Time with the grandies.

Today has been quite a pleasant day, one way and another. Weather wise it was not too hot, but it is bound to heat up soon, as all our weather comes from the west, and it has been scorching over there.
Our daughter and her children arrived just as we were about to go down the street to do a few jobs. She said the boys wanted to stay with us, so I said they could come with us. They thought that was a nifty idea, and jumped in to our car.They had not ridden in it before.
While we were waiting for Neville to come and drive us, Riley asked me if Yu-Jin had a Nanna. I said, "Yes, he does." "Who is she?" I said, "Me." "How come?" So, I explained the situation to him, and told him he also has a grandmother in Korea. I said she is Auntie Miky's mother. "Who's Aunite Miky?" I explained she is married to Uncle Mark, his mum's brother. As they have never met, it is not surprising he was puzzled.
We drove down town and I took the boys to the post office so they could post a letter each. Then they came with me when I withdrew some money from my credit union account. We drove down the street a bit and while I went in to the newsagent's and bought a magazine, Neville took them to the play ground for a few minutes and I went back to the car. When I looked through the magazine, I noticed an advert for another mag and decided to buy that too. I locked the car and went back to the paper shop. One of the owner's children served me. The mag cost $5.75. I gave her $20.00 plus the 75 cents. She gave me $13.00 change. I asked her if she had run out of $5.00 notes, she said no, she hadn't. I said that she had given me the wrong change. She should have given me $15.00, as I had given her the extra 75 cents. She corrected her mistake. Gotta watch these kids.
The chaps came back soon after, and they were hot, as they had been mucking around with their Pop. I suggested we go and get a drink. They thought that was a good idea, so we drove to one of the bakery cafes. I asked them if they would like a milk shake, and they said they would. We decided on flavours and Lachlan said he would like something to eat. He said he would like a finger bun. There were no finger buns. He settled for a chocolate Eclair. When we finally got our milkshakes, we went back to the car. Riley put his drink on the seat while he did up his seat belt. Yes, dear reader, it fell over and started to leak on to the seat. Thankfully, I had a blanket on the seat and not much leaked out before I noticed it.
We drove back home and they asked if they could play a game on the computer. I booted it up, and they had not been playing long, when their mum came back for them. It hardly seemed like five minutes, but must have been an hour or more they were with us. It was something different for them anyway.

Christmas Day 2007

This year's celebration was sort of dumped on me at the last minute.
On Sunday, my daughter rang and asked if they could come here for the day. I said it was OK, just so long as I had some help with the lunch, as I am having trouble with my knee and am still hobbling a bit and in pain. My daughter leaves everything till the last minute. This is not my style.
We decided that we did not want a roast dinner, and plumped for a B.B.Q instead. I asked her to make a green salad and a potato salad. I made a Coleslaw and we had the chops and snags here.
Christmas Eve, Neville had to buy a new hose for the gas cylinder, as the one that came with the B.B.Q has a regulator on it and would not let the gas through very fast. It took 2 hours to cook something that should have taken 20 minutes, because the hot plate did not get very hot.This time, it worked a treat.
Our daughter and her family arrived about 11.50 am, and we got the lunch on the table. It was a very relaxed time, and I really enjoyed Christmas for once. After lunch I gave the children their gifts and the boys were very excited and pleased with them.
I gave Riley a Cars Lego furniture truck, which his brother put together for him. Lachlan only has one hand to do things with and he manages very well. I also gave Riley a Target gift card, and he was waving it around excitedly telling his mum he had a credit card.I said he had better give it to mum to look after, so he did not lose it. This he did.
I had had to wrap one of Lachlan's gifts in bubble wrap, as it was only in a display box, and if I had wrapped it as was, it would have ripped the paper. When I was picking up the paper to dispose of it, Pete said I should give the bubble wrap to Willow to play with. I balked at the idea because it is plastic. He said it was not a plastic bag, though. I took all the sticky tape off it ang gave it to her to play with. I had given her a Glo Bear as well. She was much more interested in the bubble wrap, and more so when Riley started popping the big bubbles. She laughed and laughed at the noise and his silly antics. She absolutely hero worships those boys.
At around 2.30, Pete came in and said they had to leave as he had forgotten to take his anti Histamine tablet, and he was having a reaction to something outside. As he suffers from Asthma, I did not argue about it, though I was disappointed they could not stay longer, as we hardly ever get to see the children.
All in all it was a very pleasant day. The weather was kind to us too. I think it was only 25c. Just a nice Spring day, though it is Summer.

Big day out.

Yesterday, I woke at 'sparrow f..t,'( the crack of dawn, for the uninitiated.) as per usual. This was not a problem , for once, as we were traveling to Adelaide, to do some shopping and see my mother.
It had been a very hot day on Thursday, and we were hoping for a cooler day for the trip. We got our wish. It was freezing and poured with rain!! It rained so hard on the freeway, that the wipers struggled to keep up. There was a lot of storm water backed up on the streets and roads, as the drainage system could not cope, either.
We drove down to Marion so I could look a t a computer desk I had seen in a catalogue that I quite liked. It was only $149.00. We could not find the place with the street number given in the catalogue, so we pulled in to a side street, and while I phoned them, Neville ate his lunch that he had taken with him. It was 1.30 by this time.
The young man told me were were nearly there, and to proceed until we saw Harvey Norman, and they were next door. We went in and looked at the desk, but it was not really big enough. My sister had offered me one for free that had belonged to her father-in-law, who has recently died. I had said I would check this other one out first. We were nearly down to her suburb, so I rang as arranged, and told her we were on our way.
This suburb is a b.....y awful place to find your way in. We get lost EVERY time we go there. It took us half an hour, when it should have taken ten minutes. I had to ring her again, and while I was talking to her, we arrived at her house.
I had my window down, as the sun had come out, and after the rain, it was very muggy. The window has always been stiff when it is wound up, and yesterday was no exception. Only problem was, I did not notice the window had slipped off it's track and had dropped down inside the door. It was unusually hard to wind up, and then there was a crack, like breaking glass. I looked around the see the problem. Neville managed to get it back up, but I was unable to wind it down again.
(I went to the library this morning, to see if I could get a manual for the car, so Neville could dismantle the door and fix the window. It was closed!!! It is supposed to be open on Saturday mornings, but the cleaning lady said not today. They are supposed to be providing a public service. Bloody public servants!)
After we had a cup of tea and chatted to my sister and her husband for a while, we had a look at the desk. It is smaller than the one in the shop.Then my sister asked me if I would prefer hers. I said I would, as it it is bigger. They will be traveling through here in February with a trailer load of gear, and will drop it off then.
We then went to the nursing home to visit my mother. She was looking better, but we are told she will never walk again, or talk properly. She is eating well my sister says, and she is being treated more humanely by the nursing staff. This is a huge relief to me. We stayed for an hour, and left shortly after her tea had been brought in.
Mum made my day when she said something I did not expect from her. I had been saying how we had hoped for a cooler day to travel, and had not expected so much rain. I said,"Idiot me. I wore sandals, didn't I?" "I have had my feet wet a couple of times." Mum said something and I had to ask her to repeat it. She said, "I didn't know anyone was supposed to be perfect." I just laughed, though I wanted to cry, and kissed her and told her she was gorgeous.
As we were leaving, we met her friend in the passage. She hailed us, and we stopped for a word. I went off to find out where to put the debris from my flowers, and when I came back to Neville and Jo, I heard Jo say something about a priest.
I asked Neville about it on the way home. He said Jo had heard his voice and thought the Anglican priest was in with mum. He was incredulous, and exclaimed, "Do I look like a priest?" I said. "What does a priest look like, but himself. If that had been your calling, of course you would look like a priest."
We called in to our daughter's home and had a cuppa, and chatted to the children. Lachlan gave me a Christmas card he had written in.They had been to see 'Santa' at the local super market and had some balloon animals. These kept getting popped. We arrived home at 10.30 and crashed into bed. I slept for seven hours straight! Lovely.

Christmas Do.

Sue and I went to the Christmas wind up party for the Activity Centre today. The Activity Centre is attached to the hospital and is an outreach service for the elderly and disadvantaged people of the town . Anybody can attend any day of the week. The women who run it are always friendly and arranging outings and activities, like cooking, sing a longs, cards and shopping trips etc. Sue and I don't go to the centre for any of the activities, except the church service some Tuesdays. This is held next door in the independent aged care facility.We always go in and say hullo to everyone, though. We never seem to think of going to the centre during the week. Not because we are snobs, it just does not occur to us, as we seem to find plenty to entertain ourselves with.
We were seated at the back of the dining room at one of the pubs, and it turned out to be hotter than forecast. The air conditioning did not reach to our end of the room, and it was a bit muggy.
I was seated next to a lady I used to see when I attended the Anglican church, and who I have not seen for years. She is 96 and looks about 70. Next to to her was another elderly friend I do not see much of, either. It was nice to catch up with both of them.
Across from me, was Alma, another older lady I have not seen for years. She spoke to me, but called me Denise. I said I was not Denise, and she said, "You used to be." I tried not to burst in to fits of giggles, and said "No, I am Susan." She asked me who my husband is, and Sue said "She is married to Neville." Alma said. I thought you were married to Peter." I said, Denise was married to Peter, though she is not married to him any more.
That made my day!
We had to sing some Christmas carols, which was nice, then we finished off with Jingle Bells! I did not join in with that one. Then one of the women gave us a piece of newspaper and told us we had to make a Christmas tree out of it. Mine was a dismal failure, as were many others. If we had been given scissors it would have been a different kettle of fish.
Then, we had to endure the childish custom of Father Christmas giving out gifts. We each had to bring a $5.00 gift, and say if it was for a man or woman. The average age of those present would be about 80!
Then we sang Happy Birthday to a lady who goes to the centre every Tuesday and bakes pasties. These are frozen and sold at various times, to raise extra monies for equipment etc.
All this before lunch. When the meal was served, it was not very appertizing and was cold. It was supposed to be hot, as it was roast turkey etc. The beans were over cooked and disintegrated when one tried to eat them. Dessert was a choice of Plum Pudding with cream and custard or Pavlova. I chose the pudding, as I thought it was the lesser of the two evils, and was disappointed as it was out of a tin and dry as dust. It looks as though I will be living of lettuce leaves for a few days to compensate.
There were two raffles drawn today. One was for a beautifully decorated Christmas cake. The lady next to me won that. Then there was the usual pub raffle run on Wednesdays. I won a $10.00 voucher from the pub. Nice.
On the way out, I was given a piece of the Christmas cake that the birthday girl cut, and it was as dry as dust, too. Whoever made it should take lessons. It had not been given time to mature.
All in all, it was quite a pleasant day. I never get invited to anything like this,so thought it would be nice to get out for a change. It only cost me $10.00 for the meal, which is what it usually costs on Wednesday, as it is Senior's day.
Merry Christmas everyone. May the peace of The Lord be with you always.

