, Jodi had been in bed and got up when we got there. Tony told Troy he would come back in the morning and put the fan up for him. They also want some light fittings and power points replaced. Tony said he would do them another day.
When we got home, we had a coffee and weren't too long out of bed ourselves. Driving is tiring, well sitting in the passenger seat is, hahahaha.
From the Lens..............
The Bluff
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Taste Of Spring
Thursday 25th August, 2011
Wow! is this what we have to look forward to? If it is, then bring on Spring!!! The weather the last few days has been perfect. Temperatures in the low 20's and it's so good to open up the house and have some fresh air inside.
Only another week to go before we are officially into Spring. Yippee!!! Thinking back, Winter flew by. OK, we had a wet one with quite a few cold days, but overall it wasn't too bad.
We got our gas bill and it was on a par to last years.......$624 for 3 months. Not too bad seeing our gas heater is on from around 6.30 in the morning until we go to bed at around 11-11.30pm at night seven days a week.
Haven't heard from Tori yet so I don't know if they went back home. If they did and things didn't work out I am sure I would have got another phone call.
Still haven't got into the backyard to finish off there. Instead I have been concentrating on doing the inside. They say the weather shouldn't be too bad on the weekend so I think I know what we'll be doing.
My 'thing' (it lets us get the internet anywhere) that I bought last Saturday still hasn't been delivered. They said I should have it within 5 working days but it could be delivered earlier. I hope it comes sometime this week as we thought we might go into the country and try it out over the weekend. Tony was going to use it on his laptop and I was going to try it out on the Ipod touch.
Patience is a virtue.
From the Lens........
Wow! is this what we have to look forward to? If it is, then bring on Spring!!! The weather the last few days has been perfect. Temperatures in the low 20's and it's so good to open up the house and have some fresh air inside.
Only another week to go before we are officially into Spring. Yippee!!! Thinking back, Winter flew by. OK, we had a wet one with quite a few cold days, but overall it wasn't too bad.
We got our gas bill and it was on a par to last years.......$624 for 3 months. Not too bad seeing our gas heater is on from around 6.30 in the morning until we go to bed at around 11-11.30pm at night seven days a week.
Haven't heard from Tori yet so I don't know if they went back home. If they did and things didn't work out I am sure I would have got another phone call.
Still haven't got into the backyard to finish off there. Instead I have been concentrating on doing the inside. They say the weather shouldn't be too bad on the weekend so I think I know what we'll be doing.
My 'thing' (it lets us get the internet anywhere) that I bought last Saturday still hasn't been delivered. They said I should have it within 5 working days but it could be delivered earlier. I hope it comes sometime this week as we thought we might go into the country and try it out over the weekend. Tony was going to use it on his laptop and I was going to try it out on the Ipod touch.
Patience is a virtue.
From the Lens........
Monday, August 22, 2011
A Waste Of A Day
Monday 22nd August, 2011
What a waste of a day and I wanted to do so much in the backyard!! Last night as I was settling in to watch the new series of Underbelly the phone rang. It was Tori and she wanted to know if she and Jay could come over and sleep the night at our place. I said yes. I am so weak sometimes hahahaha.
We had to go over to Craigmore to pick them up. When we got them I asked what had happened. Jay and Tori are sharing a house with another couple, Jay's mate and his girlfriend, and apparently there was an almighty argument. They thought it best to get out of there for a couple days until things cooled down and then they could go back and discuss things rationally.
Why they rang us I don't know, I can only assume that Tori's grandparents wouldn't take Jay in as well and there would be no point in ringing her mother, Jodi, as it would be going from one fire to another.
So back here they came, and here it is after midday and they still haven't surfaced. I haven't been able to go and do what I want to do as I don't know what their plans are. Grrrr teenagers!!!! I am assuming that later on today I will be taking them somewhere.....where, I don't know.
I finally got them up, around 2.45pm, after telling them that I had to go out. I went and had a shower and while I was doing that they got all their gear together. I had to end up taking them over to Jay's dad's house. I was going to go into town and pick Tony up, but after I dropped them off I decided against it. It was around 4.00pm when I got to drop them off.
I rang Tony and told him to catch the bus home, and I came home. I was tired after sitting around all day. I know I could've got them to catch the bus to wherever they wanted to go, but I am not like that.
I have many weaknesses and one of them is being too soft and weak, but that's how I am. If I can, I will help anybody and everybody.
From the Lens...........
What a waste of a day and I wanted to do so much in the backyard!! Last night as I was settling in to watch the new series of Underbelly the phone rang. It was Tori and she wanted to know if she and Jay could come over and sleep the night at our place. I said yes. I am so weak sometimes hahahaha.
We had to go over to Craigmore to pick them up. When we got them I asked what had happened. Jay and Tori are sharing a house with another couple, Jay's mate and his girlfriend, and apparently there was an almighty argument. They thought it best to get out of there for a couple days until things cooled down and then they could go back and discuss things rationally.
Why they rang us I don't know, I can only assume that Tori's grandparents wouldn't take Jay in as well and there would be no point in ringing her mother, Jodi, as it would be going from one fire to another.
So back here they came, and here it is after midday and they still haven't surfaced. I haven't been able to go and do what I want to do as I don't know what their plans are. Grrrr teenagers!!!! I am assuming that later on today I will be taking them somewhere.....where, I don't know.
I finally got them up, around 2.45pm, after telling them that I had to go out. I went and had a shower and while I was doing that they got all their gear together. I had to end up taking them over to Jay's dad's house. I was going to go into town and pick Tony up, but after I dropped them off I decided against it. It was around 4.00pm when I got to drop them off.
