Cain't stop laffin'

It is just as well I have a very finely honed sense of the ridiculous,weird sense of humour to the uninitiated.
Yesterday,after church, I was having a coffee and talking to one of my friends,when another lady came over and spoke to us. She then procceeded to lift the hem of my skirt, ever so slightly, and addressed her remarks to the other lady.
Conversation went something like this,
first lady," Isn't this a nice shade of green? I have been admiring it all morning" ( why was she not paying attention to the pastor????)
Second lady, "Yes,it is. Not too dark or too pale.Very nice indeed."
First lady,"Hmmm, yes.Very nice. Nice fabric too." It is not a new skirt I have had it for about four years and worn it many times to church.
Neither of them addressed one word to me and it made me feel like a store Manniquin!!
I have been laughing about it ever since.My friends at Bible study this morning laughed heartily too.

Pet peeve #6

I do not know about you, dear reader, but I get pretty ticked off when the TV chanels advertise a pregramme and then, on the day put someting totally different on.
Why go to the trouble of advertising it, writing up the blurb and then not sticking to the programme?
There may be a legitimate reason for the change, Maybe the programme did not arrive in time, so they had to use a sbstitute. I know there is also a disclaimer to the effect that they reserve the right to change programmes without notice to us, the viewing public. All the same, it is very annoying.
A similar thing occurred the weekend before last, when a totally new series was advertised, and it did not eventuate. They broardcast The Biggest Loser instead, for TWO HOURS!!!
Said series is supposed to air this week. Time will tell.
The other reason I get annoyed is because I set the VCR to record only to find when I sit down to warch what I thought I had taped, some hideous programme instead.
If we are not meant to tape/record these things, why do they sell us the devices so we can?

Life as we know it

I have been endeavouring to attack the problem of accumulated junk. It has been piling up for some years, as I have gotten progressivly less able to keep up with the maintainance of order in this house. I HATE not being able to keep up with things. I have been ruthless in tossing things and papers out. I have filled the wheelie bin once, and will no doubt, do it many times yet. I am being vigilant in making sure none of the papers or documents that are disposed of have any identifing information on them, as I do not want to run the risk of identitiy theft/fraud. Consequently, the indoor wood heater has been put to good use. There is a lot to come, and it will take me quite some time to get the job done. The Salvation Army shop will be the recipient of much of the goods I no longer need.
As it is my husband's birthday on Friday, I need to cease my tidying for the moment, and concentrate on clearing up the kitchen. This is where I have been doing the sorting, as I can sit down to do it. I have a large box that I am using as a bin. I put it next to the wood heater, intending to burn the contents at some stage. Yesterday was my morning coffee day with Sue. I was walking past said box, and almost tripped over it! I managed to prevent myself from falling, by grabbing the door frame, and in the process, severly scraped my leg, drawing blood and knocking some skin off, and I will have a bruise down half the side of my lower leg. I did not think a cardboard box could be so vicious! I was fairly 'shook up'. as I am terrified of falling. With my bad back and legs, and the fact I was home alone, I would find it nigh on impossible to get up if I fell.
Life's little irritations.
We went to Naracoorte today, insted of our usual Thursday, for two reasons, 1. we wanted to sell some wool, and the buyer is only available on Wednesday.2. It is going to be sooo hot tomorrow.As I mentioned, as it is spouse's birthday Friday. I purchased some small pavlova shells and some strawberries to use in them, for tea that night, as our daughter and her family are coming to have tea with us. Yes, it is a 'special' birthday, which is why we are pulling out all the stops. Hubby does not like parties or crowds, so, we decided this was better than not acknowledging it at all.
When I was coming through the checkout, the girl asked if I would like the fruit and veg put into one of my chiller bags in the fridge. I always get them to do a parcel pick up, as we have lunch and do other things before we head for home. I therefore, do not have anywhere to put the groceries, as Neville has the car, and I do not want them to spoil in the heat.
I was appalled to discover when unpacking said bag, that she had put the strawberries on the BOTTOM of the bag, under the heavy watermelon, cabbage, and apples! We joke among ourselves when these dimwitted things occur, 'there is not a lot of it about'. We are referring to common sense! Why, oh why, don't the supervisors teach these kids the basics of sensible grocery packing? Why don't they THINK? Luckily, the strawberries are not too badly damaged, and, as I bought three punnets, I will be able to salvage enough for my desserts. Phew!!