What do you want for Christmas, Grandma?

I was delighted to receive another phone call from my Perth Grandson yesterday. I usually only get one, and that is on Tuesday night, after his martial arts class. However, he has been unwell this week, so did not go. He rang me last Thursday to ask why I had not written in his Christmas card, so this call was a bonus.
Yu-Jin gets right down to tin tacks, no mucking about. "Hullo, this is Yu-Jin. Grandma, Dad wants to know what you would like for Christmas." Without hesitation, I said I would like a new mouse mat with a gel cushion to rest my wrist on, as my hand is getting very sore. "Can you tell dad that now?" "Hey, Dad, Grandma wants........." This was yelled at his father while he still had the phone close to his mouth and my ear! I love the innocence of children and their naturalness, Pity we lose it as we grow up.
I asked Yu-JIn if he had written in his Christmas card, and he said he hadn't. I said I would write him a short letter and post it, and he could stick it in the card. I wrote an email and tried to print it, but it did not print all of it, so I sent the thing and asked my son to print it so Yu-Jin could put it in his card. What a rigmarole!
I will just have to wait and see what transpires. I checked out the mouse mats on the internet, and some of them are quite expensive. Some are very cheap.

Pull over please driver.

Last evening, my friend Sue and her son came around for a visit. We were chatting about things, and the subject of the Christmas lights on people's homes came up. Neville took me around town on Saturday evening to have a look at them, but the ones we found were not very spectacular, with a few exceptions. Sue had offered to take me to see them, and I reminded her of that. She said we could go for a drive to see if we could find any others. We went all over town but were disappointed at the lack of displays. Some of the light glowed so dimly, it was a mystery to us why they bothered. We were heading back towards the town from what is termed 'Snob Hill,' and there was a car coning towards us. His lights seemed to be dipping up and down a lot, and we wondered if he was being stupid or whether the car was bouncing in the uneven road. As we drove past,( and Sue was not speeding,) we were very surprised to see it was a police car. He did a u turn and followed us. Then he flashed his lights, so Sue pulled over. We were puzzled as to why he had picked on her. When the officer came up to her window, he had a breath tester in his hand. Now, Sue does not drink.
He recognized Sue when he looked in to the car, and said, "Hullo, it's you Sue Got the family with you,eh?" "No, just Paul and a friend." He got her to 'blow in the bag.' and she blew so hard she nearly broke it. It was the sarge, and he knew it would read nil, but had to proceed. As we drove off, I asked her why he would have pulled her over, and she said probably because it is an older car, and older cars usually mean hoons. I said that did not make sense as she was not speeding. She was probably only doing 35kph, which is the speed limit around the town. We had a good laugh about it.

Just feeling a bit smug, I are!

With the prices of all commodities skyrocketing,( it's because of the drought, don't you know?) one needs to make adjustments where one can. Fruit and veg are a case in point. Neville took me to the super market this morning so I could buy 1/4 of a cabbage to make Coleslaw for lunch. I was annoyed to see that the price for a 1/4 and a 1/2 was the same. 0.99. That is not a bad price for a half but not the two. I looked in the trolleys where they put slightly older, but still quite good fruit and veg, to see if there was a cabbage in them. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a half cabbage, slightly brown, but still OK, for 0.50, so I grabbed it. I also bought some small red potatoes, as I like them better than white varieties. All up, it cost me less than $4.00. So,as this doesn't happen very often, you can understand why I am feeling a bit smug.

They are coming thick and fast!

I am referring to the 'senior' moments. Last evening, I was having a Nanna nap, when my mobile rang. Now, I must tell you folks, I have recently purchased a new one, and I am not yet accustomed to it's ring tone for incoming calls. Being asleep did not help either, as I was slightly disorientated, and thought for a few seconds it was the radio.
Coming quickly to the realization it was the phone, I answered it. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear my Perth based grandson's voice.
Without any preamble, he said, "This is Yu-Jin. Grandma, why did you send me a Christmas card with no writing in it?" I just laughed, and said, "I am sorry sweetie, I did the same thing to Riley & Lachlan." "I thought I had written in them."
Here's the low down on the story. As it is our only grand daughter's first Christmas, and I always send the grandies cards, I bought a musical one for Willow, but non musical ones for the three boys. I wrote in Willow's, as I intended to put a Target gift card in it for her, I did not address it, as I was going to give it to her on Christmas Day. Instead, I gave the gift card to Deb as she was going to a large town the next day, and she was able to buy some clothes for her. I had stuck address labels on the boys . Because of that fact, I wrongfully assumed I had written in their cards, and sealed them and posted them last week. My son said recently, he can't wait for the time I do become a senior citizen to see how often I goof! It won't be long by the look of things.

Thanks be to God, I have found them!

For the last three weeks I have been slowly going out of my mind as I could not find two gift vouchers I had purchased along with my Christmas hampers. I had 'put them in a safe place'. This usually means, I never see them again, or, not for many months or maybe years. As I have very poor eyesight, this adds to my dilemma.
I was not able to go back to sleep after I had made my semi nocturnal visit to the loo, as my leg was giving me gyp, so, after about an hour of thrashing around, I decided to get up, at about 5.15 am, and make a start on rearranging furniture, to accommodate my Perth family, when they come over next month.I will not be shifting furniture, I will rope my spouse into that caper.
I have boxes and much paper to go through and shred or keep, and I am going to get the chest of drawers moved so I can put a bed in here for my grandson. I was clearing the stuff off the top of it, when I looked in box of envelopes, and Voila, there were the vouchers I have been frantically looking for. I cried with relief, as I thanked God for showing me where they were.

Luncheon Guests.

Today was not an unqualified success. Neville's brother, Peter and his new lady, Margret, came here for lunch. I was pleased to be able to repay his hospitality to some degree, and I had been itching to use my new wall oven. I put a boneless pork roast in just before 8.30, and turned it on. Well, you would , wouldn't you? I had no idea what temperature or for how long I should cook it.
I had bought a large Pyrex casserole dish to use as a roaster on Thursday. I put the meat in that with the lid on, as I did not want it to spatter the oven with fat. I later removed it, as the meat was not getting crisp crackling. It still did not get crisp crackling as I had it on the wrong side. It was soft and soggy. Yuk!
I got Neville to do some pumpkin and parsnips, while I did potatoes and carrots. I put some frozen beans on with the hot plate, turned down to one, when they started to boil. Peter and Marg arrived, and we women went inside and sat in the lounge. I forgot all about the beans, thinking they would be alright. How wrong was I? When I went to drain them, there was no water and they had burned!
That meant I would need to heat up some water to make gravy. This I proceeded to do, then could not find the gravy powder. So, no gravy. I had warmed up some apple sauce though. The pumpkin was the wrong kind for roasting, as it fell apart, and looked dreadful dished up.
They said it was very nice, but they were probably being polite. We finished off the meal with fresh fruit and a cuppa.
NOT an unmitigated success by any standard. Marg and I adjourned to the lounge while the men did some paper work at the table. Pete and Marg have just left to go and see his daughter.

The wisdom of children

I have been meaning to post this little gem of wisdom, espoused by my grandson, Riley. He turned five last weekend, and we called in on our way home from 'the big smoke', as is our habit. I wanted to give him his birthday present, as it was his birthday on the following day, Saturday, and we were not able to attend.(I still have not worked out why.) I was aware he was having a party, and asked him how many girls and boys were going to be there. These are his friends from kindergarten. He said, "Only five girls." "How many boys?" "Oh, lots more than girls." I then asked him if his mum's friend, Kylie, was going to be there. He said she was, but she was not a girl. I said,"If she isn't a girl, what is she?" Quick as a flash he shot back, "She's a parent!" Well, I just about collapsed in a heap, I was laughing so hard. I just love that boy, I just love him!

Election fallout.

It seems there is a new phenomenon since the federal election. I call it the 'Humpty Dumpty Syndrome.'The Liberals seem to be falling off the wall, and quitting in droves. It would seem they do not have the will to get back in to the fight, and they have a yellow streak down their backs. Without John Howard leading them from the rear, they are in total disarray.
There will of course, be a ballot for the Liberal leadership. The two contenders who have thrown their hats in the ring so far, are Tony Abbot, and Malcolm Turnbull.I would not give tuppence for either of them. I think Abbot is a mean dude, and just argues for the sake of it. Turnbull is an unknown quantity ,(to me) but I am informed he would really be the best choice for the leader. Time will tell.
Abbot has gone head to head with Julia Gillard on telly, and she has put it all over him. I look forward to seeing how she fares.