I rang Tony and told him to catch the bus home, and I came home. I was tired after sitting around all day. I know I could've got them to catch the bus to wherever they wanted to go, but I am not like that.
I have many weaknesses and one of them is being too soft and weak, but that's how I am. If I can, I will help anybody and everybody.
From the Lens...........
Cancelled This, Cancelled That, But Nothing Else Accomplished
Sunday 21st August, 2011
I rang Telstra and yes, on my account was Standard Dialup. I was told that I was being charged $35 a year to have this. "Whaaaaat!!!!!", I said. "We haven't had dial up for years". So I promptly told them to delete it off our account. Now let's hope this gets done because I was talking to some guy at an International Call Centre and he was having a hard time understanding what I meant. I'll ring again in a few days just to confirm that it has been deleted.
Tony also rang Foxtel to have that cancelled. We haven't been watching Foxtel for a few months now, and for $105 a month that money is better off in our pockets. Tony can see all the programs that he normally watches on Foxtel on free to air.
Plus he was annoyed at all the offers that are given to entice new subscribers, yet for the long time loyal customers (we have been customers since 1996) we get nothing. Also more and more commercials are being aired on Foxtel, which takes the enjoyment out of watching it. For the few hours a week that we watch TV we'll just stick with free to air.
Kahra rang last night to say that Katie was upset because Ella had broken the shades that she got with her new Tshirt last week. She wanted to know if we could go and buy her another Tshirt so that she could get another pair of shades. Kahra's excuse was that Big W down by them didn't have many clothes and didn't have the particular Tshirt with the shades.
To me it was no big deal but Tony wasn't happy. He said how would she know, if the glasses were broken last evening the shops wouldn't have even been open and so how could she have gone to look. Anyway he went to Big W this morning and did get another Tshirt and shades for Katie.
We got out into the backyard when he got back and had plans to remove some plants, plant some new ones and have a tidy up. After a couple of hours those plans were short lived. Troy rang. He wanted to know if we were home as he wanted us to put some music on his Ipod.
He said they would be here shortly. We finished up what we were doing, came inside and had a shower and waited. And waited until about 90 minutes later when Troy rang to say they were on their way. We could've stayed outside and continued on with some more of our work for a bit longer.
They came, stayed for about an hour and left. The music is going to take a lot longer to transfer than what Troy thought it would. It was good that they were here, the Census collector also called for the Census form......we had already missed her twice previously. Maybe we would have still been out the back when she came and wouldn't have heard the door bell.
That was our Sunday........not much done after all, at least not what we had planned on doing. Tomorrow the weather is looking promising and so I will be able to get out and try and finish off. The only thing I won't be able to do is dig out the plants and plant the new ones.
Let's hope the weather is nice for next weekend!
I rang Telstra and yes, on my account was Standard Dialup. I was told that I was being charged $35 a year to have this. "Whaaaaat!!!!!", I said. "We haven't had dial up for years". So I promptly told them to delete it off our account. Now let's hope this gets done because I was talking to some guy at an International Call Centre and he was having a hard time understanding what I meant. I'll ring again in a few days just to confirm that it has been deleted.
Tony also rang Foxtel to have that cancelled. We haven't been watching Foxtel for a few months now, and for $105 a month that money is better off in our pockets. Tony can see all the programs that he normally watches on Foxtel on free to air.
Plus he was annoyed at all the offers that are given to entice new subscribers, yet for the long time loyal customers (we have been customers since 1996) we get nothing. Also more and more commercials are being aired on Foxtel, which takes the enjoyment out of watching it. For the few hours a week that we watch TV we'll just stick with free to air.
Kahra rang last night to say that Katie was upset because Ella had broken the shades that she got with her new Tshirt last week. She wanted to know if we could go and buy her another Tshirt so that she could get another pair of shades. Kahra's excuse was that Big W down by them didn't have many clothes and didn't have the particular Tshirt with the shades.
To me it was no big deal but Tony wasn't happy. He said how would she know, if the glasses were broken last evening the shops wouldn't have even been open and so how could she have gone to look. Anyway he went to Big W this morning and did get another Tshirt and shades for Katie.
We got out into the backyard when he got back and had plans to remove some plants, plant some new ones and have a tidy up. After a couple of hours those plans were short lived. Troy rang. He wanted to know if we were home as he wanted us to put some music on his Ipod.
He said they would be here shortly. We finished up what we were doing, came inside and had a shower and waited. And waited until about 90 minutes later when Troy rang to say they were on their way. We could've stayed outside and continued on with some more of our work for a bit longer.
They came, stayed for about an hour and left. The music is going to take a lot longer to transfer than what Troy thought it would. It was good that they were here, the Census collector also called for the Census form......we had already missed her twice previously. Maybe we would have still been out the back when she came and wouldn't have heard the door bell.
That was our Sunday........not much done after all, at least not what we had planned on doing. Tomorrow the weather is looking promising and so I will be able to get out and try and finish off. The only thing I won't be able to do is dig out the plants and plant the new ones.
Let's hope the weather is nice for next weekend!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Bargain Hunt
Saturday 20th August, 2011
The weatherman has promised us some nice days over the next 4-5 days. He says the temperatures should be around 22 degrees C......nice!
Friday was just my normal nail day. After I had them done I went into town and met Tony. We went off and had coffee and then a walk through Rundle Mall. Lots of people were out and about.
This morning we were up early......too early for my liking. The alarm was set for 7.00am but I felt like I hadn't had any sleep. I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. I didn't, I got up had a shower and then we had to drop the car off to the mechanics. Nothing wrong.....just when it was in a few weeks ago the mechanic said to bring it back in about 3 weeks and they would check everything, just to make sure things were still tight and no leaking oil.
