General Chat

lol CC

*l*a*

Hello all,

CC: I can recall the ‘soaking in vinegar’ to refresh meat. Used to happen often in Australia even back to the 1950’s in the outback where people didn’t have electricity so weren’t even able to take advantage of the ‘new-fangled’ refrigerator. They used what was called a Koolgardie safe. This was a box frame with screening at the sides to stop the flies from getting in and allowed the breeze to flow through. This was especially good if the screening was kept wet. You put the meat in there and it would keep for a couple of days before starting to go off. But I think the vinegar method was first used on the sailing ships way back and especially when the convict ships were coming out to Australia.

Tec: We were very fortunate living here in Australia and didn’t have the bombings etc that you people over there had. Mind you, we had some scary times, although I don’t remember them. My mother certainly did. She had me at the time the Japanese subs were discovered in Sydney Harbour. So it had to be scary for those who lived there then. I thought it quite hilarious when our found out the ex-OH’s family used to leave Melbourne and go into the country to get away from Melbourne in case it was raided. Haha. Got no where near them. The worst place for that was Darwin which was bombed by the Japanese and many were hurt. Interestingly, an Aussie ex soldier has just recently located the place where the final battle between the Aussies and the Japanese took place in Papua New Guinea. It was on TV last night. The local villagers have known of it’s existence for over 60 years and have kept it a secret. They didn’t go through the are nor hunt there because it was a ‘sacred site’. But there were rifles and ammunition plus other ordnance, helmets etc. all still laying there where left. Very interesting. It was off the Kokoda Track in very thick jungle.

Pam

Sue, I remember the Top 10 Hits, Hit Parade I think we used to call it. Is that the same one?? When did you come to Australia? Were your family on assisted passage? I remember when we had what we used to call the Pommie Camp at Bradfield Park back in the 50's. They used to have a brilliant dance there on Saturday nights that we were all welcome to go to. I was so intrigued by the way they lived in that place.

Pam.

Yes, CC I agree, the pros and cons of the good old days and the modern techno world have little in common. I think we 'lost the plot' in the modern era. Now it's all about who's got what etc and not about people. Life is about people, I believe.

Hmm Looks like I'm in here alone again. Probably because I do the h**sew**k before I get the computer. Otherwise it just wouldn't get done at all.

Currently it's 1053am here. Lovely day although a bit of white cloud over the blue. Temps are down though, currently at 19c/68f and that's cold to me. But I see that Sydney is getting that for their top temperature today. No wonder I'm strictly a tropical bird as I have said for years.

Pam

I think my dad probably learnt the soaking in Vinegar trick from his mum. They lived in OZ when he was a little bloke - came to NZ when he was about 18 months olds.... He was a cook in the army (Sergeant in the Officer's mess) and he had all sorts of ploys Pam... including cooking quinces (that no one would eat) in cochineal and serving them with custard and he got told lovely pears and custard. My mother was the baker of sponges and other treats and my father was the cook... let my mum do it and the cabbage would be boiled to smithereens.

Oh Tec - I think page 1269 is an all time classic of you and your "stuck in the loo" story - so good I have cut and pasted it on to a word document to tell a couple of my friends. You gave me a good laugh and whilst I know it wasn't funny for you it was hillarious to read.

I always remember Jimmy Nail in Auf Wiedershen Pet saying how he hated the Germans because the bombed his Granny.

My mother used to have the meat, bread and milk delivered when I was really little but she stopped it as I screamed blue murder when ever I saw a strange man at the door. (I am still the same) I don't remember this at all - I do remember struggling over the little 9inch wall my father had around his garden - it was supposed to stop me. ( I am still the same - struggling over walls)

We used to have listeners request on a Sunday for two hours and all sorts of old favourites were played including Josef Locke's "Hear my Song" - wonderful movie that and I had a Tullamore Dew with my coffee whilst there.

Later on we had an American program on radio called Casey's Count Down which OH listened to religiously every weekend.

With the exception of when I stayed at other people's places around the country (with long drops and outside dunnys etc) I was always accustomed to a flush toilet.

Pleased you are taking a break Janet - you seem to be a whirlwind of activity. ~~~~~~~~~

Over and out to all of you.....

Persey on here at odd hours.

I am back and I thought I would put up this.... I personally do not like eating cucumbers so am glad they have other uses.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.


9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.


13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Perse

And this because I thought it was a trifle amusing... or should that be an amusing trifle?

Snow Forecast:

On a bitterly cold winter's morning a husband and wife were listening to the radio during breakfast.
They heard the announcer Say, "We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of snow today.You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street, so the Snowploughs can get through."
So the good wife went out and moved her car.