All Systems Go!!!

At last and finally, we have the cook top and wall oven connected and working!!! We contacted the electrician two weeks ago, and he said he was very busy and he would get back to us last week, but it did not happen. I spoke to my son this morning as usual, and he said to call the guy, so I did, after lunch. He thought we wanted a repair done, but I put him straight on that score. He said he would be around in half an hour. He and his apprentice checked the situation out, and they went to Ron's home to get some cable and some other bits, then Ron dropped the apprentice off so he could start the job, while he went to do something else. Craig, the apprentice, said Ron had gone to order something. When Ron came back,half an hour later, I heard him say something about the Melbourne Cup, so wondered if he was placing a bet too. I thought it a bit cheeky that Ron charged us for an hour for himself when he was only here 20 minutes tops! Anyway, I can't wait to get baking.
Neville is screwing the cupboards together, as Ron said by law and for obvious safety reasons, the wall oven cupboard has to be secured, not free standing, so it does not tip over when I take something heavy, like a roast out of the oven.

Long day. And how!

Yesterday morning, when Neville came home from buying the Saturday paper, he asked if I would like to go to Adelaide to look at a good second hand car. As I have been having a torrid time with my leg, and not feeling like doing much, it was a big ask. It meant hours cooped up in the little car, and I did not relish the idea at all. It also meant I would not be able to move around much all day, and that would mean much discomfort, not to mention possible pain. I said I would go if we went to see my mother who is in hospital, and very ill. He said we would not go to Adelaide and not see her.
We finally found the home of the man with the advertised car. It looked very good at first glance. He had said it was a clean, neat car. We thought it was a white 1998 EL Ford Falcon. Had only done 123,000.00 kms. Paul was asking $5,000.00 for it.
We took it far a short test drive, and Neville said he would see if Paul would take $4,500.00 for it. They discussed the sale, and Paul said he had wanted $4.600.00, but he did not want to be stuffed around with it, and, as we had come all the way from Bordertown, he agreed to our offer. It turns out it is a January 1997 model. There are, as one could anticipate, some minor things to be fixed, but Neville says it is still a good buy.
I can tell you dear reader, it was a loverly feeling driving down the street this morning in a decent car!!! It has air conditioning, a CD player, blue/grey mottled/plain upholstery, keyless entry and lots of leg room. Neville is not used to these new fangled gadgets, but he will get used to them. I will buy a dashboard mat so that does not get cracked from the sun. He will need to buy stronger head lamps, as they do not show up well on high beam. He will also need to fix the old Ford Fairlaine and sell it so we can put this one in the shed!!

Here I am once again.

Hi folks, I have returned. I have been in hospital having had knee replacement surgery. I have been home nearly two weeks, but have not felt up to blogging until today. My leg in still a little stiff, which makes doing the exercises difficult to say the least. One must persevere, as this is the only way to loosen and strengthen the muscles.
I am still using a walking cane and am still very slow on my feet. No doubt as I improve so will my confidence. The new joint is working very well and does not hurt, but my whole leg aches so much I could scream! It is getting better, though.
We went to Naracoorte on Tuesday, to do the grocery shopping. Hadn't done a big shop for four weeks. I was not ready for such a big task, but the driver said I did not have a choice. Bah! Humbug!
I did overdo it, and my knee was swollen up like a balloon, but what the hay, he couldn't feel it.
The swelling has gone done considerably in the last two days. Thankfully.
I bought myself a new pair of shoes on Tuesday, as the old ones I have been wearing are too long, and I was afraid I would trip on them. I can not afford to fall over!
I bought a pair of Kumfs. My mother has been wearing them for years and swears by them. They are VERY expensive! I tried on a lovely pair of black ones with inlays of patent leather strips. It turned out it was crocodile skin.Yuk! I thought they were priced at $79.00. After I decided to take them, I discovered they were $179.00! Too rich for my budget. I told the sales assistant I am legally blind and did not see the one. I asked if she had any others at around the $79.00 mark. She brought out two pairs of two tone shoes. One had pale blue and cream uppers, and the other, navy and cream. I chose the navy and cream. They were half price, but still cost $87.00. Very comfortable though.

Houston, we have a problem!

Well folks, we have lift off, of a sort. My Home Help cleaning lass came a few days early today, to give the house the once over, as her next day to come would be Monday, and I will be in hospital then. She had nearly finished, when we all decided it would be best if the new cupboards were installed, so she could clean up the kitchen after that. We didn't reckon on 'Murphy' showing up, but come he did! The man about the house had had some trouble getting things level when he was making the cupboards, as he has about six spirit levels and none of them are accurate. You guessed it. For all his attention to detail, the b****y thing didn't fit! He also had to pull it out so he could use the cut off wheel to cut some off the quarry tiles. The only problem with that was, I had just wiped all the bench down, and Kristen had just cleaned the house. Neville tried to keep the dust to a minimum by closing the doors, but the stuff seeps through every crack and crevice. Consequently, everything was covered it a thick layer of red dust. Bugger it! The cupboard fits the space now, but needs to to be pushed in hard.
Then when Neville brought the wall oven cupboard in and put it in place, we discovered another problem we had not foreseen. Because the thing is higher, it covers the double power point which is behind it, and we can;t plug anything in to it. We scratched our heads and thought of several solutions, but none terribly satisfactory. Then I had a brain wave. As he has to make a small cupboard to put the drawers in, I suggested he move the wall oven to where the stove is now and put the drawers in it's place.None of the cupboards are joined together. That way we do not have the expense of an electrician moving the power point, and I will have somewhere to put the microwave. It will also be better not having the cook top right next to the wall oven, and it will not get too hot and will be easier to keep clean.To my great relief, he agreed with me. He then started to revamp the cupboard that had the drawers in it, so he will not have to start from scratch. He asked if it would matter if he left the maroon Laminex on it. I vetoed that idea damn quick. He just has to replace the top with the black and it will not look like a bodgey job.
Keep your fingers and toes crossed folks!

Jokers.

The man about the house and I went down town this morning, as I had some errands to run.
I recently 'found' a Velour beach towel my daughter gave me some time ago, that has cats on it. I had decided I wanted to make it in to a wall hanging. Neville said he had some dowling in the shed. When he got it out, I was not at all enamoured of it, as it was very dirty and greasy.
There was not enough, so we went to the hardware /timber store and I asked about their stock. The young guy and I climbed down some steps to the back of the shed, and he showed me what he had. While I was deciding which was the better size for the job, a bloke came in, just as I asked the lad how much a metre it was. I do not know this man from 'Adam', but he cheekily said as he walked past, $25.00. I said, as lightheartedly as possible, "If bulls**t was music, you would be a brass band." He just roared laughing and went about his business. He came to the counter with the dowling he wanted, just as the lad told me the length I wanted would cost $4.00 all up,and said something else cheeky, but it escapes me.
I have also rearranged the linen cupboard so I can have my tea towels at a height so I do not need to bend. They were in a drawer, and it is a real pain in the back when I need one.
I now have to find a home for all the meat bags and sundry other stuff on the bottom shelf.
We should be able to put the new cupboards in place tomorrow. I hope the cook top and wall oven will be connected before I come home from hospital.

NOT a happy little vegemite!

For the uninitiated, Vegemite is a dark brown, yeasty,very salty spread that comes in a jar. We in OZ use it for flavouring soups and the like, and on our breakfast toast. Yum! It is however, an acquired taste. The Brits have only recently got a taste for it, and can't get enough of it. It is now being exported to Britain. It is laden with vitamins and minerals and is reputed to put a smile on the consumers faces. Hence the term, Happy Little Vegemite. It is therefore used to describe one's mood. I am not happy at the moment, because channel 9 has been bought by the television mogul who owns channel 7. This now means, all my favourite programmes are now obsolete, and have been replaced by channel seven's guff.
The Today programme has been replaced by Sunrise with David Koch and his female sidekick. Now, the only person I will miss on the Today show is Steve Jacobs, the weather man. He is funny, and refreshingly entertaining. I think he is the best weather presenter in the country. I will not miss Richard Wilkins, gossip monger extraordinaire. He is boring in the extreme and so full of his own self importance, he makes me want to throw up!
We no longer have Temptation or A Current Affair. We now have Deal or No Deal, and Today Tonight. I will watch them tonight and see if they are worth watching long term. There will no longer be my favourite C.S.I. shows. Apart from a couple of Law and Order shows on 10, and a couple of shows on ABC, there is nothing we will be watching.
I love Temptation, because I like to pit my wits against the competitors and see how many questions I can get right.
A.C.A was getting a bit beyond the pail, but they still got results for the Aussie battlers.

What a day!

It is our 38th wedding anniversary today. Usually, we try to ignore it, as the man about the house is NOT a romantic in any way shape or form, unlike our son, who is celebrating his 10th anniversary today. http://frugalbastard.com.au. This morning however, he kissed me and wished me a happy anniversary. We went out to the local pub for lunch yesterday, as I had to fast, and it would have been too late to go in Naracoorte.
We have just arrived home, after going to Naracoorte to shop and for me to have a chest x ray and upper abdominal ultra sound. I had to fast for the latter for six hours, so was glad when it was over so I could have something to eat.
I went into Subway and was served(?) by Jen. She was so slow I nearly had to line her up with something stationary, to see if she was moving. I asked for a wheaten six inch roll. So far, so good. I then asked for turkey and if they had cranberry sauce. No, they did not have cranberry sauce. Never mind. I then asked for the roll to be toasted. She was able to manage that OK. Then she put the filling on it and I said I was having it there. We got to the check out and she proceeded to wrap it and put it in a plastic bag. I said, "Excuse me, I said I was having it here." "Oh, I thought you said you were taking it away." "No, I did not." I would also like a cappuccino please." "Would you like a cup or a mug?" "I will have a cup, thank you." She totaled it up and I paid for it. She said she would bring the coffee to my table. Dear readers, I was not surprised but annoyed,when she put a MUG in front of me! How some people get a job, let alone keep it is beyond me. Why don't they LISTEN? I suppose I should have said something, but I was too hungry and thirsty so let it slide.