He said that it would take around an hour, so Tony and I went off to Billy Baxters and had breakfast. By the time we were finished breakfast the car was ready for pick-up. We then went to JB HiFi as Tony wanted to look for a game for the Wii........Flight Simulator. I wandered off and looked at the Ipads. While doing that a salesperson came up and helped me. Instead of me getting an IPad, I got a 'thing' hehehehe. I don't know what it's called, all I know is that we can have the internet on the run, it will connect up to 5 devices, like my IPod touch, Tony's laptop, an IPad if we get one and whatever else needs the internet.
He checked my phone account to see if he could do a deal and found that we have Standard Dial up attached to my account. What's with that??? He suggested I ring Telstra to find out what's going on. We use cable for our internet service.
After we finished there it was onto Bunnings to get another bracket. Seeing the morning was still relatively early we decided to go up to Strathalbyn and have a look at their Antiques Fair. On the way we passed this ginormous water pipe leak in the road. Water was coming out of it higher than the power lines and all over the shop roof.......would have to be some damage there I would say.
We got to Strath and found it was a much larger town than we thought. When we were there a couple of months ago with Katie we only saw a quarter of it. We walked through the streets and into a few second hand shops (or Antique Dealers, as they like to be called). We then walked up the hill and onto one of the halls where various crafts people and antique dealers had stalls. We paid a one off entrance fee and that entitled us entry into all the four halls that were scattered throughout the town, and also to ride the shuttle bus that took you to these halls.
We bought an original hand painted Dutch Delft blue plate. I remember Tony's mum having some of these and after she died I didn't want them. Whether the rest of the family took any I don't know. Now I wished I had as we don't have too much of anything to do with Tony's heritage.
We caught the bus to the next hall which was at the Showgrounds. We had a wander around but didn't buy anything. We headed outside for a coffee and a roll and while having that a horse and carriage appeared and who should step out of it but Tim Wonnacott, the host of Bargain Hunt.
He spent ages outside posing for photographs, talking to people and signing autographs. It was so nice to see, he had a moment for everyone who wanted to speak with him, or wanted a photo taken or an autograph. Not like your usual celebrities who brush people off.
We then caught the bus back into the town and then walked back to where we had parked the car. It was nearing 5.00pm by the time we got to the car so we decided to head home.
On the way home we made a detour through Hahndorf. The Variety Club Bash cars finished their run this afternoon at Hahndorf and so we decided to have a look. It looked as if all the competitors had a fun filled week of driving and some of their cars told the story........mud splattered, looking worse for wear. It's all for a good cause though.......the childrens' charity, Variety Club.
The weatherman has promised us some nice days over the next 4-5 days. He says the temperatures should be around 22 degrees C......nice!
Friday was just my normal nail day. After I had them done I went into town and met Tony. We went off and had coffee and then a walk through Rundle Mall. Lots of people were out and about.
This morning we were up early......too early for my liking. The alarm was set for 7.00am but I felt like I hadn't had any sleep. I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. I didn't, I got up had a shower and then we had to drop the car off to the mechanics. Nothing wrong.....just when it was in a few weeks ago the mechanic said to bring it back in about 3 weeks and they would check everything, just to make sure things were still tight and no leaking oil.
He said that it would take around an hour, so Tony and I went off to Billy Baxters and had breakfast. By the time we were finished breakfast the car was ready for pick-up. We then went to JB HiFi as Tony wanted to look for a game for the Wii........Flight Simulator. I wandered off and looked at the Ipads. While doing that a salesperson came up and helped me. Instead of me getting an IPad, I got a 'thing' hehehehe. I don't know what it's called, all I know is that we can have the internet on the run, it will connect up to 5 devices, like my IPod touch, Tony's laptop, an IPad if we get one and whatever else needs the internet.
He checked my phone account to see if he could do a deal and found that we have Standard Dial up attached to my account. What's with that??? He suggested I ring Telstra to find out what's going on. We use cable for our internet service.
After we finished there it was onto Bunnings to get another bracket. Seeing the morning was still relatively early we decided to go up to Strathalbyn and have a look at their Antiques Fair. On the way we passed this ginormous water pipe leak in the road. Water was coming out of it higher than the power lines and all over the shop roof.......would have to be some damage there I would say.
We got to Strath and found it was a much larger town than we thought. When we were there a couple of months ago with Katie we only saw a quarter of it. We walked through the streets and into a few second hand shops (or Antique Dealers, as they like to be called). We then walked up the hill and onto one of the halls where various crafts people and antique dealers had stalls. We paid a one off entrance fee and that entitled us entry into all the four halls that were scattered throughout the town, and also to ride the shuttle bus that took you to these halls.
We bought an original hand painted Dutch Delft blue plate. I remember Tony's mum having some of these and after she died I didn't want them. Whether the rest of the family took any I don't know. Now I wished I had as we don't have too much of anything to do with Tony's heritage.
We caught the bus to the next hall which was at the Showgrounds. We had a wander around but didn't buy anything. We headed outside for a coffee and a roll and while having that a horse and carriage appeared and who should step out of it but Tim Wonnacott, the host of Bargain Hunt.
He spent ages outside posing for photographs, talking to people and signing autographs. It was so nice to see, he had a moment for everyone who wanted to speak with him, or wanted a photo taken or an autograph. Not like your usual celebrities who brush people off.
We then caught the bus back into the town and then walked back to where we had parked the car. It was nearing 5.00pm by the time we got to the car so we decided to head home.
