General Chat

Hi Ladies, Yes brill day here in Sydney. Dtr-in-law came for dinner on Friday and passed on her cold, sore throat (have not had a cold in years), am dosing myself up with Stones Green Ginger wine in hot water with a spoonful of honey. As have to be in at work tomorrow ready for new staff member joining us. D-i-law rang from airport today on her way to Cook Islands to teach in school there for 2 wks as part of her Uni degree and said 'Guess what - I forgot to renew my re-entry visa.' She is American and thought the Visa she got years ago was still valid!! Poor thing, was in such a tizz, as she is usually so damn ultra organised, but she had to buy a ticket to USA for $1200 (fully refundable) so that the Aussies will allow her to leave this country and then she has to apply for Visa whilst on Cook Islands! We will laugh about this when she gets back. Thanks Judy and Laurie for your email jokes etc. Fwded the one of error messages to my cousin in UK whose husband and daughter run an internet set up site, they were much appreciated. Trifley - now, about ugly babies, mine were shockers and I have always admitted that the 1st few weeks of their life they were pretty awful. Have photos to prove how yuk they looked! They turned out ok though - thank goodness otherwise I might have had to return them from whence they came - ouch! At work one of our clients brings in her twin boys and as soon as she leaves we all say the same thing - her boys look more and more like mini ewoks. Of course she thinks they are beautiful! Have warned d-i-law, no ugly babies in this house, I've had 2 uglies of my own. lol Anna - did you see what I meant about the 'roses' on the word game? Enjoy your Sunday all. Lyn

Thanks, Anna. You have a good one too. Got your message about the word game and have posted as requested! Lew Lew xxx

Hi Lew Lew You sneaked in while I was typing. That's 2 of us who don't have a life! Have a good day Miss Mudgee. Goodness - all this talk of babies. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt! I had to laugh when Trifley said 'At least it wasn't ugly like some babies!' Trifley - every baby is beautiful to its own mother. Shame, shame, shame! :>) Anna

Morning all Good grief - it's 9am and I'm the first one on here. Are you all going to tell me I'm the only one who hasn't got a life? Beautiful day here - seems the weather in Sydney, where darling daughter is, is not too bad either. She comes home on Friday 14th - her 16th birthday.Trifley - I'm giving her those glamour photos I ordered when we were in Brisvegas - they are beautiful. She hasn't got the faintest idea that I oredered them. (For those of you who don't know what I am talking about - Katherine went to Star Shots photo studio with a friend earlier this year and had some glamour shots taken. They were really expensive but I've had some done for her birthday. After all, she'll never be sixteen again and look so young and pretty and innocent!) Hi Julie Cat - what do you know about Chester that we don't!! Would someone tell me what time we are meeting at the casino on Thursday?? And where we are meeting?? Hi Vonny - when are you coming home? I'm trying to keep the word games going but Jood is away and I haven't got her for back up. Come on you other Wattlers - help me out here! Be back later no doubt Luv Anna Trifley - I was going crook at you for not posting yesterday - but you didn't have to make up for it by posting the same message twice!! Thanks for the info about the casino - jeans for Chris it is.

Morning Wattlers and a Happy Sunday to you. Weather's a bit yukky here today. Overcast with a nasty cool breeze. Hope you're having fun, Jood, and that you are staying rugged up! Where are you, Laurie? You're very quiet. Tony, my 3 friends and I stayed in a great hotel in Paris, Hotel Britannique. Google it. Every morning before we went out the receptionist would line us up so that we could practise the correct names of the Metro Stations to ensure we asked for the right tickets, lol. Also, if we got into any trouble, we would just ring them and they sorted it out. I'm sorry your experience wasn't so good. Ooo Trifley, another bubby to snuggle. Don't you just love that. Baby Mae was at Colleen's shower yesterday. She's a couple of weeks younger than Ruby and is a very contented baby. Just sat and watched. When are those boys back from Nubia? You'll need them for the week ahead to pamper you. Chat soon Lew Lew xxx

