General Chat

Funnily enough Allan - we sometimes get the tail end of cyclones in Queenslands. Wind and heavy rain for a couple of days. We also get icy winds that blow down the mountains straight off the snow fields.

Tec - it's a sad thing but if you try to be friendly with new neighbours you can often be seen to be nosy these days. The new idea seems to be that you should "keep to yourself". Of course that's why elderly people lie dead in their homes for day/weeks and even months before they are found. Also why domestic violence and child abuse is ignored as no-one wants to get involved. When one of my daughter's twins was teething he cried one day and night for hours on end. The next door neighbour - an elderly woman - came to visit and inquire if all was well. My daughter was very touched by this. We keep a bit of an eye on the young couple next door without intruding and I know they appreciate it. We received a lovely Christmas card with many thanks for our help. On the whole I think most people are afraid of invading people' privacy

Sue xx

Enjoy your dinner, Pat. See you later:-))

Sue xx

I seem to have missed Pat, I hope you enjoy your dinner as well.

I have just looked outside and we have a good covering of snow now, with lot's more still to come

Sue.......When we lived in the town we hardly knew our neighbours, everyone kept themselves to themselves. Here in this village it is very different - very like they way things were when I was young. Neighbours are not intrusive, but watchful. This could easily be construed as nosiness, but they do watch out for each other. Sadly, last week a young man from this village was killed in a car accident - the support his family had was touching, and I think the entire village turned out for his funeral.
People here do care. I wish it were the same everywhere, the way it used to be, when people had time for each other.

Tec

Bye Pat and hello to Linda

Allan

That is very sad news Tec.
Although this is a small town, I know so many people. everyone says hello, such a refreshing change from the large town I used to live in.

Hello Allan, although I am not staying long - nothing to do with your arrival

In fact I am signing off now and am going to watch TV in bed. I need to get my feet warm, I wonder where OH is?

I hope my "southern" friends have a cooler day

Tec, it's sad but I think that is the way sociey as a whole has become due to the Nanny State syndrome.

The State is there to look after you with it's "experts" and unfortunately you are not supposed to interfere but report to Big Brother.

There was a very brutal, but very truthful, appraisal carried out by someone in Victoria following the devastatin fires there this year.

His comments basically were once something has happened look after yourselves and do not expect any help after the next big event for at least a few weeks. Water supplies will take time to be restored as would power. Don't start whinging that you can't shower for a few days nor be able to watch the telly.


Many years ago people were independent and would fend for themselves until normal services were resumed.

But now, due to the State saying trust us, we will look after you, people have come to expect that.

I've probably expressed that in a bit of a clumsy way but i think that you will get the gist.

In my own case, as well as having plenty of tinned fooe in the pantry I hace hung on to my old Army Health notes which show you how to construct field appliances including stoves and incincerators from basic materials plus hoe to make the burners to run them and the fuels to use...all from waste oils etc

Allan

Hello, Linda:-))

Tec - what a sad thing to happen. I guess a tragedy like that would affect everyone in a village. More so than a larger town. Although we live in a suburb of a small city we tend to know a lot of people here. A few years ago a young woman was murdered. She went to school and played sport with my daughter. The young man that was charged with her murder also went to school with my daughter so it was a double shock. I knew her family from way back and they were involved in a lot of children's activities in the area. They also received a lot of community support. The sad thing is I knew the father and his brother and sister when we were teenagers and it was so sad to think that as young people we would never have guessed what was ahead for this family.

Sue xx

I understand exactly what you're saying Allan and unfortunately you are right.

Sue xx

I must be off as I need to do a little ordinary grocery shopping. I forgot we have to eat between now and Christmas:-))

Take care all. Alison if you look in I'm thinking of you as is everyone. Not long before Christmas.

Sue xx

Bye Sue enjoy your shopping :0))

Allan

Goodnight Linda - sleep well - get warm somehow!!!
Bye Sue, Enjoy your day,

Allan, There is much truth in what you say, an interesting analysis sp of the way society is today, and why.
I do wonder how todays generation would manage if things went pear shaped. Your parents, and mine, knew how to cope, survive, with very little, and virtually no support from the State.
It's a very interesting subject,
And by the way, come Armageddon sp, I'm staying close to you lol

Tec

Tec, if you want to survive Armageddon steer clear of me!

I am well known for making choices....usually all the wrong ones!

Allan

Allan,

I had people from a religious cult on my doorstep yesterday - apparently Armageddon is imminent............
so you'd better start making some choices, hopefully the right ones

Tec

Not sure if this is what you refer to Allan, but where I live now is only a few streets away from where I lived for more than forty years, and although some of those old neighbours have moved away since their family left home, I still see others from time to time and we are firm friends.

Where I am now has a few 'singles' who only need a small home with little maintenance, but we are all proud of our complex - and yet, we have a few from other countries who are here to take advantage of the education and experience offered, then they will leave and return to their homelands. These people have no interest in their surroundings or in obeying the strata by-laws - particularly involving parking - viz., one couple, no children, in a 3-bedroom townhouse with double garage - have never parked their two cars in the garage - that's their entertainment room - and park in the turning bay, making it difficult for drivers of large vehicles to turn - but they don't care! Others read their mail at the mailbox area and if it is unwanted, they just drop it right there on the nature strip! Too lazy to take it with them and put in a bin! Absolutely no pride at all, and no interest in being friendly - just here to get what they can out of our country, then go!

Ah yes: the signs and portents

They are quite correct, one day the world will end!

The jury is just divided on when

Allan

Berona,

I was thinking of how the war years brought people together for a common purpose. Society accepted the hardships because it had endured them throughout the depression and then into the war. People had to look after themselves and each other because there was no other help.

Then when things became plentiful, society forgot the austere times and gradually developed into the current materialist society that we know so wel.

Me, me, me. I want it and I want it now!

I think that this attitude has been encouraged by various governments for whatever reason. But society as a whole seems focussed inwards rather than outwards.

I use the word society because yes there are groups and indivuals who do still care about their neighbours and their communities but they seem to be in the minority.

A classic case was on last nights news where a group of elderly residents had been kicked out of an aged care facility because the group that ran it was in financial trouble. Two weeks notice that expired a couple of days ago. No help was given to the elderly residents to find somewhere else, just left to their own devices. The Managing Director of the group lives in a fairly palatial property with all the trimmings.

This made two points with me.

The first was that years ago, the elderly would have been looked after for as long as posible by their own families and the second was reconciling someone being made possibly homeless less tha a couple of weeks before Christmas

Allan

Well, I seem to have been very earnest on here today.

Please forgive me if my rants have caused offence, that was not my intention

And of course, these views are the views of the author and in no way represent the views of the thread.

I will away to the garden to work of my pasion by rendering some grass gardenless :0))

Have a safe day/ evening all

Allan

Berona it is exactly the same here - last year I visited an area in the south of England that I once knew very well. My paternal grandparents lived there. The area was once neat, clean, well cared for, and the residents took great pride in their surroundings.
I was disgusted at the state of the place, it was filthy, with litter strewn everywhere. Once neat little front gardens had become car parks, the houses had gone to pot, scruffy and uncared for. My grandparents would be spinning in their graves at the state of the place.

By the way, I'm not suggesting your area is like this obviously, but it an example of what happens when pride is a thing of the past.

Tec