General Chat

Hi to all the Wattler's, it has been awhile since I logged in .
I am still on the Family tree I am on the final draft .YES YAHOO
I gave myself the day off to prune my plum tree it is done and dusted, I only have to get rid of the rubbish.

I am still having trouble trying to log on to Genes and when I do it still is not working properly.Yesterday I tried to add to my tree and each time I pressed the save details I got the response that Genes were having trouble,then it would drop out once more, in the end it said a"Fatal error had been made and to contact support" which I did last night ,I got a response this morning telling me the tree was fine and if it happened again to let them know
;-)Tony you must be off on your annual holiday to Phuket. Do have a nice time don't put on too much Weight

Hi to all the new names I see on the posts :-)
What are you cooking up Badger? No don't tell me I feel hungry enough as it is.

We have had 5 ! yes 5 beautiful days of Sunshine <3 however the forcast is not good it will be winter again by Monday drat :-P
I must be off time to cover the plant's in case we get a frost to-night :-(

Happiness to you all <3
<3 <3Love Marie :-D

Morning Marie,a lot of the trouble on the internet at the minute are the result of very strong solar flares that have been hitting the globe for a few days,knocking out some communication satellites and even some power grids in America.
Having problems with both Yahoo ,and I e this morning myself but they reckon it will pass off in a few days,in the meantime some northern places will be having some spectacular Northern Lights after sunset.
Just to make you hungry ,lol,Fred is going to be making Bread Pudding for the extended family this afternoon ,once i make sure i have all the ingredients,this is a southern pudding which became very popular in the second world war using up the stale bread and other goodies [waste was frowned on in those days].
When cooked ,and cooled it is cut into slices and served cold ,yummy.
My plums are only just starting to turn red ,and they will be ready in a week or so,and ditto with my apples ,which are doing well,but i won't get any Nectarines until next year,but even this new tree is covered in leaves and looks promising.
Elsewhere out back ,we are eating ,the veggies ,from Courgette ,cabbage ,calabreese, through to three sorts of beans outside ,then in the greenhouse the tomatoes are ready ,cucumbers,and the peppers,yeeeees :-D all is right in my garden.
Hope you get a decent summer Tony,we havn't had one ,and the leaves on the trees are already turning brown :-S,six weeks early :-0 dosn't bode good for us ,again ,lol.
Hope your hoard of coins under the floor are building up ,he he ,time is getting short Mate ,and you will be needing all of them ,wither that ,or you will have to hide the wife's plastic :-(
We have had to cancel our holiday to Cornwall because Liz can no longer travel that distance so it's back to holidays around Blackpool :-) which ain't so bad i suppose.
Hope you all are having a nice weekend ,take care,Fred :-)

Please do not tell me off for posting on here??!

Recently I started a thread at the request of several people who have left the UK to live in another country. It started by some people asking why I decided to live in Spain.suddenly others in far further afield started join us. Now I know that thousands of people left the UK on the £10.00 scheme many years ago and I would simply like to ask if would join us and post on
Now called Those Who Left the UK to Live Abroad.

Australia is such a vast country and we feel sure that we could learn a lot.

Thank you for reading this

Bridget in Spain
09.32 hrs

Evening from a wet Melbourne this weekend :-(

Still here...... and havent left on Hol's yet. Still a few more sleeps to go until we head far,far north :-D

G'day to Bridget in Spain :-)
Bridget, nobodys going to tell you off.........and your quite welcome to post here mate. As is anyone that drops in on the Wattle thread. I personally cant help about living or moving to another Country, as Aussie is my birth place.....but from memory there are a few peeps who drop in that moved to Australia that were born in the U.K.......immigrated, and made their roots here for whatever reason.