It is coming along nicely, thank you.

Cupboard number two is taking shape. The man about the house is doing a great job, considering he has had no formal training in carpentry. He has been experiencing a bit of trouble cutting the wood, as the bench is not level/straight. There are some very minor gaps, but I told him to paint it and if anybody says anything I will tell them they are too close. Only I am allowed to get that close to see.
It would be terrific if the stove components are installed and operational before I go in to hospital in a couple of weeks, but I am not holding my breath. All he will have to do after this one is completed is make the one to go where the present stove is, to put the drawers in and the microwave oven on. I will have plenty of space in the new cupboards to put my electrical appliances away so I can have more bench space. Speed the day!

Lucky Find.

Last Saturday morning, the man about the house walked out to a seed merchant's, to see about the price of some Millet seed, as he wants to sow some on the farm. He found a credit card wallet full of cards for various banks and other organizations, The name on them rang a bell, so I made some phone calls, one to my son in Perth. I asked him for the phone number of the mother of one of his best friends, as she had remarried, and her husband's name was the same. There was also a Golf Club Membership card for the town where they live. I put two and two together and came up with four. Bingo! It turned out the chap had lost them the day before and, as he is a Veterinarian, and one of the cards was govt issue, I knew he would be very relieved to get them back. He happened to be working here at the local meat works, and his wife gave me his mobile number, so I rang him. He came and picked them up when he finished at lunch time that day. He has just arrived on our doorstop bearing a gift of potted tulips as a thank you for us returning the cards. I was overwhelmed and told him it was not necessary to have done anything like this, as we were only too happy to be able to restore his property to him. He came in and met Neville and thanked him also.

Lost somethin', mate?

We had a busy day yesterday, with the necessity of traveling the Adelaide for my medical needs.
On our way home we stopped to visit Neville's brother, Peter. We had a cuppa and caught up on our respective news. When we were about to leave, Neville could not find his car key. He looked everywhere for it, to no avail. He got his torch out of the boot and looked on the footpath,, but it was not there. He then went back and looked on his side of the car. While he was looking, some young chaps, also carrying a torch, came past and asked him what he was looking for. He, being the owner of a dry somewhat sarcastic wit, said, 'A lost dog, mate.' " Oh, right. A lost dog. OK." They kept on down the road, and Neville said, " Lost dog indeed, Why would I be looking for a lost dog in the middle of the road?" He found the key under some rags in the front. He has so many keys, he does not know which one is for what.

Kath& Kim.

I know I am probably in the minority, but I can not for the life of me understand what is so riveting about this show. I am sticking my neck out by making any comment about it, as I have never watched an episode, but, all I see is adverts for the show in all forms of the media. I have seen snippets of this show, and it does not 'grab' me at all. I am no philistine nor am I a snob, but I don't understand why it is so popular. Can someone please enlighten me? We can't get it where we are.

Wool Away.

Last night one of us was supposed to ring a wool buyer in Horsham, in western Victoria, to ascertain if he was going to be in Edenhope, also in western Victoria, but closer to the S.A. border, to buy wool today, but we both forgot. I rang him early this morning and had to leave a message for him to call back. The man about the house sold our wool to him last year, and was very pleased with the price he got, so decided to sell it to him again this year. I did not go with Neville last year, so had not met Jim Rice, the buyer. When Jim rang me back, he sounded very nice, and I was tickled by the fact he was calling me 'love'. He said he would be at Edenhope today, and I said we would see him later in the day. He said he looked forward to meeting me.
When we got there, I got out of the car and he hailed me from the shed and said, "G'day. Are you Susan?" I said, "Yes, I am." He said "Nice to meet you." He said hullo to Neville, and as he had his dog with him, I asked what it's name was, to be told mad Maggie. I asked, "Why mad Maggie?" And he said, she loves to chase tennis balls all day. Maggie is a lovely Border Collie sheep dog.
Jim is about 45 and very friendly, so much so that he called me Suse(?) or Love all the time we were there. As we were leaving, he said to me "Nice to have met you. See you again next time." I said I hope to be a lot thinner next time, and he said I was alright as I am. He sidled up to Neville and said in a stage whisper, "Susan's the reason you got more for the wool this year. All that extra weight."
I told him he had the 'cheek of the working class'. I said to Neville it was just as well I have a great sense of humour too.
We went to the pub and had lunch when we arrived back in Naracoorte, as it was 12.30pm. Then Neville dropped me at Woolworths so I could do the shopping, and he went back out to the farm for a bit over one and a half hours.
When he returned, he took me to Target and I bought a pair of runners, as I want to try walking a bit more, though I will not be able to go far until after my op, but every bit helps in the weight loss game. I needed a good pair of shoes as the ones I wear normally, are not at all suitable for that purpose. I went to the chemist, but they did not have the item I needed, so we came home. I checked my emails after I had put the groceries away, but I was exhausted, and went to lie down after tea, and totally zonked for nearly an hour.
My friend Sue came around tonight and has just left.

Blood donation rigmarole!

I have never donated blood before, but as I am having surgery in four weeks time, I have decided to donate three units for my own use, if needed. Today was the first appointment for this procedure. I was on time, but the doctor was not. The clinic sister left just as we arrived. It turned out, she did not have theses appointments in her computer, and thought she was free until 2.30pm, and went home to have lunch.I was not called in until 2.50 pm, one hour and five minutes late. Then there was all the paper work to do. I was astounded by all the things that have to be tested for. When we were ready to start, I was of course, lying down. Karen inserted the needle, (crow bar) and I suddenly felt woozy. She asked if I was alright, and I told her I felt woozy, and asked if it was normal. She said it does happen. I did not expect that. It did not last long, thankfully. It did not take long to collect the blood, as I have a very good vein and it pumped out. It took a bit of time the stop the flow once the needle was removed. I usually clot very quickly. I have two more of these sessions. Fun!

Childish wonderment.

Yesterday, my daughter and he husband and children, came down to do some shopping. The baby was asleep, so we didn't get to have time with her this time, but the boys decided to stay here and kick a ball around.
Riley, who is four, saw the cupboard Neville is making for my new cook top, and was very interested to know all about it. When he was told his Pop was making it, he got very excited and called to his brother, "Hey, Lach'an, come and look at this. Pop is making a cupboard! Hey, Lach'an, come and see this!" ( Riley can't say, Lachlan.)
The incredulity of the child, that his Pop could do something so wonderful, and clever, was a joy to behold. He couldn't get over it. Said cupboard is coming on a treat, and should soon be finished and in place. It will be a while before the wall oven cupboard is done, and they can be connected and I can get cooking once again.
The boys kicked the ball for a short time, then Lachlan asked if he could play a game on the computer. He played a couple of games of Go Fish, then Riley had a game. They seemed to really enjoy themselves, although they were only here for about an hour.

Luciano Pavarotti. Vale.

Pavarotti was, in my humble opinion, the best tenor the world has seen and heard in a long time. I am deeply saddened to hear of his death today. He seemed to be a very nice, humble, man and not at all enamoured of himself. It is sad to think he will no longer make wonderful music. I pray that he rest in peace with his Lord for eternity.

Knicker-less!

We had to travel to Naracoorte today, not our usual shopping day, because I had a dental appointment. I needed to have the four upper front incisors repaired. The dentist assured me, most vehemently, that the reason they had collapsed, was because I grind my teeth. I argued with him, and said I did not. He said,"Yes, you do!" I said it must be in my sleep. I think I have discovered the problem. It is not that I grind my teeth, but I have been chewing sugarless gum for a year, because I read somewhere that it helps digestion and the extra saliva helps to protect the tooth enamel.(?) I tried chewing some tonight, and discovered I push it up against the front teeth a lot. This puts too much pressure on them. No more gum for me, as I can't afford another $200.00 for repairs. As always, my dentist has done a brrrilliant job, and I told him so.
Before my appointment, I had four hours to 'kill', as Neville brought me in to town from the farm at 11am. I went to Target and bought myself two new pairs of knickers.I then went in to Retravision to do something for my daughter. I then went to Subway for lunch. While paying for my order, I apparently put the carry bag on the counter and did not notice. I went to the fridge and got myself a lo fat yoghurt and went and sat down. Halfway through eating my meal, I got a tissue out of my bag and noticed the Target receipt and decided to put it in the carry bag. Oops, no carry bag. I got up, and was looking for it, thinking I had left it in Retravision and I would have to retrace my steps. How embarrassing!
Next thing, one of the girls in Subway came over and handed me the carry bag and asked if it was what I was looking for. Much relieved, I said it was. She told me, barely managing to refrain from bursting it to fits of giggles, where I had left it. Ah, me, another 'senior moment'!

Cupboard building.