Chester :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) Laurie glad you're ok :-) Trifley ((((((((((hugs)))))))))) ~~~~~~~~~~~~to all~~~~~~~~~~~~ Juliexx

Hi everyone I've had a lovely visit today from a mate of Marks from Grafton. Co-incidently....his surname is CHAPMAN too..lol He and Mark used to hang out togeher and would tell everyone they were cousins. Well he and his partner were passing through so they came to show me their new baby He is soooo cute...not ugly like some bubs can be. Three & half months old and gave his 'aunty' Dianne a big smile. I had lots of cuddles...it's amazing how good it is to cradle a new life in your arms. Anna...there is LOTS of parking at Jupiers casino and tidy jeans will be acceptable. I've seen people in there in some ver stange gear....so Chris will be fine. I told Mark I'd introduce him to the Watlers if he was off that day....he's now put in a request to work that day....little s**t...lol Laurie...are you sure you are ok? After an accident like that you could have very severe psychological scarring about Mercedes Benz cars....particularly silver ones....:-).....lol Our electrician is going to France with his 16 year old daughter to do a bike tour for part of the Tour de France. Up and down the Pyrnees....he's a bloody site fitter than I am. Hi Devily...I lived on the RAAF base at Laverton from 1966 to '69. And I went to school at Mount Saint Joseph's Girls College in West Altona. Probably a bit before your time though. Yvette......having time with your boys is always time well spent. Hello and a regal ~~~~~~~~~wave to all you wonderful people....thanks for your thoughts and support. It is making it all easier to cope with. Positive thinking is keeping me going. I'm going to have a relaxing day today as I've got a big week coming up. Catch you all later. love Trifley X

Hi everyone I've had a lovely visit today from a mate of Marks from Grafton. Co-incidently....his surname is CHAPMAN too..lol He and Mark used to hang out togeher and would tell everyone they were cousins. Well he and his partner were passing through so they came to show me their new baby He is soooo cute...not ugly like some bubs can be. Three & half months old and gave his 'aunty' Dianne a big smile. I had lots of cuddles...it's amazing how good it is to cradle a new life in your arms. Anna...there is LOTS of parking at Jupiers casino and tidy jeans will be acceptable. I've seen people in there in some ver stange gear....so Chris will be fine. I told Mark I'd introduce him to the Watlers if he was off that day....he's now put in a request to work that day....little s**t...lol Laurie...are you sure you are ok? After an accident like that you could have very severe psychological scarring about Mercedes Benz cars....particularly silver ones....:-).....lol Our electrician is going to France with his 16 year old daughter to do a bike tour for part of the Tour de France. Up and down the Pyrnees....he's a bloody site fitter than I am. Hi Devily...I lived on the RAAF base at Laverton from 1966 to '69. And I went to school at Mount Saint Joseph's Girls College in West Altona. Probably a bit before your time though. Yvette......having time with your boys is always time well spent. Hello and a regal ~~~~~~~~~wave to all you wonderful people....thanks for your thoughts and support. It is making it all easier to cope with. Positive thinking is keeping me going. I'm going to have a relaxing day today as I've got a big week coming up. Catch you all later. love Trifley X

Wow - it's quiet on here tonight! Yes Lew - poo bum and wee wee! It's about time we had a little incentive to keep on keeping on! Tony - been for a look at your photos. Oh I am soooo jealous! Brings back lots of memories and I just want to go back there again. Isn't Scotland beautiful? And you can sense the history of the place just from looking at the photos. There's a TV program on SBS tomorrow night at 8.30 - talks about genetics and whether the lifestyles of our forefathers has any effect on the genes of their descendants. Sounds very interesting - I will be watching it. A sort of nature versus nurture - with genetics thrown in for good measure. Trifley .........pluddy useless lotto tickets you bought us! Where are you woman - you are too quiet. Talk to us. Night night to everyone Luv Anna I'd love to be a fly on the wall in Chester, England and see what's going on at the meet there. Our Lemon will no doubt be singing and having a wee drachm.......