Yoghurt maker for Christmas.

Christmas has come a little early for me this year, as I have already bought my prezzie from #1 son and family with the money they gave me.
I was in Foodland/IGA on Friday, and had seen the pouches of yoghurt culture before and had not thought seriously about making my own.I stopped and took a closer look. I picked up one of the pouches and read the instructions. They seemed simple enough. Something prompted me to look up, and on the next shelf was the unit as pictured on said pouch. I was very surprised to see how reasonably priced it was. I decided there and then to purchase one, as it would be much cheaper to make my own than to buy it. I could not see how, by standing the container in boiling water over night, it would make real yoghurt that was edible. All one has to do is half fill the 1litre shaker/container with cold water, put the pouch of flavoured culture in, shake it, then fill up with more cold water and shake again. Then all that is required is to fill the large outer container to the level indicated, with boiling water put the shaker in and screw on the top.
I was very pleasantly surprised yesterday morning to find a litre of deliciously smooth Cranberry yoghurt. It is creamier and tastes MUCH better than any of the bought stuff.It has hardly any calories as it is made from water, sugar substitute, and culture. I have no idea how much is in a six pack of yoghurt, but I do not think it would be a litre. They retail for over $5.00 I think every yoghurt lover should have one. Thank you very much folks.

Feet

I had a phone call from the Community Health Services in Mt. Gambier on Monday.The young lady asked if I would like to take an appointment yesterday, to have my feet seen to. This was quite unexpected and as I did not know if Neville was going to the farm or not that day, as he said he might. I was in a quandry as to wheter to accept. I decided to take it,after I had ascertained how much notice they would need if I could not keep it. I spoke to Sue about it when we were out for coffee on Tuesday, and she said she would take me. I hesitated to ask her, as it was at 12 noon, and she has to get her nearly blind husband his lunch. She assured me it was not a problem.
Sue duly picked me up and dropped me at the Cottage, then returned home and fed her family. The cottage houses our Community Health Services. I think it is government funded.
Another reason I hesitated to take the appointment was, the last time I had attended the Cottage, I was less than pleased with what the young female podiatrist had done, or not as it were.
I knew there was a new podiatrist, but had no experience of him/her.
When I arrived I discovered the podiatrist was a man, and he had a client with him. I was assured he was very nice, and everybody loved him.I told the receptionist I would reserve my judgement.
He duly came to greet me, hand outstretched to shake hands, but in my inimitable style, I caused him to do a 'double take' when I said hullo and 'sorry, but I won't shake hands. It is because I have Arthritis quite badly and it is too painful to shake hands'.After he had regained his equilibrium, he was OK about it.
The expression of his face was a classic, and said to me in a flash,' does she think she will catch something from me?'

No, he is not a blond.

Last month, when we had an early and very uncharacteristic heatwave, I was desperate for some sort of cooler as we did not have our air con installed at that time. We were in Naracoorte and one of the electrical shops was having a sale, and they had portable air cons in the catalogue. They were nearly as expensive as the cost of having the r/c air con installed.
When we got the thing home, we could not make head nor tail of the instructions, and therefore could not get it to work properly. My friend Sue came around, and as she is very cluey about such things, she tried to get it to work. She discovered that we did not have the vents open. Red faces all around. It worked for a while, then just blew warm air out. We tried it again the next day, same result. I went in to the shop next time we were in town, a couple of weeks after I had bought it, and they said to bring it back and they would test it for us. The upshot of that is, we have a replacement unit.
Neville picked the new one up yesterday, and the reason for the title of this post is coming up folks.
Sue's nephew works there and is a very nice, helpful young chap, but he had me in stitches yesterday.
He rang me on my mobile and asked if Neville had one, so he could call him, as they needed the box so they could return the dud. he wanted to catch him before he left the town. I said he was at the farm, and asked if he knew where it was. He was confused and so was I. He then said Neville had just picked the unit up. The penny dropped, and I asked if he was in the shop. He said he was out the back, in the warehouse. I said he had better run and see if he could catch him. He said he would as soon as he got off the phone.
What baffles me is this, why did he waste time ringing me, when it would have made more sense to just dash out the back and see if he could catch Neville? Some people???

