General Chat

Hello everyone:-)))

Well...I found my baubles, lovely blue and silver ones so my tree is looking gorgeous. They were at the top of my walk in robe!!
We had the house re painted last year, so I had completely forgotten where I'd put all the Christmas deco's.

Sue..Thank-you for the lovely E Card, It was a sweet surprise:-))

Diane..Sorry I missed you this morning, If I don't get to speak to you before hand, enjoy your Christmas shopping in town. Buy something special for yourself, you deserve it!!!!

Its very warm here today and tomorrow is going to be a scorcher, 39 degree's.

Linda...I got my hubby a beautiful wrist watch for his birthday, which is this Thursday, I also got him some books and some lovely aftershave..I hope he likes them all.

Hello Tec, Allan, Persey, Pat and our beautiful Alison, sorry if Ive missed anyone.

Carole xxx

I'm here Diane better not forget me!! LOL.
Sorry was not on here earlier - I had a 1001 things to do before I went to work. I only had to do about 3 hours or so, then met OH to do the groceries and whilst I brought them home, he went and played in Bunnings.

Carole is looking for her baubles Tec - I was going to say she has her eye on yours - but then thought "better don't do that" (as a German friend says) - so I didn't.

It must be hard to enter in Christmas Spirit with all these fires and cyclones going on in OZ, my advice just have a few swigs and she'll be right mate.

You talk about not worrying about what your friends had etc when you were young Tec - it was the same here no one ever gave it a thought and now - all this grass is greener etc and keeping up with the Joneses. NZ is forever comparing itself with the rest of the world as well so it's no wonder that this sort of mentality manifests itself. We have such terrible worries at Christmas time - like - what are those in prison going to have for Christmas Dinner?

I see we also have Mc Donald's open during daylight hours on Christmas day - so have told family if my new oven doesn't cook our Christmas fare to perfection that will be plan B.

Ho Ho Ho
Persep ho ho ne. xx

Hi Carole

Tec will be relieved - whilst I was typing about your baubles you had found them. My ESP is working very well today.
I am inspecting all the trees this year so let me know and I will check it out.

Persephone

McDonalds?? I wonder how many families will take that up?
Well, all right Tec - if you are going to come and take the tree down again and pack it away later - I'll agree to it going up! I might feel better when it goes up.

Remember me having to speak to a nice neighbour who hadn't paid her quarterly fees all year? She said she would do something about it - but she hasn't done anything - not a cent. When it came to voting on legal action, I no longer had an excuse for delay and had to vote in favour - so this has made me sad too. I know that if I wasn't on the committee, someone else would be and would have voted in favour - but I still feel bad about it. The other members feel the same, but how long do you allow it to go on and increase the debt? It makes me feel like I am kicking someone who is already down. I know she has received her registered letter this week because our fantastic postman put the card in my box by mistake!

Hi, Carole, Persey and Berona:-))

Berona - don't feel bad. You really did do your best to explain her predicament to her. After all she is responsible for what has happened not you. Still I can understand that you feel sad especially because of the time of year.

Glad you found your baubles, Carole:-)) I hope your OH has a great birthday on Thursday - you've spoiled him so he should have a wonderful day.

Persey - don't tell the family about plan B. They may make it Plan A:-))

I have had a message from Alison. She isn't too well but was heartened by our messages. Here is part of her message.

"Well, that's torn it, you lot. You've gone and made me cry.

Thank you, SueMaid for sending those on to me, I find I'm struggling to sit at the computer. Please thank everyone for me."

Sue xx

Evening Berona.

It is hard when one is on a committee and you have to vote for what you know is correct but you would rather not. Once when I was on a Kindergarten committee I had to vote to get a teacher removed. She was nice enough but she was a hopeless teacher - she always wore white - and my daughter bless her called her "the White Lady." She would leave at the end of the session with hair and clothes immaculate, painted nails and not a hint of dirt or a drop of paint on her. I will give her dues though she was very good at Story Telling time when they all sat on the mat.