http://groups.msn*.*com/GCPhotospage/tonyampbarb.msnw Now I know what my Essex Ozzie cuz looks like! and there's a picture of Barb with Greyfriars Bobby too! Brilliant! :-)

I second that Lew. June was such a kind and thoughtful person, and never an unkind word from her to anyone. Always remembering to add every ones birthday or special event, she was a very special lady. God bless. Paris.Yes...well..Ummmm We arrived in Paris from Edinburgh at 1:30 pm, after a 1hr 20 min plane flight. We hired a Taxi from the information centre at the airport after changing from Pounds to Euros. 20 min wait we were told as the girl contacted our taxi transport to our Hotel. 1hr and 20 min later he turned up, and after he had finished snapping the handle on my suitcase as he threw them in the back of the Combi Van, we were off on our way. Barb gripped the seats as we wizzed down the road dodging the heavy traffic at approx 140kms an hr, and smiling through gritted teeth. Who'ah..frenchy, Barb said. Whats the big hurry!!...... Yahhhh..i said,( swaying with the motion and speed ) wer'e in Paris....:>)))hold on to anything that's grabable before he kills us i told her.....lol 45min later we arrived at the Hotel. After checking in we lugged our suitcases up to our room. Our Hotel was a 3 star Hotel and 4 stories high. We entered our room, 10ft by 10ft square, and just large enough to fit us and a double bed. After shoving the suitcases in the bathroom ( not enough room in the bedroom )and also noticed there was none of the usual courtesy tray of Tea or Coffee or milk, and no fridge, so i went down stairs to see if we could get a jug of Hot water. Barb had some sachets of Coffee & Tea bags ( god bless her )The Hotel manager told me to go down to the kitchen and see my wife, he said. The kitchen was in a dungeon below ground, and looked like a make shift air raid bunker, with a curved ceiling,( painted yellow ) with moisture constantly dripping from the ceiling.( how quaint i thought ) The wife boiled some hot water in a jug, and we filled the thermos up. Back upstairs Barb said, Mmmm...how much are we paying for all this luxury..?? Only 145 Euros ($247:00 ) a night, i said....wot a bargain...:>))) Barb punched me on the arm.?? Anyway...don't want to make it sound to good, otherwise everyone will want to stay here....lol Forget the Coffee i said, we'll go down to the Cafe, next to the Hotel. I walked up to the counter ( in the Cafe ) and asked for a white Coffee. The cup was kinda small ( like an egg cup )...:>(( He placed it on the bar and said, 5 Euro ( $8:50 ) I picked the cup up and started to walk away to sit in the chairs on the footpath. The waiter looked at me strangely, and banged his finger on the bar.....no no..must drink here inside, he motioned. There was an English chap at the bar,( who could tell i was a foreigner or Ozzie )and explained to me, that if i take the Coffee outside to drink,it was an extra Euro or so...:>((( England & Scotland's B&Bs were looking real good at this point. Later that afternoon we walked up the 'Alee des cygnes' towards the Eiffel Tower dodging and scrapeing the dog poo of our shoes that lined the walkway along the river Seine. Apart from our accommodation, we did enjoy the city of Paris ( at a glance ) and did a lot of walking. The Eiffel Tower looked great at night ( all lit up )and we took a hop on,hop off cruise the next day up the River Seine, stopping at various locations around Paris.............. The Louve,Arch deTriomphe,Notre Dam,Champs de Elysees, Petite Palace, and also walked the sidewalk markets and stalls. We noticed a lot of the small smart cars, and also the tiny Phone box petrol stations for motorbikes built on the footpaths. Barb enjoyed her shopping, but for me personally,apart from the major sightseeing thingy's,Paris was not on my must return list, but then again its a matter of personal taste i guess. I found the locals not to bad, but the shop owners a bit couldn't give a fig attitude,( unless you spoke French ) and were not in a hurry to help or serve you. We only had two days in Paris, but I'm sure there were other more interesting things to see, perhaps in the Country side?...but also... found Paris a very expensive city to do your shopping. Tony Oz...:>))

So Long, Fare Well

From all the Wattlers to a Very Special Lady. June, we will miss you! And to your family, how lucky you are to have been related to such a selfless person. From all the Gang DownUnder, Bless You.