OH ( Barb ) is off doing the grocery shopping, and picking up some meat and salads for our BBQ to-morrow. This is our pre holiday get to-gether,and we kick start off our upcoming Hol's with a few snags on the bar-bie, and a few bottles of amber fluid. This allows the fairer sex to have a chin wag about how much money they are going to spend on shopping,ect,ect,ect,ect,ect...( phew )..ect,ect,ect... in Thailand.;-)
I record everything on my trusty old tape - recorder......so i have a comeback if they exceed that ammount.....LOL...:-D

Wishing all a great weekend :-)

Tony :-) * with only a few sleeps to go....then its up,up,up and awayyyyyy* ;-)

Welcome Bridget, nice to see another new face on board... :-)

Ooohhhh Sir Tones you naughty boy you, You should now by that its a woman's perogative to change their minds..... :-D

Have a great barbie Barb and gang.... ;-)

Oh, just to let you know that Loz has been in and out already from the hospital from her op, and she is feeling fine... :-)

What a lovely warm welcome. I do have som connection with Australia but will check the details before I post. Indeed I nearly made it to your country when I was about 23 not saying how long ago that was!!

What we would be delighted to have is a few People to tell us why they left their country of origin and why they choose Australia. It is about the good and the down side etc. Perhaps one or two people would take a quick look and if not really interested just acknowledge that they hsve been to the site,.

I will look on this thread from time to time in recognition of how welcome you have made me feel
Thank you,

Bridget in Spain

23.08 hrs :-D

Hello to you all ,
Thank you Tony for the email I am not suprised I made a mistake in posting I have been very tired, late night's and very little sleep ,working on this hugh family tree, good news it is almost finished I only have to put myself and my family and grandchildren on the very bottom of the tree.

I have 2 sheet's that I am not fussed with so I will probably redo them.
Have a few drinks for me when you get to Pukett, better still invite me along next time. HEHE as Badger say's

Hi Badger,your garden sound's wonderful some of my plant's are stactic at the moment as our frost in the last few weeks have been looking like snow especially this morning, we had good rain last week which made the daffodils stand up smartly ,Daffodils's you say!! yes say I, they are flowering and my plum tree is almost in bloom,I am hoping to give it a spray to-morrow.I didnt get time to have a close look at it to-day, I hope that frost last night didnt damage the bud's.
Bread & Butter pudding with jam on the other side of the bread Yum Yum Mum used to make it for us and I carried on with it for my family, it has been awhile since I made it, but I might just do some for the family next week and try it cold we always had it hot.
Have you had any riot's in Newcastle in your neck of the wood's Badger.The Police need Water cannon's and the colder the water the better. What a pack of mongrels we have bred .Its a shame England did away with stansportation surely there must be still some Desert Islands they could take them to and just dump them, better still take them to Tanzanier and all those places that are in the worst dought for years, they would beg to be given a second chance when they had to go without food for weeks like the poor people over there. :-P Oh well I have had my rant, better get off the soap box.
Hi Bridget in Spain, my Irish kin came in 1862 because they were starving as the potatoe's had failed, because of disease and also from the injustice of the British rule.
My Swedish and Danish grandparents came over in the1870's they also for a better life, as crops had failed in their country and like our Irish ancestor's made a very good life for themselves.
They all served this country in the 1st world war and then again in the 2nd world war,and I for one and my uncles Aunt's and cousin's give thanks to our ancestors for the sacrifice they made in coming to this country and leaving their loved ones.my english Ancestor's arrived in1880

On the 1st & 2nd of October we are Gathering in Mackay Queensland for a family Reunion to Celebrate the arrival of the Haywards 130 year's ago.
In Feburary 2012 it will be 150 years since our Irish ancestor's came to Australia.
This is something we are all very proud of,our Heritage comes from Depenable, hard working stock, People who put their backs into opening up this wonderful country of our's.
God bless them all for the sacrifices they made.