A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer said, "We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today.You must park your car on the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snowploughs can get through."
The good wife went out and moved her car again.
The next week they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer says, "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park...." Then the electric power went out.

The good wife was very upset, and with a worried look on her face she said,I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snowploughs can get through?"
Then with the love and understanding in his voice that all men who are married to blonds exhibit, the husband replied,
"Why don't you just leave the ****** car in the garage this time."

I like that one Perse:-))

Pam it was the Top 10 Hit Parade. My mum, dad and I came to Oz in 1956 when I was 3 by assisted passage. Dad had a job in the steelworks to come to. Mum and dad never saw their fathers again. Mum saw her mum again a number of times. Knowing how much I love my grandchildren I can't imagine how my grandparents felt to see me go. We planned to go in July 2000 to see my gran but she passed away in the January so I missed her by 6 months. I felt bad about not seeing her but worse for her because she was looking forward to seeing me so much. When my parents took us down to gran's house they took me by the hands and mum told me that the last time we had walked together to gran's I was 3 and they had held my hands then. It was a very emotional trip for us.

Sue xx

Sue, how sad for you. Especially when it was all planned and all.

I went recently to see where I used to live with my grandparents only to find the house gone, the land of the farm has been subdivided with a road down the middle of it and houses built everywhere. The only thing left the same as it used to be was the creek with the willow trees all the way along it. Those trees were planted by my grandfather in about 1912 just after they were married and came to live in the new house he had built for his bride. They are still beautiful trees. My sister and I used to plait the fronds together to form rope swings that we played Tarzan and Jane on. I used to climb them, too. Mostly when grandma was looking for me to do chores around the place.

The other favourite haunt was the persimmon tree when the fruit were ripe. It took us ages to work out how come my grandma always knew where to find us. Never occurred to us that we were eating the fruit and throwing the skins down onto the ground under the tree. Talk about dumb.

Time for me to get to bed. It's 9pm and it's been a very busy day. Physio gave me a workout this afternoon and the shoulder is quite sore tonight and not liking me typing.

See ya later.
Pam.

I remember the Hit Parade well. I knew the words to every song that ever made it into the Top 10. We used to be able to walk into any music store and pick up a booklet with all the words in it. They were renewed weekly. There were more music stores then too, - still selling 78's and the "new" type of records (33's).

I have my home and car radios all set on 2CH. They play a lot of old records and rarely an evening passes that I don't hear a record which I haven't heard since the late forties!
I enjoy myself singing along with them!

By the way - I heard from Diane this week. She is feeling better - and still keeping an eye on us.

Hello Berona and Pamela, I have been absent without leave over the weekend and yesterday. Been fairly busy with work although I didn't work at the weekend which was good. My turn will come, I am sure.
I am much the same age as Allan. Of course I don't remember rationing as it was discontinued when I was a baby. I can remember the ice chest. My mother had a small Hoover washing machine single tub with a small mangle on the top.
When we lived at Dee Why in the mid 1950s an ice man came around. Early on, the milkman's cart was horse drawn. An agent for a dry cleaner also came around weekly. Now we don't get any of them.
I have been working on my family tree. I have deleted a couple of people as I believe others on Ancestry have got the wrong people.
I have had messages from two people asking about the same ancestor in the last few days. It's nice to make a connection.
I am fairly close to my sisters. Two of us have head chronic health problems in the past so we ring each other about once a week to check up on each other or so it seems. The relatively sane sister had a near nervous breakdown earlier this year- she is senior teacher at a small rural public school where each class covers three grades such as Kindergarten-year 2 or years 3, 4 and 5 combined. This year her teaching load was grossly excessive and she went into melt down. This is a woman with nearly forty years teaching experience.
I am going to check in on a couple of other threads then it will be bed time.
Good night all.

Shifted thread for the Aussie Morning, Welsh evening, etc.
Am away for the day.... got this new deodorant its perfume is called Nectarine and White Ginger - should've read the label before making purchase. Phew..... Mr Persey was in bed reading the other morning - I had had my shower put deodorant on and he said are you stewing some fruit.

catch y'all later...... Perse xx

Hello all,

Berona: Yes, I remember the music shops well. I used to buy those books with all the words in, too and also sing along to the songs on the radio. I used to sing a lot in those days and even went on the radio. 2UW I think it was – The Amateur Hour. Gee that was scary. But I loved to sing and also played piano. Funnily enough, I have now found out through GR that that’s what my paternal great grandmother used to do. She played piano and sang in RSL clubs and the like. This family that I had so much difficulty in locating has turned out to be most interesting. -- I also used to be able to buy the sheet music to play the hits on the piano; much to my grandmother’s dismay. She only wanted me to play the piano and organ in church and classics that my teacher had me learning. Hmm. Good old days, yet again????