Incidentally The White Lady also happens to be the name of a piecart that comes into Auckland City around midnight and has done so since I was a child.

P.

Hi Everyone..

Sorry not visited with you lately. Just been very busy and a few dramas..

You all have been very busy chatting...way too many pages for me to read through to catch up !! So I hope that you are all well and looking forward to Christmas and have all your shopping done.

I have just started on my Christmas shopping which is very much in keeping with other years always leave it to the last moment..

Bad fire today this morning the air was so thick with smoke. Seems to have cleared now and its much cooler than it has been the last few days.

Thinking of you Alison....stay strong xxx

Hello Janet, Nice to see you again.

Perse - we have a funeral company here with 'White Ladies" . Quite a variety isn't it? - teacher, pie-cart and funeral service!

Yes Berona what a combination.

and so you have met my grandchildren have you Sue?

LOL.

Perse

Well it is 11.30pm here in NZ so thought I would tell you all I am off to bed.
In UK it should be 10.30am so Diane I am hoping you are stacking a great big pile of Zzzzzzzzzs and sleeping the morning away.

Thinking of you Alison.... not long now honey bunch and it will be ya ya ya boom de ray.

Norma

May one ask...........

Just what is a Pie Cart?

Tec

Goodevening/ morning all

Hi Perse, please forgive me for missing you hun, as you can see by my post it was very late our time ( 12-50am ) and yes I was still in bed when you posted around 10-30am our time, in fact I didn't get up until around 12-30pm then again I didn't go to bed until about 3-30am.

Carole glad to hear you found your bauble's and you now have your tree done.

Berona, when you were talking yesterday about the set up were you live and how no one would see your deccy's, the woman you have mentioned today came to mind and I was wondering how thing's had turned out, well what a coincidence you telling us today how it had all turned out, and as other's said it is not your fault the way thing's did turn out as you did your best and explained thing's to her.

Sue your OH should be happy with his pressy's and I hope he has a nice day, I have sent you my E-mail addy. Thank you for letting us know how Alison is hun.

Hi Janet nice to see you and I hope the fire's are not getting to close to you hun, are you all ready for Christmas or are you like me, nothing done yet.

Hi Tec I was wondering the same thing but chose not to show my ignorance lol. How are you and your OH today and yes I have been very lazy today. My eldest Grand-daughter came down to help me with the design of her 16th Birthday cake and it has been very hard going but eventually we sorted it out and I now know what she want's.

Diane

Good Morning/Evening Everyone,

Diane.....Hope you are enjoying your first day off, though I expect you're madly busy catching up with things - take a break, put your feet up, it will all wait for you......if it doesn't......oh well!

Berona.........So pleased your tree is coming out - I hope your grand children make a first class job of decorating it - tell them a man in Wales is watching, so it had better be good.
Don't fret about having to vote the way you did on the committee, you were only carrying out your responsibilty as a member, sometimes we have to do things as a committee that we would rather not, but other people look to the committee to make these decisions, however hard it seems.

Carole,......So pleased you've found your baubles - ignore Perse, and her remarks re my baubles. Blue and silver sounds nice, mine is basically silver and white, but there are red velvet bows on it.
Happy Birthday to your OH for Thursday. Has he got a cake?

Janet.....I wondered where you were, hoped they hadn't locked you in the exam room - when will you know how you did? I'm sure you did well.
Hope the fires and the smoke are not still affecting you - that must be a worry to many people.

Perse.....How very dare you refer to my baubles - when you are playing Christmas Tree Police, you will see that they look resplendant on the tree.
I look forward to getting some kind of award for my artistic prowess.
I am surprised at your remark that New Zealanders feel the rest of the world is doing better. Here in the Northern Hemispere NZ is considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world, especially by people who have been there, including me. I see NZ as a peaceful country, sitting down there minding its own business, and not getting embroiled in other peoples arguments, or trying to play policeman to the world. You've got the benefit of the Maori Culture, nice climate - and of course they've got you.
How much better can it get?