Pet peeve #5

This may not seem like much of a problem for a lot of people, but it is for those of us who believe Christmas is not about Santa Claus, but the birth of Jesus, the Son of God and our Saviour.
It is very irksome and baffling, when some people who attend church and know that I do also, and know what the real meaning of the season is.
My beef is this, why do these people send us Christmas cards with the jolly gent on them?
I find it an insult as we are not little kids, and I feel very tempted to send the things back. But that would not be in the spirit of the season, and nor would it be what The Lord would approve of either. Nor is in my character to be that mean spirited I have addressed the matter with one person, and he has aceded to my wish this year. It also says, to me anyway, that not a lot of thought or love and care has gone into the choosing of same.

They call them 'chicken' patties.

This afternoon, we went to visit a friend who had invited us for a cuppa. I had a shopping jeep I had offered her, and she was very pleased to accept it, as she does not drive a car, and still walks to the shops occasionaly. I also had some other items that she will be able to use next week at church, for the Sunday School Christmas breakup party.
Before we went out, I had taken a large tray of these patties out of the freezer, so I could cook them for our tea. We had not expected to be very late, but another friend arrived with some items for our friend as well. She had some news to impart, and as she has 'the gift of the gab' it took some time to tell us all her news. I have not seen her for a long time and therefore did not know what she had been doing of late.
We arrived home about the time Neville likes to have his evening meal. I duly put the patties on to cook. They are quite large and thick through. They were still half frozen, and I thought they would take a while to cook.
Neville kept a close eye on them. It was just as well he did, as the solid hot plates are very tricky to get and keep at a temp that does not burn things.
Neville decided to cut them in half so they would cook quicker. When I had some for tea, my immediate though was, 'the closest any chicken got to these things, was when it ran past the chopping block'!
They are thickly coated in real bread crumbs, and goodness only knows what is in the centre. It does not bear thinking about. Shudder!
However, we can't waste them and Neville will take some to the farm tomorrow. He will probably have to wade through them on his own, as I don't think I could face any more.

He does pick his times!

I have been waiting, and waiting for my spouse to complete the job of replacing the old kitchen cupboard doors, so they will match the new cupboards he made two years ago, when he made new cupboards to accomodate the new cook top etc.I even had to threaten to get a quote from a cabinet maker to get some action. I was prepered to carry it through, but would probably have been horrified at the cost.
Hie excuse, for the last few years has been that the steel guide on the circular saw was not straight, and he was unable to cut straight lines. It does not seem to be a problem today.
The reason for the titles is simply, today is the day my domestic help comes, and he would be making a mess while she was trying to clean the place, and also, it is quite warm outside, and he is working in the sun.
Ah, well, i am saying nowt, as I do not want to give him any excuse to stop.
I will keep you posted, so watch this space!

Air con, at last!

About three or four months ago, I asked my husband if he would remove the old air con from the window in the lounge,as it was not coping well with the heat waves we have, and as I had bought a new split system, I wanted my window back. He immediately complied with my request. Shock number one. It usually takes him years or he just 'never gets around to it'. I was not in a hurry, at that stage to get the new one installed, as it was still quite cold, and we were still using the combustion wood heater. Shock number two, was the very early heat wave we had in November. It has not occured that early since 1887! I thought I had better see about getting it installed pronto.
Shock number three, was when I enquired about the cost of installation. I was told it would depend on how far away from the Stobie pole I needed to have the outside unit. It would cost between $700.00 & $ 800.00. I have since been informed that price is quite reasonable, as it costs much more in the cities.
I had waited several weeks for the guys to get back to me about a time and date, so I went around there one day, and one of the bosses came around here the next day to check it out. When I told him about the Stobie pole comment, he just laughed and said it has nothing to do with where the Stobie pole is in relation to the house, as it has to be connected via the roof cavity and inside fuse box. He told me the lass who said that was only young and new, and was trying too hard.
Yesterday was THE day. The guys came just after 7 am, and it took them nearly four hours to put it in. The younger guy who came first, came in to see where the inside unit needed to go, and asked if I wanted it over the vent. I told him I was not fussed, and he said it would be better to put it up as high as possible. The vent had to go. He very carefully chiselled it off, and went to put it on the floor ever so carefully, and dropped it! It broke into three pieces. It did not matter, as It was of no further use. It also meant that he did not need to cut a hole in the wall. Our house is made of Mount Gambier stone. For the uninformed, it is a fairly soft limestone, that is quarried near Mt. Gambier in the south of this state. It consists of compressed, minute shells, as that part of the country was once under sea. It is very easy for workmen to drill etc. It does however, make a lot of fine white dust, which gets into evey crevice, and nook and cranny.
Fairly early in the proceedings, the younger guy, stepped off the ladder outside, and twisted his ankle. I heard him groaning and went to see what waas amiss. He was lying on the groung in a lot of pain. He said he stepped backwards and heard it pop. He thought he had broken it. The boss and I made him come inside, after we had ascertained he did not need to be taken to the hospital, and I gave him some frozen beans wrapped in a cloth bag to put on it, to stop the swelling. He reckoned he was a bit of a sook, and I told him he was nothing of the kind. He managed to complete his work, though he was limping a bit.
Once the work was finished, and they had done a 'test run', and it was 'all systems go', the boss said all I had to do was pray for some hot weather. I told him I would be doing no such thing!