The carpentry is coming along quite well. The man about the house had to purchase another length of timber today, and was NOT pleased that it cost nearly $8.00!
He had to fast this morning, as he had a doctors appointment to check his BSL.(Blood Sugar Level) Not much work got done today.His appointment was for 2.15, but he was told he would not get in before 4pm. He said this was strange, as there were only two other people in the waiting room.
We have been awaiting the arrival of the new female medico, and it seems she has finally arrived. The senior doctor was probably showing her how the practice works. I think she is from India. Consequently, the man about the house was famished when he got back from his appointment, and had his tea.
We already have a new male doctor. Dr. Kuku, ( just waiting for the good old Aussie mocking, send 'em up humour to kick in here.) from Africa via Granada. He is very nice and a year older than my son, Frugal Bastard.
There is a writeup and photo in the local paper this week, of him and his family. They seem to like tis town. This is good news.

Spare me from managing, organizing interfering females!

This morning, I had to purchase a few things at the super market. I forgot them yesterday when Sue and I went to Naracoorte and did our shopping. Broccoli was on special, just for today, @ $1.99 Kg. I had thought it was not too bad at $2.99 earlier in the week, and intended to buy in bulk and put it in the freezer. I love it, but the man about the house is not keen on the bought variety.
I did not have much else and put it all in the one insulated carry bag I had. As I had bought nearly 3Kgs of broccoli, I intended to put the bag in the trolley, so kept it near me. An older woman, who I have never seen before, came in after me and put her few things on the check out. Then to my amazement pulled my trolley and put it at the end of the check out. Now, normally I would have done nothing about it, but this time I thought, what a cheek! I asked her 'How do you know I don't want it anymore?' She said, 'Well, you only have a small bag.' I said, 'That is not the point.' She promptly put it back. I would not have presumed like that. I would have thought nothing of it, and allowed the other person to get on with their business. The bag was not very heavy but it was awkward, and it would have made my shoulders ache if I had carried.
Now folks, you probably think it is 'much ado about nothing', but it is my business what I do with the damn thing. It wasn't in her way and there was a principle at stake.

We have lift off!

Stage one of the cupboard manufacture is under way. I think the man about the house feels he has bitten of more than he can chew, but hopefully, with tactful encouragement from me, he will persevere and finish the job, soon.
The cook top is square, which is causing some problems design wise. He bought some extra timber this afternoon, to make the frame. He was complaining about the cost of it. Three lengths of pine, four metres in length, 19mm x 40mm. It cost him $18.00 and he thinks that is exorbitant! He has also set up his electric saw, but said he has nearly burnt out the motor. His big bench saw does not cut straight, and he has not used it for seven years. I know it is that long, because he started to make a big chest of drawers for our daughter when her eldest was born. I hope he doesn't lose heart before he completes this job. Watch this space!

Hoooooold, the bus!

Yesterday afternoon, Neville came in to the kitchen where I was having a cuppa and doing my accounts, and started to measure the cupboards. I nearly fell off my perch! I have mentioned that we bought a new cook top and wall oven, and that he will need to build some new cupboards to accommodate them. I thought I would be waiting years and that there would be no end of hassles in getting them done how I need them. So far, so good. He has some black laminated chip board and some pine slats that he will use. I suggested the black for the tops and he said if it looked naff, he will put laminex on the top.
We agreed the pine will be OK for the doors. I want him to build a small cupboard to put where the stove is now, and he asked what we would do with the drawers. I said they can be put in the new cupboard. He will remove the paint and stain them to match the central bench. That suits me fine. I just hope it does not take too long. This project is going to test my powers of tact and diplomacy to the max!!

Stage two of my nightmare.

We are into the penultimate stage of the white goods saga.
This morning I was setting the VCR for tomorrow's programmes, when Neville came in to the lounge. I looked at him, and he had a silly expression on his face, and his demeanour was odd. (He was trying not to break into a grin.) I asked him what he wanted. He said nothing. I asked him if he had lost anything. He said no. I asked him if he was looking for something. He said no. He then asked me when the cooker was to be delivered. I said on Friday. He said," Well, I got up early this morning and went to Adelaide to pick it up." Instantly the 'penny dropped' and I got up and went outside, and sure enough there it was. I asked who had brought it, and he said Harper's Freight. (Courier van.) I said the Kleenmaid people don't know their arm from their elbow. It is just as well we did not go to Naracoorte today to do the shopping!
The next, and hopefully, the final stage, is getting him to build the new cupboard for the cook top and wall oven. I envisage some struggles on my part, to get him to make it the way I want and need it. Keep your fingers crossed folks. I just hope it does not take him another 18 years to make it. I have had a burnt cupboard for that long. Ever since my two little fires on top of the stove in Oct 1989.

Just a bit miffed, I are.

Yesterday, while I was in the supermarket, a lady I have known for years but have not seen for some time, came up to me and said hullo. She was very good to me when I was at a low ebb, but I would not say we are friends. Not the phone call/ going out for coffee type of friend. We were chatting, and I asked her if she thought I looked thinner. She said, "No. You are like me, the same as always." Now, she is a biggish woman but not as big as she once was. You can imagine my dismay at that remark. I said I had lost nearly three stone, and she insisted I did not look any different. I said it was because I am still wearing the same 'big' clothes. I then said I will either have to take them in or buy smaller ones. Especially the T shirts! It was very disconcerting to say the least, after all my hard work. It will however, spur me on to greater efforts. Some people don't know when to shut up. Talk about rubbing salt in to the 'wound'.

Some Mother's do 'ave 'em!!

After all the rigmarole of getting the fridge delivered, the stress obviously loosened a wire in my brain, or some such. Sue came around on Thursday evening to see the new acquisition,and she sat on the lounge and I made her a coffee. She had not brought her handbag, as she was not going to the shops at that time of night. We chatted for a while, then she left. Just after that I heard music, and realized it was her phone, as I recognized the tune. I found it on the lounge, but it stopped ringing as I picked it up. This is when the wire came loose in my brain. I rang her mobile on mine to tell her she had left it here! As soon as her phone rang, I realized what I was doing and hung up. Duh! Then I rang her home phone to tell her it was here, when it rang again, and it was home calling. I wasn't sure what that meant, but told her when she answered the other call, her phone was ringing. She said he husband was calling it to see if it had dropped out in the car. She said she would come around later to pick it up.
As soon as she arrived I gave her the phone, and it rang. It was her daughter ringing to see if she had found her phone!! I was relieved to know I was not the only dimwit, and said there must be an epidemic. Sue said she had had the phone in her jacket pocket and it had obviously fallen out.

My nightmare is nearly over.

This is a continuation of the fridge saga folks. As stated in previous posts, the fridge was supposed to be delivered on Monday. Then the trucking company rang me to say it would not be delivered until Wednesday. The guy from the trucking company was supposed to ring me back on Monday, to let me know what time it would arrive. Nada. I waited until nearly lunch time yesterday, then I rang him, Again. He was most apologetic, and said he would get back to me, and that their depot in Adelaide had not rung him with that info. Talk about Buck passing! When he rang me, he said it would not be delivered until today.I asked him "How hard is it to get something from Adelaide to here. It is only a three hour drive?" I told him I was fed up and about to blow my stack! He got off the phone very quickly, and said he would ring me back in fifteen mins. I am still waiting for that call. I waited about 3/4 of an hour, and decided to ring one of my friends as it was her birthday. We had been talking for about half an hour, when my mobile rang. I told my friend I would call her back. I was most surprised to find it was the general manager of the trucking company, ringing to apologise for the way I had been treated and the way this delivery had been handled. He was very gracious and assured me it would be here by 8pm, or if I preferred, 10 am today. I thanked him and said,apology accepted. I also said I would prefer to have it delivered as soon as possible, as all the stress had made one of my medical conditions flare up and it was making me ill. He said it would be done last night, and the driver would ring me at 7.30pm for directions. He apologised again and we rang off.
7.30 came and went. 7.40 came and the driver rang. I asked him where he was, and he said halfway between Keith and here. He said he was instructed to ring when he was half an hour from here. Obviously, he was running a bit late. I started to give him directions and his phone started breaking up, then it dropped out.He rang again when he hit the outskirts of town. He kept me on the phone while I directed him until he could see me, as I had walked to the corner.
He had a mate, his brother-in-law as it turned out, with him to help with the unloading. Getting the thing off the truck was the easy part, getting it inside proved impossible.Neville and Tony did lots of measuring of doors and fridge, and discussed removing three doors plus door jambs. The problem was the handles on the fridge protrude too far. Tony rang his boss and asked permission to remove the fridge doors, as it would be better that the other alternative. It was not up to us to give permission to remove the fridge doors, as if anything got broken or damaged it fell back on the delivery man and his boss. His boss rang him back and said if that was what was needed, he could go ahead. To make a long story shorter, they did that and got it in and back together and working. It was just as well it was not delivered earlier in the day, as Neville was not here and had all the tools with him.What should have taken less than an hour, dragged on for nearly two! Now, all we have to do is put all the shelves etc in and move the freezer so we can put the fridge in it's place, as the thing protrudes too far and it is going to be a hassle when we go in to the kitchen. The freezer needs defrosting anyway. I thought this would be how it would turn out. and said to Neville we might have to swap them around.
To add to my nightmare, a girl from the white goods company rang yesterday, and tried to mess with the arrangements I had already made, for delivery of the cook top and wall oven. She was chewing gum while she was talking to me, which I think is very rude and does not give a good image for her company. I told her in no uncertain terms, she could leave the arrangements as is, as I am not going to put up with any more disruptions. I said there was no need to change anything. She wanted to have them delivered on consecutive days. I ask you! Give these kids a little bit of power and they think they rule the world!!

Mad Monday.