Hi Pat, if you're looking in,
and where's that Linda in Herriot Country? still fishing in a lake?

Tec

Just wrote long missive to Diane, Sue, and Allan,
pressed submit everything vanished and had to sign in again, grrrr

going for dinner now.......write again later. Bye

Tec

Definition:

Pie Cart - a caravan that is driven into town late at night, used to park itself in one of the side streets just off our main street - they were trying to do away with it a couple of years ago and it may not even be there now.

Below extract from book about it:

Pie carts are a much-loved kiwi institution. In the 1950s and 1960s, in the days of the six o'clock swill and long before the advent of sophisticated cafe culture, where else could you be assured of a hot feed and a warm welcome, in any sizable New Zealand town? Colourful characters gathered around the cart, enjoying the company and the hot food. The menus were small and the food basic - but this was part of the appeal. Nothing fancy: just pies and sauce, sausages, maybe oysters in season, eventually burgers, sometimes chips. The carts remained popular throughout the 1970s, but are now an endangered species, gradually disappearing as the range of dining options have multiplied in every metropolis.

HiTec, my son advised me, because I've had a similar problem, if you are going to write a long message use a text typing programme i.e microsoft word, to write that message and then copy and paste it onto this page when you have finished. That way you still have the message incase it happens next time.
I had no intention of catching up today in fact I didn't intend doing anything until my Grand-daughter arrived lol. I am doing my card's at the moment and thought I'd look in, will be back later.

Diane

Good morning/evening all.

I've decided that today - if things go according to plan - I will finish everything for Christmas except fresh food. All my cards are done and a parcel sent down to Hobart. Why is everyone panicing - it's easy:-))

I've just been watching a item on the news about Australian troops in East Timor and the role they have played in helping to settle the problems there. This time last year my son had been home just 4 weeks from East Timor. On the whole it was a wonderful experience for him. He had received a lot of cultural training - how to greet people, respectful treatment of Timorese ladies etc. - so he was well prepared. He enjoyed the interaction with the people and he was lucky that his duties took him out to the villages. He generally escorted doctors and nurses on their visits to small villages. I have the most wonderful photo of him holding a minutes old baby that a midwife had just delivered. In fact I have a number of photos that fill me with pride including the photo of him receiving a medal from the Timorese president. The sad thing about most of the photos is the fact that he is armed. Even sitting on the beach he has his rifle beside him.

Another warm day for us. However not as hot as is expected in other areas - especially I think where Carole is. There are a few fires in different areas - unfortunately where high temps. and winds are expected. Summer is definately here.

Diane - hurrah your break is here!! Enjoy. You deserve it.

Linda - hope you had a wonderful time away.

Sue xx

I couldn't find you a gold star Tec - The one Sue gave me is stuck fast to the fridge - there is no way in the world it will come off otherwise I would have let you borrow it.

So instead I send you ☺☻ two of us smiling at your tree the one on the right is Maori - Just wish the font would come out bigger but Genes doesn't allow these different configurations.

Perse

Hi Perse,
Thank you for that explanation - sounds fun to me - what a pity these things are rapidly disappearing. We have similar things here, that pull up in lay-bys - mostly catering for truckers, but cars frequently pull up.
Very much frowned upon by Local Authorities who usually serve them some sort of Enforcement Order under the guise of Health and Safety who dominate everything here - just another branch of the KGB.
So they too are a endangered species.
Shame about your Pie Carts.

Tec

Hi Sue,

You sound very organised for Christmas - I'm sure many people wish they were - I think we are too, but didn't have much to do in the first place.
What a wonderful experience for your son in East Timor - an experience he will remember all his life.
I hope very much that no one suffers badly this year in bush fires.

Diane... That sounds like good advice re C&P - but shamefully, I don't know how to do that.
Glad you had something of a rest today. I expect it was fun organising your Grand Daughter's birthday cake. 16 eh - I wish I were.

Perse, Thank you for the Smiley Faces - I'd rather have your smiling face than a gold star anyway.

Tec