On the way home we made a detour through Hahndorf. The Variety Club Bash cars finished their run this afternoon at Hahndorf and so we decided to have a look. It looked as if all the competitors had a fun filled week of driving and some of their cars told the story........mud splattered, looking worse for wear. It's all for a good cause though.......the childrens' charity, Variety Club.
This time it was definitely head for home. No other stops, only to get some Fasta Pasta for dinner. We had had a great day.
From the Lens............
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A Bad Case Of The "Couldn't Be's"
Wednesday 17th August, 2011
The last couple of days I have had a bad case of the "couldn't be's". You know, couldn't be bothered, couldn't be stuffed, you know how it goes. The weather hasn't helped either. It has been cold, windy and lots of rain. We have surpassed our August rainfall average of 68mm.
This afternoon I went and had my hair coloured again. Either the gray hairs are appearing quicker than ever or else the 6 weeks comes around too fast. Last time I was there the girl suggested I have foils put in my hair.
I thought about it over the last 6 weeks, looked at other people's hair and I chickened out at the last minute. Tony was no help hehehehe, this morning when he rang he started calling me "stripey". My biggest fear was that I thought I would look like a striped cat.
I think what finally made my mind up was when we were at Bunnings on Sunday, there was a lady with similar hair colour to mine (dark brown) and she had coffee/caramel coloured streaks through it. Yuk!! I didn't like it and I had visions of that being what my hair would look like. The hairdresser had already suggested streaks of a caramel colour in mine.
Maybe next time I go to the hairdresser I'll be braver. I'll have to see if they can just do my fringe for starters, or maybe on the ends. We'll have to wait and see.
The last couple of days I have had a bad case of the "couldn't be's". You know, couldn't be bothered, couldn't be stuffed, you know how it goes. The weather hasn't helped either. It has been cold, windy and lots of rain. We have surpassed our August rainfall average of 68mm.
This afternoon I went and had my hair coloured again. Either the gray hairs are appearing quicker than ever or else the 6 weeks comes around too fast. Last time I was there the girl suggested I have foils put in my hair.
I thought about it over the last 6 weeks, looked at other people's hair and I chickened out at the last minute. Tony was no help hehehehe, this morning when he rang he started calling me "stripey". My biggest fear was that I thought I would look like a striped cat.
I think what finally made my mind up was when we were at Bunnings on Sunday, there was a lady with similar hair colour to mine (dark brown) and she had coffee/caramel coloured streaks through it. Yuk!! I didn't like it and I had visions of that being what my hair would look like. The hairdresser had already suggested streaks of a caramel colour in mine.
Maybe next time I go to the hairdresser I'll be braver. I'll have to see if they can just do my fringe for starters, or maybe on the ends. We'll have to wait and see.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Got Some Odd Jobs Done
Sunday 14th August, 2011
We all had a sleep-in this morning. It was near 9 o'clock before we got up. Katie didn't have a very good night. She was coughing non stop and I tolerated it until about 1.00am and then I got her to have her inhaler.
She no sooner had that and settled down. I did manage to go back to sleep but still had one ear listening for her.
After breakfast she and I played a couple of games and then she went on the Wii and I had to watch her dance.
Tony did the breakfast dishes and then we went outside to do a few jobs. It was rather nice, sunny and warmish. Katie was excited to help.
We let her get on the ladder and she hung up a couple of pots on the trellis against the fence. She also screwed in a cup hook so that I could hang a windchime. She went around and got rid of some cob webs and watered some plants. She was very pleased with what she had done.
Katie and I came inside when we were finished with what we were doing. Tony was still out there glueing up my eagles so we could hang them up again. They do frighten off the birds. We started to cook dinner, we were having beef olives and some chicken skewers. On Friday night she asked if we could "have that beautiful dinner we had when Taylor came to sleep".
After dinner we thought that we might go down to the beach and she could fly her kite. By the time we got organised, having our showers and Katie getting her gear packed up, it was getting late so we decided against that. Tony had to go to Bunnings and return the bracket that we had bought. It wasn't suitable for what we wanted to use it for.
We then called into Office Works as Katie wanted a new library bag. They didn't have exactly what she wanted but we got her a folder that would work for the time being.
It was then off to meet Kahra and Darrin. Katie decided she wanted some onion rings from Hungry Jacks and so we met them there. I got them something to eat, we chatted and then left for home.
I was so exhausted when I got home. It was an early night for me.
From the Lens.........
We all had a sleep-in this morning. It was near 9 o'clock before we got up. Katie didn't have a very good night. She was coughing non stop and I tolerated it until about 1.00am and then I got her to have her inhaler.
She no sooner had that and settled down. I did manage to go back to sleep but still had one ear listening for her.
After breakfast she and I played a couple of games and then she went on the Wii and I had to watch her dance.
Tony did the breakfast dishes and then we went outside to do a few jobs. It was rather nice, sunny and warmish. Katie was excited to help.
We let her get on the ladder and she hung up a couple of pots on the trellis against the fence. She also screwed in a cup hook so that I could hang a windchime. She went around and got rid of some cob webs and watered some plants. She was very pleased with what she had done.
Katie and I came inside when we were finished with what we were doing. Tony was still out there glueing up my eagles so we could hang them up again. They do frighten off the birds. We started to cook dinner, we were having beef olives and some chicken skewers. On Friday night she asked if we could "have that beautiful dinner we had when Taylor came to sleep".
After dinner we thought that we might go down to the beach and she could fly her kite. By the time we got organised, having our showers and Katie getting her gear packed up, it was getting late so we decided against that. Tony had to go to Bunnings and return the bracket that we had bought. It wasn't suitable for what we wanted to use it for.