As reported in the last post, we were to have our new fridge/freezer delivered today.I had a phone call from the company that will be delivering it, to say that it will not be delivered as promised today, but will be delivered on Wednesday. This is too ridiculous for words.My husband stayed home today, instead of going to the farm as he would have liked, just so he could help unload and install it.He will be staying down for two days tis time, which is why he won;t be here on Wednesday.I was unaware he was going to stay overnight, so had to ring the truck company in Adelaide , and they gave me the Sydney number. I spoke to a young girl and told her my dilemma, and she patched me through to the depot and I was able to speak to the same young man who had called me, and told him the problem.He said he would try to make arrangements for a truck with a hydraulic lift on it and another man. He also told me he had been in touch with the white goods company, and told them we had been inconvenienced and he was not happy. When I told him the above, he said he would send them another email, and say my 'partner' had had to take a day off work, and we are not happy at the inefficiency etc. He said they quite often have this kind of communication break down with them. He said their products are good, as he has one of their ovens, but they do not check with the carriers before they arrange delivery times.
After these shenanigans, I think I should join the circus, as I feel as though I am in one already. I have a feeling that this will not be the last you will hear of this saga dear readers. Watch this space.

We need to watch our backs.

As stated in a previous post, we purchased white goods last weekend.The salesman was supposed to ring us on Monday to let us know about the delivery of same. He did not. Nor did he ring on Tuesday. I was going to ring them, but didn't get around to it. I rang on Wednesday morning, and spoke to a young woman called Mandy. I explained that the salesman was supposed to ring me and she said he was in Sydney on a training course for a couple of days. I sent him a text and left a voice mail message, The silence is deafening. I explained my reason for calling and asked if she knew when the goods would be delivered. She said she didn't have a clue, and sounded as though she couldn't care less. She looked up the info on her computer, and said something about us having bought two fridges! I nearly had a pink fit, and said that we had better not have been booked for two. She looked again, and discovered her error. The fridge is supposed to be delivered Monday. She then said we would need to make arrangements for installation, as we needed to have the water kit properly installed. Pink fit no.two. I said ' Water kit,what water kit, What are you talking about. All that was required was to put it in place and plug it it?'She said the water kit for the ice dispenser. I was getting pretty wound up by this stage, and said we had not bought one with an ice dispenser. She contradicted me and said, yes we had. I told her we had not. She said 'There is no need to shout.' I said I was not shouting, I was just getting very upset and understandably nervous. (My home help lass came just after this phone call, and I told her about it. I said if I had shouted at this girl, she would have known about it!)
Then she looked again and discovered she had made another mistake. Phew! We then discussed delivery of the cook top and wall oven. They were to be delivered on separate days, and I asked why the lot could not be delivered in one load. She mumbled something which I did not catch. We then arranged to have the stove components delivered on the 17th, and I told her that date was subject to change, as we might be away at that time. I do not know if or when we will go.
Later that afternoon, I received a phone call from this company, and a very nice young man called Mark, asked me if anyone had rung me. I said no, I had had to ring myself. I told him all the above, and he assured me I had only bought and been charged for one fridge, and it does NOT have an ice dispenser. When I told him the price we paid, he said we had indeed gotten a bargain. Waiting for delivery of these things is akin to waiting to give birth. Nerve wracking!

Mondaytitis on Tuesday.

A couple of weeks ago, when I did the grocery shopping, I bought a couple of bottles of Jacob's Creek wine. I do not drink, and as they were not out of reach budget wise, I thought it would be a nice gift for my mother. Last week before we went to Adelaide, I was talking to mum, and the subject of wines came up. I was able to ascertain without giving away my secret, that she hates that brand. I bought her a writing compendium and some Haigh's chocolates instead. She was very pleased to receive them. I was then left with the dilemma of what to do with the wine. I spoke to my younger sister, and she said, 'Send it over. I will be happy to have it.' I bought two new wine postpaks, and packed them up. I was in the post office yesterday, and asked for some customs declaration forms, and asked the post mistress about estimates for cost of sending them sea mail. She said it might be cheaper to send them in a double pak, rather than singly as they are going to the same address. I said I would come back another time and buy the double pak, as there was a queue, and I did not have time just then.
I went in again this morning and purchased the double pak. The guy who served me did not have his mind on the job. I posted a letter to Alison, and as I was about to leave, he grabbed the post pak and shoved it in to the shute for sorting. I was flabbergasted, and asked him what he thought he was doing, as it would go nowhere as it did not have an address on it, and it was empty!!! He was very embarrassed, and quickly retrieved it, and there was much laughter all round, though not from him. Some mothers do 'ave 'em.

I went to a party last night.

That is a title of a poem I once knew, from my childhood. I can still see the illustration of a little girl from the 1930s, sitting up in bed with a cup of tea and all her dolls and teddy bears arranged around in a semicircle, and she was telling them all about the previous night's events.
We are not normally party types, but last night was an exception. The lady who was being honoured, is a friend of mine from way back.
We were asked to bring a savoury dish to share, but as my oven has not worked for four yeas, I was a bit flummoxed as to what I could take. Bearing in mind we are three hours from Adelaide, where the party was, I had to think about keeping anything I made from spilling or 'going off', and thereby running the risk of making people ill. I sent a text message to my friend's daughter and she said just to bring some dips. I decided to take three different flavoured cheeses and crackers.
They went down a treat.
The party was held at my friend's half sister's home. I knew this young woman many years ago, when she lived here, but had not seen her since she was about two or three. Over forty years ago.
I knew many of Lesley's cousins from then too, but none of them remembered me. Which surprised me, as I was 15 at the time. Some said my face was familiar, but they could not place me. Lesley had contacted a man by the name of Geoff Scott to entertain us, He is a guitar player, poet, author and all round entertainer. He did a magnificent job, and we all had a ball. After the speeches, Lesley's brother-in-law, tried to show slides from her life, but the projector played up and would not forward them, and then the thing kept going in and out of focus of it's own volition. Nothing any body did could arrest it. They gave up in disgust, as we were getting sick of it.The party was timed from 6 PM to 9 PM. A lot of the guests left on the dot of nine, and then Geoff really got going and we had a fabulous sing-a-long. All the old, and I mean OLD favourites. I really enjoyed that, though it is just as well the others drowned my voice out, as it is not that good any more.
There were some speeches made, and Geoff read a precis of Lesley's life that she had written. She read it to me a few weeks ago, for grammer and spelling checks. She need not have worried, as there were only two small adjustments she needed to make. Every time she introduced me to some one, she said that I was the loyal and trusted friend they would hear about in the story she had written. It was a bit embarrassing I can tell you.
The food was great, though there was very little I dared to eat, as it would have sabotaged my weight loss efforts. I was consequently famished when we got back to my mother's where we spent the night.
Neville inadvertently left the head lights on, on the car, and consequently we had a flat battery this morning. We tried to push start it, to no avail. Mum rang her brother-in law, but had to leave a message as he was not at home, or just not up. Then she rang my brother-in-law, who came and tried to get it going by towing it. No go. It was only after the third attempt, that Neville remembered he had activated the engine immobiliser the night before. He hardly ever uses it which is why he forgot about it. One more tow and we were away.
We went and picked up a gasket kit that Neville had wanted yesterday, but which they said would be there this morning, and then we came home.
Earlier yesterday morning, we went to a Kleenmaid stock clearance sale. They sell white goods.
I have been needing a new stove as I said, for years. I could not believe Neville was even going to buy me one! Not only did we get a new cook top (solid hot plates) and fan forced wall oven, but a brand new 600litre side by side fridge freezer!!!! All for the princely sum of $2.700.00, delivered . The refrigerator normally retailed for $4,000.00, ($1.399.00) the cook top normally for $600.00, (199.00) and the oven for $ 1.400.00. (1003.00) $80.00 included in the price for delivery. Not bad eh? All in all, Saturday was a great day.

Sunday Paper Blooper.

Every Sunday, hubby walks down to the super market and buys The Sunday Mail. When I started to read the TV programme guide, I noticed it was much smaller than last week's. I thought nothing of it, except thinking they had done a revamp of it. I thought it was a good idea, as it had been too big and cumbersome, and the cross word too hard to handle.
I go through the guide and hilight the week's prorammes I watch for the upcoming week. It is easier for me to find them, if they are hilighted, as I have very poor eyesight. I then put my specs on and check the times, so I can set the VCR. It is a good practice, especially if I want to watch something other than the usual programmes, or I miss it and then get mad and disappointed. I noticed that there were no programmes for our regional WIN TV station. Not happy. Then I read the wedding page, and thought it strange that there were only weddings from Victorian towns in it, with no description of the brides gowns.
It was only when I read the real estate page, which The Sunday Mail does not have, and there were only houses in Victoria for sale, and I looked for the email address, so I could send them an email and ask why the changes had been made , and to our disadvantage, that the penny dropped. I looked at the front of the paper, and sure enough, it is not our usual paper, but The Herald Sun on Sunday, a Victorian equivalent of ours! Now someone, no names, no pack drill, will have to go and buy the right paper. Duh!

Kamakaze Magpie

Over the last three of four weeks we have had a young Magpie dive bombing into one of the kitchen windows. He doesn't do it every day, it has happened about half a dozen times. He hits the glass hard and makes it vibrate. This happened last year, but the maggie was an adult male, and it was nesting time. I guess he could see his reflection in the glass, and thought it was a rival, and he was just 'seeing him off'. He also stripped one of the fiberous fillings in my hanging pot to line his nest.
If the present one is a male, and he has ideas of pinching my new fibre fillings, I might get a bit savage! It will soon be Spring, so I will need to be alert.

A good day out.