Watch it!

A couple of weeks ago, when we were preparing to leave for Naracoorte, I was putting my watch on, when it slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor. The floor is concrete with quarry tiles on it. Not a soft landing by any stretch of the imagination. It stopped, no surprise there. I was hoping it would start again, but nothing happened. I was going to take it to the jewellers, but it was such a hot day, and I decided to wait until this week.
After I had done the shopping, and before lunch, I took it to the jeweller, and the lady said that battery may have dislodged. This was what had happened, but after a further few minutes of no movement, she told me what I did not want to hear. It was eukered! I duly chose another one, and as it had a metal expanding band, which I hate, I chose a leather one and she fitted it for me. The watch is silver and has a biggish face. It cost $69.00, which I consider quite a good price.
It is a Sekonda brand. I have never heard of it before.

Pet Peeve #4.

My pet peeve No. 4 is:- People who ring, my mobile or house phone, and on realizing they have the wrong number, ask, "Who is that?" I always say, "You are ringing me, who did you want?" They then get very cagey, and ask again who it is, but I never give them the information.
Hullo people. If the person's voice who answers the phone is not familiar, you are not likely to know them, and it is pointless asking them to identify themselves.
Up here for thinking,( points to head,) down there for dancing, (points to feet.)
I am not about to give any info about myself to total strangers. Most of the time it is a genuine mistake, but sometimes they are just seeing if they can scam or scare someone. Not this little black duck!

Stress relief

The best stress buster is staying with people who truly love you and enjoy your company. They are also people that you can feel so comfortable with, that the Spanish saying, 'Me casa, su casa' is very apt. That means, my house is your house. I do not know if I spelled it correctly, but you get the gist.
Last week I travelled to Tailem Bend on the River Murray, and stayed with my good friends, Trevor & Denise, who live across the river in Wellington, for a week.
We had a very relaxing time together, and just kicked back and did whatever we felt like on the day.
Some of the things we did were, travelling to Mt. Barker, to do some shopping, we had a cuppa there. They ordered hot choc, I ordered Cappuccino. When they arrived, they were so strong, we could hardly drink them. This was the only 'downer' of the week. After we had our drinks, we walked a short way to Foodland, but Trevor had to dash to the loo, as he felt quite ill. He did not make it. It is most embarrassing when you are sick in public. Denise cleaned up the mess and suggested to the cafe owner that she cut back on the ammount of chocolate and coffee she puts in the drinks in future.
Wednesday Denise and I crossed the river on the ferry and went into Tailem and had coffee with another friend. We then had a look in some shops, and I bought a little cushion with kittens on it, for my two and a half year old grand-daughter, who loves cats.
Thursday, some of Trev's family came from Mt. Barker and had luch with us. We had a lovely meal of cold meats and salads, and cheesecake and Danish scroll. Then tea or coffee. We spent a very happy afternoon together. This was the first time I had met them, and the first time Trev's sister and auntie had been to their new home.
Friday, Denise and I had a girl's day out. We went to Murray Bridge and I bought a couple of T shirts for Deb's boys. Then we had coffee and cake. We then went to Hahndorf, and had a look around. In all my years I have never stopped and just looked around, Hahndorf. We used to pass through it on our way to Adelaide, until the freeway was built.
There is a big horse drawn carriage, for want of a description, giving tourists a ride up the main street. It is pulled by two Clydsdale horses. Lovely fellas.
After that, we had a look in some shops, then had lunch. It was quite a warm day, and it was nice to be able to sit in the shade and watch the people go by.
After lunch, we went in to a craft shop. The local people are very gifted seamtresses, and the items for sale were exquisite. They had, hand made jewellry, Paper Tolle, pot holders, and all sorts of fun things. Denise bought a 'Dammit doll'. It had a card round it's neck with a little verse,Saying something along the lines of, when things don't go to plan, just whack the doll on a hard surface and say, Dammit, dammit, dammit! Great stress buster I would think!
Saterday was way too hot to do anything, so we tried to stay cool. Usually after the sun goes down, they get the cool breezes from the lakes. Not last weekend! It stayed hot, it is still hot, and we are not officially in ssummer, either.
I went to church with Trev and a friend of theirs, then we tried to get cool. No go! Monday they had to be in Murray Bridge all day, and I had to be at the Shell servo by 9.30 to catch the bus home. As Trevor and Denise had to be in Murray Bridge by 9am, their friend very kindly said they would get me to the bus on time. I was there on time, but the bus was late. By the time I arrived home it was half an hour late and the driver was not in a good mood. It is very hot and we have a few more days of this. I will have to get motivated and get my new air con installed.