We then called into Office Works as Katie wanted a new library bag. They didn't have exactly what she wanted but we got her a folder that would work for the time being.
It was then off to meet Kahra and Darrin. Katie decided she wanted some onion rings from Hungry Jacks and so we met them there. I got them something to eat, we chatted and then left for home.
I was so exhausted when I got home. It was an early night for me.
From the Lens.........
Saturday, August 13, 2011
May The Force Be With You!
Saturday 13th August, 2011
We had a slow start to the day today. I got up after not having much sleep, and found it hard to get mobile.
But eventually we got ourselves into first gear and got organised.
Katie helped Tony cook breakfast. They were having bacon, eggs and hash browns. Katie cooked the bacon and hash browns.
After breakfast we had our showers, got dressed and our first stop was to the hairdresser so that Tony could have a haircut. Katie and I went and had a wander and when we came back to wait for Tony who should we meet but Storm Trooper, Commander Bariss and some other guy (as you can see I'm not into Star Wars). They were there on behalf of the Cancer Council and the Womens and Children's Hospital collecting for Kids for Cancer. We gave a donation.
After Tony was finished we went into Big W. Katie wanted some leggings. We found some, plus a skirt, Tshirt, Jumper, and a Mambo top/dress. She had to go and try them all on plus send me out for other tops and dresses she saw and liked. Luckily none of those were suitable for her. After deciding on what she wanted to keep we had to go and look at shoes. She looooooves shoes!!! She wanted a pair of flat shoes, suitable for her Movie/Disco nights. We found some she was happy with.
After paying for her clothes ($118+) she wanted to go to the toilets and change into her Tshirt and leggings.
Tony went and sat in the cafe and ordered some salad rolls and coffee for our lunch.
We called back home for a toilet break, collected some eats and treats and then made our way to Tea Tree Plaza. We were going to go to the movies to see Red Dog. She had asked to go and see Glee 3D, but when we looked on the net for session times she saw Red Dog and asked to go and see that instead. It was also a movie Tony and I had wanted to go and see. The movie didn't start until 4.40pm.
What a wonderful movie. It was set in Dampier in Australia's north west of Western Australia. It is a true story of a red kelpie dog that became the communities dog. It had the typical sad ending and I was a blubbering wreck. It is a movie that we would highly recommend.
It was nearly 7.00pm before the movie ended and we still had to go and have some dinner. Guess where Katie wanted to go? Vili's Cafe again! So after going back home for another toilet break (can you guess that I don't like using public toilets) we went off to Vili's. The cafe was much quieter tonight.
We got back home after 9.00pm and it wasn't too long before Katie and I headed to bed. Tony started watching a movie on Foxtel so we left him to it.
From the Lens..........New clothes gives Katie Attitude!
We had a slow start to the day today. I got up after not having much sleep, and found it hard to get mobile.
But eventually we got ourselves into first gear and got organised.
Katie helped Tony cook breakfast. They were having bacon, eggs and hash browns. Katie cooked the bacon and hash browns.
After Tony was finished we went into Big W. Katie wanted some leggings. We found some, plus a skirt, Tshirt, Jumper, and a Mambo top/dress. She had to go and try them all on plus send me out for other tops and dresses she saw and liked. Luckily none of those were suitable for her. After deciding on what she wanted to keep we had to go and look at shoes. She looooooves shoes!!! She wanted a pair of flat shoes, suitable for her Movie/Disco nights. We found some she was happy with.
After paying for her clothes ($118+) she wanted to go to the toilets and change into her Tshirt and leggings.
Tony went and sat in the cafe and ordered some salad rolls and coffee for our lunch.
We called back home for a toilet break, collected some eats and treats and then made our way to Tea Tree Plaza. We were going to go to the movies to see Red Dog. She had asked to go and see Glee 3D, but when we looked on the net for session times she saw Red Dog and asked to go and see that instead. It was also a movie Tony and I had wanted to go and see. The movie didn't start until 4.40pm.
What a wonderful movie. It was set in Dampier in Australia's north west of Western Australia. It is a true story of a red kelpie dog that became the communities dog. It had the typical sad ending and I was a blubbering wreck. It is a movie that we would highly recommend.
It was nearly 7.00pm before the movie ended and we still had to go and have some dinner. Guess where Katie wanted to go? Vili's Cafe again! So after going back home for another toilet break (can you guess that I don't like using public toilets) we went off to Vili's. The cafe was much quieter tonight.
We got back home after 9.00pm and it wasn't too long before Katie and I headed to bed. Tony started watching a movie on Foxtel so we left him to it.
From the Lens..........New clothes gives Katie Attitude!
Friday, August 12, 2011
An Unexpected Encounter
Friday 12th August, 2011
This morning was rather nice, cool but at least the sun was shining. By the afternoon the clouds had rolled in but we didn't get any rain.
I went into town, picked up Tony and then we went to get Katie. It was so good to see her again. Hmmmm 3 weeks is a bit long. After we left Kahra and Darrin we headed over to North Adelaide where I did my grocery shopping and had a coffee. It was too early to go and have dinner.
When we finished there we went off to get some dinner. We had decided to go Vili's Cafe. Katie wanted schnitzel and we didn't think we would get into the hotel as we hadn't booked.
When we got to Vili's there was a large group sitting around a table having a sing a long. Vili himself was among the group. I went to order our meals and came back to the table. The group were still singing and I noticed someone there with a guitar, playing.
The next song they started to sing was "Pink Champagne and a Room of Roses" and I suddenly realised that the guitar player was Johnny Mac. OMG he was a star during the 60's. I remember him being on TV and watching him on the various Tonight shows and the Country and Western Hour.