Time I went to bed,
Love & Hugs <3Marie :-D

Please note, not one of our Ancestor's were convict's :-PLOL Marie ;-)Zack :-)

Hya Folks up here & down under & in Between x hope you are well .a damp day here .our summer has been a bit of a wash out .April & May. was nice ,& june, but July & August , :-( my poor hanging baskets .& pots are a sorry sight just now .b~~~~~~Rainx, didnt know Tone OH was A Barb !! lovely name in it .iget called Babs .hate it .much prefer the name i was christened with Barbara . My initials are B E D .he he !! it could have been B.A.D .gratefull to my gran for middle name xx well enjoy whatever you get up to .Bon ,`voyage .Tone :-D Barbra x :-)

Nudge for this thread xx ;-)

Hello all ,
A quick nudge from Marie the sun is shining but the wind is freezing looking forward to Summer
Out to the movies to-day to see the Aussie film Red Dog I have been told to take my tissues along.
Going to lunch with 2 of my friend's I will have a red Wine for you all Love @ Hugs <3 Marie ;-)

ps from Zack

Barbra, My Sister was Barbara, and I have a daughter Barbara ,also one of the friend's I am going to the Movies with is also Barbara so you see I too love the name.
Do you live in QLD.I was born in Mackay, that is where my English Ancestor's settled when they came to this country.
Spanish Eyes I forgot to give you a very big welcome to our Wattle Thread greetings also to anyone else who would like to join us.
:-D Marie ;-)

Marie. I live in Scotland .have done for 4yrs now .i am from lancashire .england .notice you have a Brennan on your tree my ancesters .from ireland .was a marie Kennedy .& she married a brennan ..after her 1st hubby died .could be related ?? Barbara x :-)

Tony, surely by now you should know that the amount they talk about is simply a starting point, not an exact figure lol :-P

We, women, always reserve the right to alter said figure, only upwards mind ;-), accordingly.

Morning from a sunny Melbourne town..:-)

Arrived back home to Oz on friday morning from Phuket.
We were glad to touch down at Melbournes Tulamarine airport at 6:00am, but then had to go through the customs mafia for the next 2 hrs :-(..........but came through o'k with our bags of purchased goodies.

Flew out at 7:00pm thursday evening from Phuket international airport and turned our watches forwards 3hrs to Oz time, which was10:pm.........so an 8hr flight all up. Our flight path was Phuket through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta,Densepar ( Bali ) then across the Timor Sea through to Aussie flying across Geraldton( Broome ) Western Australia, then headed south east across the Great Sandy Desert,Gibson Desert,down to South Australia,( Port Augusta )then further south east( for that Westernly tail wind ) across Adelaide to the Victorian border ( Border Town ), through to Bendigo then onto the city lights of Melbourne. You can follow the flight paths on the seat tele in front of you, and during daylight flight hrs going over to Phuket it was great to pick out land marks of places i have travelled in Aussie during my life time,and see them from 40 thousand ft above.

Its so different living in Phuket for those two weeks, and no PC * Political correctness* crap over there mate. Dad, Mum,Kids, and babys all piled on the one motorbike ( no helmets) and the grocery shopping to boot.....lol
Workman all piled into the one truck, and some sitting on the cabin roof, all laughing and singing as they head home after a days work. I was told that the average labourers wage was 250 Baht ( $8au ) A DAY....... :-0 Our taxi driver was shocked when he heard that our 18 year old Sarah was earning $17( 500 Baht ) an hour............ for making coffee at a drive through.......O'oooooooooo i could live like a King he says......lol

For the Motor Bike lovers, you can hire a bike for $17 a day....
Bought myself another Camera.... Fujifilm 14 mega pixels, JX300 finepix,5 Zoom for 2,900 Baht or $90au. A bloke cant have to many cameras....lol

The markets were full of Aussie,Kiwis, UK'ers,Yanks and Canuks buying up big, and can you blame them.
Cigarette's 20 pack for $3au or $17 a carton of 200 (normally $50au )
DVD's ( latest releases ) 70 baht ( $2:50 ) all working order.
Handbags ( for the fairer sex ) 700bht ( $22au ) brand new."Jimmy Choo"
Ladies Shoes ( Heels & Sandals ) 250 bht ($8au ) brand new.
Tiger Beer ( stubby bottle draught beer ) 60bht ( resort price or 7 eleven ) = $2au.....or 24 bottle slab $18.... :-0......normally $50 Aussie
Mens short sleeved shirts and T-shirts $8
Mens shorts ( Diesel brand, D&G,QuickSilver, ) $7au
Ray Ban sunglasses 100 baht $4 ( bought 9 pair....lol )