Sue and I went to Naracoorte yesterday to do some grocery shopping. Neville and I usually go together, and he goes out to the farm for a few hours, but he wanted to go to a clearing sale down that way today, So I asked Sue if she would like to go as she has not been there for a while. I then realized, I had an appointment to have my hair permed today, so had to ask Sue if she would be able to take me down town for it. I did not want to have to change the appointment, as it is very hard to get one, and I wanted to look presentable when we go to my friend's birthday party in Adelaide next week end. Sue very kindly agreed to take me.
We were later than I am used to in getting away yesterday, and did not arrive until after 11 AM. I had some errands to do in Target for myself and my daughter, and left Sue mooching around Trev's Bargain Emporium Then she drove me to the post office. She had to drive around the block twice, before she could find a parking space.
I asked the lady who served me, who happens to me the Post Mistress, and was formally here, if there was a fabric shop in Naracoorte. There used to be one, but they closed down some time ago. She said that no-one had opened one in it's place. I thanked her and left. As I was going out, I noticed a couple of women talking in the queue. I did not look hard at them, as it is unlikely I would know them. When I got outside, one of them came up to me and said she had overheard me ask about the fabric shop. She wanted to know what sort of material I wanted. It was then I realized she was a girl I had gone to primary school with. She had not recognised me either, as I had on dark glasses. We have not seen each other for years. She said her mother-in-law has just died, and she had inherited all her sewing paraphernalia, and she wondered if she would have something I might need. I said I wanted a printed panel to make a cot quilt for my grand-daughter. She said she did not think there was anything like that in her stuff. We chatted a while about grand kids, and then I had to go. As it was after midday, Sue and I went to the pub for lunch. Once again Sue could not find a parking space, so decided to go down the side of the pub. There was one there, but it was on a huge slant. She decided to drive out of there. Only one problem with that, she was going the wrong way in a one way alley! She got a filthy look from a bloke coming the other way.As she came out onto the street, she saw the Entry Only sign. It was bedlam as they were very busy, and it was quite stuffy. I didn't finish my steak, as I suddenly felt very hot and nauseous, and wanted to go and lie down. Once we hit the fresh air, I started to feel better.
Sue ordered chicken schnitzel, and it was nearly as big as her plate!
We did our shopping, and I bought a couple of bottles of wine for my mother, then sat down and waited for Sue. While I waited, a young bloke bought some cigarettes and dropped the receipt in the bin next to me. I just managed to see that it had a petrol voucher on it, which meant he had spent $30.00. When he had gone I retrieved it. You can't waste them.(Sue said in mock disgust when I told Neville, that she couldn't go anywhere with me as I am now fossicking in the bins.) When we were going out of Woolworth's, Sue handed me a small gift. It was the donkey toy from the Shrek movie I had wanted. I hadn't been able to get one as they were
always sold out .I was very tired last night and slept like a log.

A Rose by any Other name. . . . . . .

In this burgh, we have a committee for the beautification of the town. They have instigated many projects, which have received mixed reactions. Mostly unfavourable. They have extended the corners of the streets and put in Chicanes, which block off half the street. They have installed planter pots, firstly half kegs, which have been vandalised and tipped over many times. Last week, they put new ceramic planter pots in place. I noticed that they have put dripper hoses in them and rose bushes. One wonders if they are hoping the thorny rose bushes will deter the vandals from their unlawful practices. I do hope so. The planter pots are a damned nuisance, as they are too close to the kerb, and make it difficult to alight from your vehicle.

Fun and Games.

We have had our grandson, Lachlan, to stay for a couple of nights. He is a very quiet boy, and is happy to do what ever projects are suggested. We played Snakes and Ladders and Uno on Friday afternoon, then he did some drawing and wrote a letter to go with a drawing of a truck, which we took over to give to our neighbour Dick, the next morning. Dick drives trucks, and was very pleased to receive it and said he was a champion and gave Lachlan the rest of a packet of Minties.
Lachlan played games while I cooked lunch. I never do much cooking, as there is only the two of us, but when some one stays I go mad. Neville is left with the job of washing all the dishes. He doesn't seem to mind.
I cooked meat loaves in diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes,sweet corn and Champinions. I put a small amount of rice in it to thicken the sauce without using corn flour. We had strawberries and icecream for dessert. Lachlan loves them.
He had porridge both mornings and this morning he also had toast and hot chocolate.
I cooked veges and a jam steamed pudding with custard for lunch yesterday. I had cooked some meat the day before.The amazing thing about this visit was that Neville turned off the TV and sat at the table with us!! He usually has his meals in front of the telly. (Will the real Neville please stand up?)
Yesterday arvo, we went down town so Lachlan could play on the swings etc. He made Neville and me laugh when he lay down on the slight rise and rolled down hill. Neville said he had obviously done that before. We went to the wild life sanctuary to see the white Kangaroos, but it started to pizzle with rain, so we went to see my brother for a while. I had to be back here by 3pm, as I had arranged to make Sue a coffee as she was coming around to pick up the bucket of food scraps for her chooks. When we were coming down the main street to come home, we passed Sue at an intersection. She followed us home Neville reckoned he could not see her in the rear view mirror, but she said she was right behind us.
I put the jug on to boil and then the door bell rang. It was Dick, so I invited him in for coffee too. It has been a 'looong time between drinks' for him.Over here, that is.
Lachlan played more computer games after tea last night then he had a bath. It is a bit of a novelty, as he usually has a shower at home. I read him a couple of stories and he went to bed about 9.30. He said he had a good time and can't wait to come again.
Sue photo copied some stencils of a Stegasaurus for him to colour in and we stuck them on cardboard this morning. It was murder on my poor Arthritic hands cutting them out so he could put them together with flat pins (The kind that fold open with two spikes on them.)
We realised that we needed a couple of the stencils copied, that done, we then tried to put it together, only to discover it did not need to be stuck on cardboard, as it was supposed to made into a hat! Bugger.He has put it away to finish next time.

What was she thinking?

On Tuesday when we went out for coffee, my mate Sue told me she had embarrassed her daughter the previous day when they were in Horsham. I asked her what she had done, and she said I would probably not want to be seen with her if she told me. She said she embarrassed herself too. Now, her daughter is not a very pleasant young woman, and makes her mother's life very difficult. She gets upset and overreacts to everything Sue says or does. In light of that, I thought the problem would be a minor one, and not worth the fuss her daughter would have made. Sue told me they went to Macdonald's for lunch. She needed to 'powder her nose', so off she went. She was washing her hands, when a small boy came in and used the facilities. Sue thought nothing of it. As she was about to go out, a man pushed the door open and came in. The penny dropped, and she high tailed it out of there. I just packed up laughing. I can just imagine her daughter's reaction.

Recycling glitches

Yesterday saw the start of the new recycling system. Two or three weeks ago, we were given a new smaller wheelie bin with a red lid. We were told, via leaflets, that the council are going to replace the lids on the old bigger bins with a yellow lid. These older bins are to be scrubbed out and have a sticker which reads Recycling Only stuck to them, so there is no confusion for the garbo, as to which bin is for what purpose. Now, I may be getting older but I don't think I am less astute than I was, but, I can not for the life of me see why it is necessary to change the old bin lid as it is green.( I presume the garbo is not colour blind). It has the sticker on it and I presume the garbo can read. I know the sticker will not last for ever, but the bins are a different size too.
There was some one driving around town yesterday, apparently in radio contact with the garbo, and if the garbo came across a bin that did not comply with the new regulations, he radioed him and he drove to where the garbo was and placed a 'contaminated' sticker on the bin. The rubbish was not picked up I know this because my friend Sue said her husband flouted the rules and got caught out. I don't know what will have to be done with that rubbish/recycling material now. I daresay it will all need to go in the rubbish bin next week. I am not sure if there will be fines for noncompliance either. Time will tell.
My husband told me yesterday, that it is costing ten million dollars to implement this scheme and the state government takes half. This has me 'whacked'. I will never understand how these things work. I think the money is coming from council rates.

Dreary weather.

Today has been one of those drab, dank, damp, dreary overcast days, that look as though they are going to rain any time, but never do. They are not the sort of days to get washing dry. I did the washing over Sunday and yesterday, as it is too much for me now to do all at once. Anyway, I had unexpected guests and one can't desert them to do one's chores. The previous two days were, for a change, bright and sunny. It serves me right for not bringing the washing in last night. I now have to put some of it in the dryer.
Sue and I went out for our Tuesday sojourn, and accomplished quite a bit. I was not feeling all that flash, as I had woken up too early, and was unable to go back to sleep. I went back to bed at seven, but had not been there long, when my son rang me on the mobile. He asked if he had gotten me out of bed, and I said, in a manner of speaking, he had. I do love our chats.
I went back to bed after Sue left, but would have been lucky to have had ten minutes sleep. I will just have to take a pill tonight.
As it is Tax time here, it probably is world wide, I receive some letters and statements from companies I deal with, in case I have to lodge a tax return, and am eligible to receive a rebate on monies spent. (A chance would be a fine thing!) Today, I received a statement from my health insurance company. The thing I found amusing was, they have listed my date of birth on one page, and next to it my 'current certified age' which is six years younger that I am. Somebody, a. can't do simple maths, b. is not paying proper attention to details. I sent them an email to this effect and asked them to correct it. I was three years older than the age stated, when I joined!

Nice surprise.