Katie wanted to know who he was and so we said that he is to us like Justin Beiber is to her hahahaha. When we were a lot younger he used to have hits on the radio. "What do you mean?" she asked. Tony explained to her that he used to make records and they played them on the radio and we used to go and buy the record. Just like when you go and buy a CD of the people you like to hear singing.
The group sang a few more songs while we were having dinner and then Johnny Mac left. We wondered if he still had the Cadillac that he had bought off Elvis all those years ago.
Soon after, we finished our dinner and left too and headed for home. Now, that was an unexpected encounter.
From the Lens.......... I quickly snapped this as he was leaving, sorry for the blurriness
This morning was rather nice, cool but at least the sun was shining. By the afternoon the clouds had rolled in but we didn't get any rain.
I went into town, picked up Tony and then we went to get Katie. It was so good to see her again. Hmmmm 3 weeks is a bit long. After we left Kahra and Darrin we headed over to North Adelaide where I did my grocery shopping and had a coffee. It was too early to go and have dinner.
When we finished there we went off to get some dinner. We had decided to go Vili's Cafe. Katie wanted schnitzel and we didn't think we would get into the hotel as we hadn't booked.
When we got to Vili's there was a large group sitting around a table having a sing a long. Vili himself was among the group. I went to order our meals and came back to the table. The group were still singing and I noticed someone there with a guitar, playing.
The next song they started to sing was "Pink Champagne and a Room of Roses" and I suddenly realised that the guitar player was Johnny Mac. OMG he was a star during the 60's. I remember him being on TV and watching him on the various Tonight shows and the Country and Western Hour.
Katie wanted to know who he was and so we said that he is to us like Justin Beiber is to her hahahaha. When we were a lot younger he used to have hits on the radio. "What do you mean?" she asked. Tony explained to her that he used to make records and they played them on the radio and we used to go and buy the record. Just like when you go and buy a CD of the people you like to hear singing.
The group sang a few more songs while we were having dinner and then Johnny Mac left. We wondered if he still had the Cadillac that he had bought off Elvis all those years ago.
Soon after, we finished our dinner and left too and headed for home. Now, that was an unexpected encounter.
From the Lens.......... I quickly snapped this as he was leaving, sorry for the blurriness
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Signs Of Katie Growing Up
Thursday 11th August, 2011
Whaaaat!!!! No rain this morning! Hallelujah! The day didn't turn out too bad.....at least we had some sunshine.
I got my ironing done, a couple of loads of washing and that's about all I achieved today. I am having problems with my back again and find if I can do things in short bursts I am OK. I don't like taking too many pain killers and then I only take them when I absolutely have to, which is not often.
I spoke to Kahra today and in her words she said that Katie "was getting a little bit too big for her boots". She said that this last week they have had some screaming matches. I didn't ask as to what it was about, and she didn't offer any information to me. Maybe it's a case of Katie growing up, she's nearly 10, going on 20.
I don't know if Katie will tell me what it was about when she comes for the weekend. I don't like to ask too many questions in case she goes home and tells Kahra. Usually she is quite open with me though.
Whaaaat!!!! No rain this morning! Hallelujah! The day didn't turn out too bad.....at least we had some sunshine.
I got my ironing done, a couple of loads of washing and that's about all I achieved today. I am having problems with my back again and find if I can do things in short bursts I am OK. I don't like taking too many pain killers and then I only take them when I absolutely have to, which is not often.
I spoke to Kahra today and in her words she said that Katie "was getting a little bit too big for her boots". She said that this last week they have had some screaming matches. I didn't ask as to what it was about, and she didn't offer any information to me. Maybe it's a case of Katie growing up, she's nearly 10, going on 20.
I don't know if Katie will tell me what it was about when she comes for the weekend. I don't like to ask too many questions in case she goes home and tells Kahra. Usually she is quite open with me though.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Waterlogged!!
Wednesday 10th August, 2011
Another morning and we wake up to rain. The last 7 days we have had 60mm rain, this month's average is only 68mm and they say that there is more on the way, especially next week. The ground is so water logged now so where is this extra water going to go?
My head was fuzzy this morning and I felt nauseous. I went back to bed later in the morning. I felt a bit better when I got up. I was supposed to do the ironing but that can wait until tomorrow if I feel like doing it then.
Maybe I should find something else to do in the afternoons. I love listening to the radio, and talkback in particular, but a certain person just makes my blood pressure go sky high. I can't say too much about them here, I may get myself sued, but grrrrrrr she makes me angry at times. Most times I just turn the radio off as I can't stand listening to her.
I don't like listening to music stations, they just play the same songs day after day. Perhaps I will go and listen to my own music, gotta be better than listening to her!
Another morning and we wake up to rain. The last 7 days we have had 60mm rain, this month's average is only 68mm and they say that there is more on the way, especially next week. The ground is so water logged now so where is this extra water going to go?
My head was fuzzy this morning and I felt nauseous. I went back to bed later in the morning. I felt a bit better when I got up. I was supposed to do the ironing but that can wait until tomorrow if I feel like doing it then.
Maybe I should find something else to do in the afternoons. I love listening to the radio, and talkback in particular, but a certain person just makes my blood pressure go sky high. I can't say too much about them here, I may get myself sued, but grrrrrrr she makes me angry at times. Most times I just turn the radio off as I can't stand listening to her.