Bugger, bugger, bugger, bum, poo, wee!!! 6, 11, 15, 21, 32, 36 Sups: 10 & 16 Not Happy, Jan!!!!

Anna, I have emailed you. Lew xxx

Hello all. Off to look at Tony and Barb's pictures. Tony's favourite cuz :-)

Hi guys Could someone tell me the email addy for Tony's photos - I lost my favourites when the computer was throwing a hissy fit! Ta Anna

Ooo, Anna, how proud of Katherine you must be. Performing at the Opera House is a pretty big call! That's where my high school used to hold its speech days and we'd sing the Hallelujah Chorus. Tony, the photos are wonderful and bring back lots of memories. Just loved Scotland and also Paris. I only found a problem with the Parisiennes. The people in the countryside were brilliant and very helpful with 4 young Aussie girls with only school girl french, lol. Laurie, I've had a lovely afternoon with your Colleen. She just looks radiant and I also knew heaps of her friends already, so it was nice to catch up with them. Yes, SuzyQ, that black and white dog is our Jack the Wonder Dog. He has just turned 13, although still behaves like a puppy. He is the best dog and everyone who meets him wants to take him home. Not a mean bone in his body and he is brilliant with kids, very tolerant. How's your day been Trifley? Hope you're keeping your spirits up (and the wine, cocktails and sherry, heee, heee) Just what Dr Lew ordered. Waves to all the wonderful Wattlers and keeps her bits crossed for Lotto! Lew Lew xxx

HI Wattlers Computer seems to be working properly again so I've got until Monday morning on it and then we're off to Mt.Tamborine. Darling daughter left today for Sydney/Canberra. She has lots of warm clothes so hope she will be OK as we've been having balmy weather up here. There are 3 busloads of them going from her school - the choirs, the concert band and the dance and media students.One bus has its luggage compartment full of instruments, costumes, etc. They are performing at the Sydney Opera House and Darling Harbour tomorrow and at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday. Everything is packed so nicely in her suitcase - I can just imagine what it will be like in a few days time - stuff everywhere! I'm feeling anxious of course - what Mum doesn't! Laurie - glad you are OK - what a shock. You were very lucky. What an irresponsible driver! We've had a few hit and runs up here lately where the outcome for the pedestrian was not so good. You and your apples - do you remember Mother and Son where Ruth Cracknell made her son stop on the way to a funeral so she could buy some oranges from a roadside stall? She was bending over the coffin after it had been lowered into the hole and the oranges all kept falling out of her bag into the grave! It was so funny. Ruth Cracknell was the spitting image of my mother in her later years. I used to get goosebumps every time she was on the telly. SuzyQ - we'll be at the casino on Thursday - can you let me know what time and does anyone know about parking there and if there's any sort of dress code? Will Chris be OK in smart jeans? Hi Tony - love the travel stories. I don't know if I'll be able to face a quarter pounder again - let alone a big Mac! Hi Trifley - watcha up to? Will talk to you tomorrow about Wednesday. Love to all Anna

Dear Everybody, I love reading all this , all your travels and gadding about. I do hope you are ok Laurie, it gave me goosebumps when you said about the accident. I will return your questionairre sometime this week. The QLD meet sounds fun, my soulmate lives on the Gold Coast, just never get the chance to visit her. I desperately want to visit the UK and the relo's that I have never met (+ do the graveyards) I think that I'll be going alone as OH satisfied his travel needs when he was younger (I aquired him after I already had 2 kids) the family all are really supportive and encourage me to be independant - as I have done with them. Apart from conqering my fear of flying (last year with youngest male child) I - most of my time away is spent in a tent. Today I've defrosted the freezer, cleaned out the fridge, made apple danish's and had a great day with the boys. Not very often they are all home at the same time. They have humoured me by changing their sheets,being nice to each other and yakking to me most of the day. love to you all from Yvette