Yesterday afternoon the phone rang, and when I answered it, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of my brother-in-law, Lew. He asked me how I was, and said that he and his wife would be here in about 8 mins, and did I have the billy on, as they were coming for coffee. I knew they were traveling around the country, but had no idea they would be heading this way.They have bought a small motor home and they slept in that. They said it was not as cold here as it was in Millicent. They also said it had rained every day since they had left their home in Queensland. Today was the first sunny day so far.
They had been to Geelong last month, to the 70th birthday of another sister-in-law. We were not invited, which suited me, as I have never gotten on with her. They then traveled to Millicent, where they used to live, to visit friends. They were coming up from there yesterday, when Lew called.
We had coffee and sat around chatting. I had not seen them since March last year. In the evening, Lew asked us if we would like to go out for tea. I said that was very kind, and yes we would love to. He said he was paying. As I had not known they were coming, it was the only thing to do, as I had nothing prepared.We went to one of the pubs, The Railway Hotel.We had a lovely time and the meal was great. They were in no hurry to leave this morning, and when my daughter rang last night and told me she was coming down to do some shopping, they said they would stay so they could see them. Lew and Maureen had not met Riley or the new baby.
I did not know what time they would leave, and my brain was not working, as I had not given lunch any thought. I hastily did something about it at 11.30. I did not think it was much chop, but they said it was AOK, as they would normally have just had a sandwich. They left straight after lunch
Great to see them.They think our grandies are terrific, and I had some photos taken so I could finish off my film. I will get them put on disc as well as having prints made.

Thursday.

We went to Naracoorte yesterday, to do the fortnightly shopping. Neville dropped me off in the main street, as I had to do an errand for my daughter.
I then went to Target and put an electric blanket on lay by for myself. I am sick of freezing at night.
Then I walked up the hill to Woolworths and did the shopping. After that, I bought a local paper, and had a cappuccino in the Blacksmith's Cafe. Then I went and sat on one of the 'park' benches in the plaza. and read the paper while I waited for Neville. While waiting, an old school chum, who brings his 95 year old aunt to do the shopping, came and said hullo. I have met Edward the last three or four times I have been shopping there, and he always has a chat. I always liked him at school, though he was too shy to talk to many people then. He is a very nice bloke.
When Neville came back, we went to the pub for lunch as usual. I had steak and he had fish, which was very nice. After lunch I asked Neville if there was anything he needed to do before we picked up the groceries and he said no. Then he remembered he had told me about a Ford ute that is parked in a paddock, near our farm with a For Sale sign on it. He said it looked to be in good condition. He asked if I would like to have a look at it. We drove back out of town and he went and asked about it. He was given the key and he walked down the paddock and checked it out. The owners wife had phoned her husband, and Neville had spoken to him. The owner said it was a bit hard to start in the cold, but once it was going it was OK. Neville said it did take a bit to get it going, but ran alright. I asked him why it would be hard to start, and he said the valves could be in need of grounding and re-seating. I said we could be buying all sorts of trouble. He agreed. The guy wants $1,300 for it. It has done 200.000 klms. Neville thinks it is a late 1980's model. I don't think we will worry about it.

The Myystery of the 'Magic' Pudding Basin.

I have had a very amusing phone call from my mother. She rang to say that someone had sent her a Teflon coated pudding basin. She said there was no letter inside the parcel, and the post mark just said Australia. It was wrapped in the Sunday Mail and some blue paper with sunflowers on it. She asked if it was me. I assured her it was not. I burst out laughing as it seemed such a funny, strange thing for anyone to do. She said it did not seem to be from my brother, as it was not his hand writing. She said it was not from her friend Joan, as she was coming down from Whyalla, and would not post it. I said Joan would not spend the money on the pudding basin, let alone postage. It had her totally mystified, and me too, I might add. She said if I had any ideas as to who had sent it, to let her know. She said,"Sorry to worry you." I said, "You haven't worried me, you have made my day!" I promptly rang my brother and asked him if he had sent anything to mum in the post this week. He said yes. He was being his usual cagey self, not giving anything away. I asked if it was a pudding basin. "Yeah, it was." "Why did you send her a pudding basin?" "Years ago, she accused me of pinching one of hers, and I have been trying to find one to send her, just to mystify her." I said he had certainly done that! I asked him why he had not put a letter in it, and he said he didn't think of it in time. I asked if he was going to disabuse mum, or did he want me to. He said I could, as he would speak to her later.
I rang mum back, and said I should set myself up in business as a super sleuth. She asked why, and I told her I had solved the 'mystery'. I told her it was Robert, and what he had told me. She said she did remember sending him a Christmas pudding one year, but not about the missing bowl. Mum was very relieved to hear who had sent it, as she thought someone was trying to send her mad." I assured her that would not be why this happened.

I thought another one had bitten the dust.

Technology has progressed rapidly in the past few years,(I know, I know. That is stating the bleeding obvious.) and it is hard to keep up with all the new fangled gadgets and gizmos. For someone born in the forties, it can be a bit dizzying and confusing, but I have surprised myself with the ease with which I have grasped this stuff. My husband has not, much to my annoyance at times. It really isn't THAT hard. We have had our microwave oven nigh on 30 years, and it has only been in the last ten or twelve, that he has become au fait with how it works. He is only just getting to grips with the TV remote. The feature he loves most on that is the mute button.
We do not have enough power points in this house for all our appliances, and have to resort to using power boards and extension cords. Not the best way to go, I know.
Neville was heating some drinks in the mic last night, when it suddenly 'died'. I instantly realized it was not a power outage, as everything else was still working.
I thought, "Ah, well. It is pretty old and had to go some time. Not to worry. I have the one Mum gave me, when she moved house,to give to Deb. I'll just use that." This morning, I replaced the power board and plugged it in, and Voila, it works! Neville checked the other power board, and it had popped the safety button because the cord was pulled out a little bit. (I have no idea how it got pulled out.) He has repaired it, and it works perfectly too.

Coulda knocked me down with a feather!

My friend Sue came around this afternoon, and we were just about to go down town to have a coffee, when a familiar voice said, "Got the billy on?" There is just one person who I know of that says that. My brother. It was such a thrill to see him as he very seldom visits, even though we live in the same town. He is a bit of a loner. He had heart surgery just over a month ago, and has just started to drive again. I put the kettle on and made us all coffee, except my spouse, as he only drinks tea. We sat around and yakked and told yarns for about 45 mins. Robert is still finding it is taking a while to regain his strength and still tires easily. I will sleep well tonight as I am still on cloud nine!

Riley & the Ducks.

I had woken up early, about 5.30, and was not able to go back to sleep. I got up and brought the paper in and read it whilst having a cup of coffee.
I went back to bed around 7.20 and slept for just over an hour. I had a cup of tea and my shower and got dressed. My daughter and her children arrived earlier than expected, as I was checking my emails. I got my things together and we went down town, so Deb could do her shopping. I got a few things and took them and Deb's bread though the checkout and Riley and I sat out the front on some plastic chairs. I have not been feeling very well since Tuesday night I was feeling decidedly seedy yesterday whilst doing my shopping in Naracoorte, and had to go through the check out, having only done half of it, and go and have a coffee and sit down for a while. While we were waiting for Deb, I realized I had not had any breakfast. No wonder I was feeling yuk. Riley suddenly declared he needed to go to the toilet. I told him there was nothing I could do about it. He would have to wait for his mother. As there are no toilets in the supermarket for the public, I did not feel well enough to walk down the street to the public ones.
When we got back in the car, Deb drove across the road to the bakery cafe and took him to the loo. There is a small pond with some ducks on it. When they came back, Deb got some bread out of the boot and gave it to Riley, so he could feed the ducks. He thought this was really great, but was not very keen on the fact the duck was snatching the bread out of his hand and nipping him. He said, "Look Nan, he bited me." (He was a she.) I said the duck did not mean to and he should toss the bread on the ground for it to pick up with it's beak. He did this, and had a great time. They then got the duck to follow them to the water and threw the remaining bread in, and quickly got in the car before it followed them. This made Riley's day.

Paris Hilton, & others like her.

This young woman makes headlines no matter what she does. It is a shame that it is for the wrong reasons now. I have a certain amount of sympathy for her. She is a product of her environment and does not know how to be a 'real' person. While I have nothing against people who are rich and famous, it all depends on how they live and what kind of people they are. It appears her family have not taught her that she is very privileged, and a certain responsibility comes with such wealth.They have also not given her the coping skills for living in the real world. She is accustomed to having her every whim seen to by servants. She surly must realize that it is not how the rest of us live.She is also not accustomed to people saying no to her, which is why she is having a hard time doing her time.
The cynic in me says this may all be a publicity stunt, too. Why should she, or any celebrity, or public figure, think they should get preferential treatment just because they are who they are?
She appears to be very immature, and this will not auger well for her. I just hope she can learn from this experience and come away from it a better person, and not a broken one.

Don't lie to me, you won't get my business.

Last week, I received a phone call from a young woman, who said she was from the telecommunications watchdog, and that she was ringing to inform me, I did not have to pay line rental on my phone, ever again. My ears pricked up, but my alarm bells started to tingle too. As it was one of those telemarketing calls, I was very reluctant to continue the conversation. I am sick of them, and have put my name on the national Don't Call Register. We talked a bit more, and I asked what the catch was. She said there was none, but handed me over to a young man so he could 'give me the drum', as it were. He informed me, if I were to change my phone company and take up a $59.00 capped package, I would have x amount of calls, including international ones. I asked which phone carrier I should join to access this offer. He told me, and I said I wanted to see all relevant data in writing. He was trying to railroad me into signing up there and then. Not this little black duck! He said I could see it on the internet. I looked it up, but there was no mention of international calls in the packages on the Net.
When the young woman rang me back on Monday, I told her this, and she told me I would have to take out an extra package to have international calls for no line rental etc. I told her, that I would not be changing my phone carrier or taking them up of this offer.I do not like being lied to. This was blatant deception, and trickery. I did not come down in the last shower, either.