I don't like listening to music stations, they just play the same songs day after day. Perhaps I will go and listen to my own music, gotta be better than listening to her!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Census Night
Tuesday 9th August, 2011
Is it really five years ago when we last had a census? Apparently it is. Every five years we have to fill in these forms. This year I felt it was a waste of time. All they asked for was our address, how long we had lived here, where we were born, did we work, who for, how many hours of paid and unpaid work did we do, how much did we earn last week and whether we need help to dress, feed and bathe ourselves. Most of this information they could get from the Tax Office.
They say it is important to fill out these forms as it gives the authorities ideas of where to build shopping centres, schools, and other facilities suitable for the elderly, children, and residents. The only question I refused to answer was the one about being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. To me, we are all Australian and should all be treated the same.
Just recently it was revealed that the Federal government has spent some $35 billion in the last 10 years on different programs and services for the Aborigines and not one of them has worked. A good proportion of that money could have gone into education, or health care for ALL of us to benefit from.
Geez we don't want our country to end up like England. The last 3 nights they have had riots in London where young people have gone on the rampage smashing shops, cars, including police cars, setting fire to cars, buses, shops, apartments and warehouses. These riots have also spread to some of the larger provincial cities like Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Manchester, and Birmingham. They say it looks as if London is going through another Blitz, like they did during the second World War.
It started off as a peaceful protest against the police who shot and killed an innocent man. The louts soon got involved and went on the rampage. England has got a very high unemployment rate and the government there has cut back on a lot of services to try and get the country's debt under control. These cuts affect the lower classes and with no money they feel like everyone owes them something. A lot of the shops they destroyed they also looted.
The reporters report them as being Anarchists. Let's hope the English government, the police and maybe the army can bring some sort of control rather quickly before there are any deaths. It has been very sad to watch it on the television.
From the Lens..........
Is it really five years ago when we last had a census? Apparently it is. Every five years we have to fill in these forms. This year I felt it was a waste of time. All they asked for was our address, how long we had lived here, where we were born, did we work, who for, how many hours of paid and unpaid work did we do, how much did we earn last week and whether we need help to dress, feed and bathe ourselves. Most of this information they could get from the Tax Office.
They say it is important to fill out these forms as it gives the authorities ideas of where to build shopping centres, schools, and other facilities suitable for the elderly, children, and residents. The only question I refused to answer was the one about being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. To me, we are all Australian and should all be treated the same.
Just recently it was revealed that the Federal government has spent some $35 billion in the last 10 years on different programs and services for the Aborigines and not one of them has worked. A good proportion of that money could have gone into education, or health care for ALL of us to benefit from.
Geez we don't want our country to end up like England. The last 3 nights they have had riots in London where young people have gone on the rampage smashing shops, cars, including police cars, setting fire to cars, buses, shops, apartments and warehouses. These riots have also spread to some of the larger provincial cities like Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Manchester, and Birmingham. They say it looks as if London is going through another Blitz, like they did during the second World War.
It started off as a peaceful protest against the police who shot and killed an innocent man. The louts soon got involved and went on the rampage. England has got a very high unemployment rate and the government there has cut back on a lot of services to try and get the country's debt under control. These cuts affect the lower classes and with no money they feel like everyone owes them something. A lot of the shops they destroyed they also looted.
The reporters report them as being Anarchists. Let's hope the English government, the police and maybe the army can bring some sort of control rather quickly before there are any deaths. It has been very sad to watch it on the television.
From the Lens..........
Photos courtesy of Adelaide Now
Monday, August 8, 2011
Katie Goes To The Doctor
Monday 8th August, 2011
Winter has really set in again.....it is another cold and grey day. Went shopping late this afternoon, and met Tony after work.
Shortly before I had to get ready to leave Jodi rang. They have signed the papers for the house at Owen. Troy apparently came home last Thursday night, signed the papers on Friday and then had to go away to Coober Pedy again on Saturday.
She said that she has got a month in which to get her house ready for sale, and then when it's on the market hopefully it will take no more than 2 months to sell and then a month for settlement. I don't like her chances of having the house sold within 2 months. The economy is on a downturn, and they say it is a buyers market but there are plenty of houses on the market and they have been for many months. She wants $310,000 for their house as that is what they have paid for the property in Owen. Knowing Jodi though, she always manages to land on her feet.
She was also saying that after they move in they are going to knock down walls and extend it. To me, it would be easier just to have another house built. Still, time will tell as we also heard the same things when they purchased the house that they are in now, and nothing was ever done.
After we came home from shopping and had dinner Katie rang. She didn't go to school today as she went to the Doctor. She said that the Dr told her that she didn't have asthma but she has to use a puffer as she has a cold and is having difficulty breathing. I told Kahra quite a few years ago that during the night Katie either stops breathing for a split second and gasps for air which then makes her cough. She continues to cough until she starts to dry reach, but Kahra has never done anything about it until now.
A few weeks ago Kahra took Katie to the optometrist. Katie has been complaining for more than a year that she can't read the small print in books and lately has been coming home from school with headaches. The optometrist said that she does need glasses for reading, she is long sighted and in Katies words she "can see a fly 5 miles away".
Now hopefully she will wear these glasses and not think that they are a fashion statement. We have noticed that Katie has a tendency to be 'sick' just because the other kids at school are, and she has also faked injuries because someone at school has their arm, leg or foot in bandages or casts. Let's hope she's not a hypochondriac.
From the Lens...............Katie with her new glasses
Winter has really set in again.....it is another cold and grey day. Went shopping late this afternoon, and met Tony after work.
Shortly before I had to get ready to leave Jodi rang. They have signed the papers for the house at Owen. Troy apparently came home last Thursday night, signed the papers on Friday and then had to go away to Coober Pedy again on Saturday.