New Zealand Lamb chops,T-Bone, Porter House, Rib Eye,Sirlion steaks with vege $15au....... :-0
Pint of Milk .. and a 1.5 Litre Coke 50 baht ( $2au )...lol

We have done our Christmas shopping :-D ;-)

All in all, another great holiday in a very relaxed Phuket,Thailand.......and of course the fairer sex shopped till they dropped, and Barb and daughters came home with the biggest smile on there dials.... loaded to the hilt with handbags,shoes, and summer clothes. ;-)

Weather was great ( considering Monsoon season ) and all days and nights were a lovely 34c( 24 hrs a day ) if you can handle the humidity at 86%........but most Aussies are used to heat and humidity :-D

They only have two seasons" Monsoon and Summer" and to be there in summer you would have to be made of tough stuff.

Lots of Videos and Pics taken ( as ya do )....and the grandkids were in there element swimming at 1:00 am in the morning.....lol

Hope all are well

Tony ( who will be up for work at 6am Monday morning)... :-0 ;-) :-D
ps. "Road Sign"....Elephants next 10kms.:-0 :-)

Hello
you sound as though you have had a fantastic holiday Tony & family . :-) ~~~~~To All Barbra x

;-)~~~~~To All

hi, seems I haven't posted for an eternity. I do have broadband , but whenever I come on GR it seems to take an eternity to load. Anyhow... I am a granny now. My eldest boy had a beautiful little girl , so another twig on the tree. I don't know anything about their side of the family except that they are not even distant relatives as the dil has Spanish and Maltese parents.
Your holiday makes me envious Tony, I do like warm weather .
Another lovely spring morning here. All good for my vege garden which is growing nicely. I recently got 3 chickens now living up the yard ready to transform scraps to fertiliser.


hope everyone is well love Yvette

Morning... :-)

Nice sunny weather in Melbourne this weekend.

Hi Barbra and Yvette. Yes, had a great relaxing holiday, and already talking with my Barb and children, we are again planning our 4th trip back in 2012...lol

I also love the warmer weather Vette, but not sure whether i could live in a country that only has two seasons ( Monsoon & Summer )
I know we get it further up north Darwin and Cairns, but the constant humidity would be hard to live with unless you were born there.
I remember my first trip to Darwin, and i couldnt walk the streets for longer than 10 min with stopping for a drink or to find a shady spot under a tree....lol The good thing about living down south ( Victoria ) i guess, is that we still get the heat during summer, and it can reach as high as mid 40s mid summer....but there is no humidity, and thats what knocks the stuffing out of you :-0
While doing some FH research a few months ago, i was thinking about our 1st,2nd,and 3rd fleet Colonial ancestors, and how they survived as they ( 1st Fleet )arrived in Oz during mid summer ( Jan 1788 ) No wonder they moved further south to New South Wales not long after arriving, and it kinda makes sense the next Penal settlement after Botany Bay and Norfolk Island was in Tasmania ( similar weather pattern to U.K )....lol Would have been Hell on earth ( mid 40c ) for some folk in Queensland Penal colony, and what a shock to the system.

Third day into spring, and started preparing the Vege garden for those summer Vegie's.....:-)
Sarah ( daughter ) boyfriend works for Stonnington council ( Gardens and Parks ) and will supply me with summer seedlings again so he tells me. Last year he supplied me with Tomato,Lettuce,Capsicums,Cucumber and Chilli pepper seedlings, and we had heaps to last all summer and into Autumn :-D

Fathers day in Oz....so kids and grandies are coming down for a bite of afternoon tea.
Bacon & eggs brekkie, along with sausages and fried Tomatoes cooking away, so will go pig out on my favourite tucker.

AFL Footy finals start next week, and cant beleive we are again coming to the end of another year. Feel as though i just packed away the Xmas dec's not long ago....lol

Best wishes to all

Tony :-)

Hope you had a great Fathers' Day, Tony and all our Aussie and Kiwi Dads <3

Sue x