Just a short note.

I am still recovering from the hectic pace set by my #1 son, when he was here last week. I know he thinks I am a wimp, but I am not as young or fit as I once was, either. We did get out and about and saw a lot of things I had not seen, or had not seen for years. And it was great to have him and his boy here for a few days. We do not see much of them, as they live 3,000 klms away.
On the Monday, after the school anniversary celebrations, we drove to Naracoorte so they could meet with his uncle and aunt, and go on a tour of the world famous caves. Father and I declined, as I hate caves, and father was not interested in them. We then drove to my brother-in-law's farm, some distance south of Naracoorte. I had not been there for quite a few years. I daresay #1 son will tell you all about the events of the day., and it and the pics will turn up on Face Book.
What I would like to relate, is a charming little incident that occurred at my old primary school in the hamlet of Mundulla. This small town is only 6 miles from here, and we had to come through it to get home. As we were coming in to the town, we passed half a house, sitting on the side of the road.As we drove a bit further, the truck with the other half was coming out of a narrow street and I suggested to Mark that he should turn down the street before it, and take the boy to see my old school. It was 4.45pm by this time, and we did not expect to meet any of the teachers at that time of day. There were several still there and about to depart for their homes when we walked over to the fence to take some pics. One of the ladies told me her name and I said in passing that i had attended the school with the husband of their pricipal. She was quite excited about that and called out to the other lady, "Hey, she knows Al!" (Alan) As it is 51 years since I departed to another primary school, and I have hardly seen him in all that time, I was pleased to note he is obviously well like in the town.He was always a very shy quiet, well mannered boy.I doubt very much if I would know him, or he me, now. This tickled my funny bone.I also mentioned the very rude reception we had received at Padthaway homestead, where we were virtually told to get lost.She said they would never do that, and would I like to have a look in the old place. Of course we jumped at the chance. There have been quite a few alterations since I was there. The principals residence, which is part of the school building, is now the office. We went past my sister's old class room, but mine was locked.

Blessings.

We have had two of our lovely grandsons to stay for a few days. L came, unexpectedly, on Tuesday morning. It was decided that day, that R would come on Thursday, as his parents wished to buy his birthday or Christmas present, not sure which, and did not want him to know about it.
The blessings are these, we got to spend time with them, they had something different to do in the holidays, and Mum and Dad had a bit of peace and quiet.
The boys amused themselve with painting, art and craft, they made kites and flags, computer games, and games on their Play Station, that mum brought down with R. Yesterday they went to the farm, and had a great time chasing sheep, grubbing out thistles and shearing some sheep. There were only seven to do, plus four rams. Neville decided not to shear the rams, because they are very big, (fat) and he needs another man to help throw them and perhaps hold them.
The boys also went with Neville on his three mile walk each night. He does that because he is a Diabetic, and needs to keep fit. I thought it was a bit much, especially for R, as he is not quite seven, but he insisted.
He was 'done up' after his big day out, and was asleep by 8.30, 9.pm.
They are good eaters and ate everything put in front of them. All in all, a good time was had by all.