She said that she has got a month in which to get her house ready for sale, and then when it's on the market hopefully it will take no more than 2 months to sell and then a month for settlement. I don't like her chances of having the house sold within 2 months. The economy is on a downturn, and they say it is a buyers market but there are plenty of houses on the market and they have been for many months. She wants $310,000 for their house as that is what they have paid for the property in Owen. Knowing Jodi though, she always manages to land on her feet.
She was also saying that after they move in they are going to knock down walls and extend it. To me, it would be easier just to have another house built. Still, time will tell as we also heard the same things when they purchased the house that they are in now, and nothing was ever done.
After we came home from shopping and had dinner Katie rang. She didn't go to school today as she went to the Doctor. She said that the Dr told her that she didn't have asthma but she has to use a puffer as she has a cold and is having difficulty breathing. I told Kahra quite a few years ago that during the night Katie either stops breathing for a split second and gasps for air which then makes her cough. She continues to cough until she starts to dry reach, but Kahra has never done anything about it until now.
A few weeks ago Kahra took Katie to the optometrist. Katie has been complaining for more than a year that she can't read the small print in books and lately has been coming home from school with headaches. The optometrist said that she does need glasses for reading, she is long sighted and in Katies words she "can see a fly 5 miles away".
Now hopefully she will wear these glasses and not think that they are a fashion statement. We have noticed that Katie has a tendency to be 'sick' just because the other kids at school are, and she has also faked injuries because someone at school has their arm, leg or foot in bandages or casts. Let's hope she's not a hypochondriac.
From the Lens...............Katie with her new glasses
Sunday, August 7, 2011
So Close To Needing A Snorkel And Flippers
Sunday 7th August, 2011
Tony set the alarm last night for us to get an early start today. We are going to go back to Robyn's place , pick them up and go to Williamstown to have a look at the market.
When we got to Robyn and Bob's place, Bob looked like
death warmed up. He was suffering from a sore throat and had a cough. He decided he was going to spend the day in bed and so didn't end up coming with us.
We went to Williamstown and they had a small craft market in the local town hall. I wanted some coat hangers that were covered, either by knitting, crochet or material. I was in luck, they had plenty of them here and I ended up buying 9. We also got some lemon tarts, apple pies and Robyn got some fresh lemons.
There were also stalls of locally made jams, jewellery, cards, candles, soaps, olive oil, plants, chocolates and handicrafts.
From here we went over to Lyndoch and had a look in the local craft shop. I got some lavender bags from here. On the way over to Lyndoch it had started raining. Suddenly the rain turned to a downpour and there was water everywhere.
We then decided to go through to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley and my goodness we had never seen so much rain in ages. It poured down and even with the window wipers going flat out it was still hard to see the bonnet of the car and the road.
When we got to Tanunda the water through the main street was unbelievable. It was lapping at the underneath of the parked cars. If the downpour had persisted it wouldn't have taken much more water and some of the shops would have had water running through them. As it was, one of the hotel workers was out with a broom trying to unblock the drain.
We found a cafe, Nosh, and went and had a coffee and a roll for lunch. While in there the rain had subsided and it was amazing as to where all the water had gone. There wasn't so much running down the gutters.
We took a drive to Nuriootpa, the rain had started again and a lot of the vineyards were well under water. Luckily most of them had pruned their vines, and those that hadn't wouldn't be able to get on their blocks for a few days at least.
By the time we got back into Gawler it was obvious that they had missed most of the rain. The roads were quite dry. When we got back to Robyn's, Bob was still in bed. He said that he hadn't heard any rain while lying there. Hope you get well soon Bob!
We left shortly afterwards and came home. Both Tony and I had a short nap before dinner.
From the Lens.........
Tony set the alarm last night for us to get an early start today. We are going to go back to Robyn's place , pick them up and go to Williamstown to have a look at the market.
When we got to Robyn and Bob's place, Bob looked like
death warmed up. He was suffering from a sore throat and had a cough. He decided he was going to spend the day in bed and so didn't end up coming with us.
We went to Williamstown and they had a small craft market in the local town hall. I wanted some coat hangers that were covered, either by knitting, crochet or material. I was in luck, they had plenty of them here and I ended up buying 9. We also got some lemon tarts, apple pies and Robyn got some fresh lemons.
There were also stalls of locally made jams, jewellery, cards, candles, soaps, olive oil, plants, chocolates and handicrafts.
From here we went over to Lyndoch and had a look in the local craft shop. I got some lavender bags from here. On the way over to Lyndoch it had started raining. Suddenly the rain turned to a downpour and there was water everywhere.
We then decided to go through to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley and my goodness we had never seen so much rain in ages. It poured down and even with the window wipers going flat out it was still hard to see the bonnet of the car and the road.
When we got to Tanunda the water through the main street was unbelievable. It was lapping at the underneath of the parked cars. If the downpour had persisted it wouldn't have taken much more water and some of the shops would have had water running through them. As it was, one of the hotel workers was out with a broom trying to unblock the drain.
We found a cafe, Nosh, and went and had a coffee and a roll for lunch. While in there the rain had subsided and it was amazing as to where all the water had gone. There wasn't so much running down the gutters.
We took a drive to Nuriootpa, the rain had started again and a lot of the vineyards were well under water. Luckily most of them had pruned their vines, and those that hadn't wouldn't be able to get on their blocks for a few days at least.
By the time we got back into Gawler it was obvious that they had missed most of the rain. The roads were quite dry. When we got back to Robyn's, Bob was still in bed. He said that he hadn't heard any rain while lying there. Hope you get well soon Bob!
We left shortly afterwards and came home. Both Tony and I had a short nap before dinner.
From the Lens.........
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