I do miss 2CH. We don’t have anything like it up here in the north but I do have my CD’s that I play in the car. My son in Brisbane puts music from his MP3 player onto CD for me, too.

Sydneybloke: Nice to hear from you again. Interesting that you lived in Dee Why in the 60’s. My father lived there at that time too, then moved to Warriewood, then back to Dee Why in late 1970’s before moving to Eungai Creek up between Kempsey and Macksville.
I’m sure it is difficult for teachers these days. And having to deal with 3 different teaching schedules must be a nightmare. I never was a teacher in a school setting but was a trainer in a finance company. We recently did a survey of a private school and I’m just amazed at the difference in discipline and behaviour requirements in schools these days. It’s got to make the teaching of these little darlings so difficult. I even had one mother complain that she didn’t think it right that a punishment for her little darling should be picking up papers in the school yard during play time because, after all, he wasn’t dressed for it. What????? Do you have to take your gardening clothes to school in case you get detention for being a brat and won’t get your clothes soiled?? How dirty could you get picking up papers?? What sort of a new generation are we raising here? It’s downright scary.

Persephone: What a laugh. Stewed fruit indeed. Some would like that though. (Sorry had to delete that comment; might not get past our Sue’s green pen – or is it a red pen?)

Pam xx

Good Morning and Good Evening,

Perse - I had no idea the humble cucumber was so versatile. I shall try some of your ideas, particularly the bug repellant in the garden.

I'm pleased that you found my flight on the loo so amusing - I've often thought it would have been a most undignified way to die.

Pam - I knew about the Japanese subs being discovered in Sydney Harbour, and the bombing of Darwin. Ishould imagine the Australian people were very relieved when the war in the Pacific ended. I am also aware of the sacrifice of so many Australian servicemen at the hands of the Japanese.

Berona - I hope you will sing for me on the cruise!

I think Linda will be back from her holiday tomorrow, hope they had a good time.

This morning we had torrential rain for several hours, but we needed it, and it saved me having to water the garden this evening.

Tec.

Good (insert your time of the day or evening) to you all.

Persey, stewed fruit indeed! better than a stewed prune :0))

Colin I remember sweets coming of ration in the UK. I think that they were the last of the items to come off. Even though times were still hard after rationing I don't remember a time when there wasn't food on the table and I never seemed to go hungry.

All the kids in the street were the same and we always seemed to have a great time with just the occasional spats, fights and tears.

I even remember my first 'record player' an old wind-up gramophone purchased from a jumble sale.

Pam, getting clothes dirty was a way of life for us, but we had our every day knock-about clothes and then our Sunday best. And woe betide you if you got your Sunday best dirty or damaged.

Most of the new clothes that we had were bought for the Whit week walks (this was in Manchester) avery big week with parades of the various churches. The Angilicans would have their Parade on the Monday with the Catholics walking on the Friday.

Allan

Good morning/evening everyone. Hope you are all well.

We're getting some sunshine at last. Days of continual rain and overcast skies can get you down after awhile.

I think I need to take my little dog back to the vets. She seems to be winding down even though she's on medication. OH thinks it may need adjusting so I may take her in over the next day or so.

For whatever reason I feel a little down in the dumps. I'm thinking of my dad a lot lately and really missing my son down in Hobart. I don't know why. I'm also not sleeping very well. Ah well....I generally get over it pretty quickly.

Sue xx

Good evening Tec.

The War memorial in Canberra actually has on of those Japanese subs on display.

The War Memorial is a most magnificent place and as well as being a memorial is also a museum with fantastic exhibits and displays.

The museum area rather that distracting from the reverence of the Memorial seems somehow to enhance it.

I learned much there that was never taught in British schools

Allan

Good morning Sue

Sorry to hear that you are feeling down.

We all go through such periods from time to time for whatever reason.

I hope that you will soon be back to your normal chirpy disposition

Allan

Hello Everyone

I have been asking my mum for some time now to write down things that she remembers from her childhood. My youngest son came home the other day and said that he has to do a speech on how lives have changed over the years and has to interview a relative. He picked mum !! We now have some lovely memories that hadn't been shared before and I think it was good for Mum. My son came away and said we are lucky Mum that we didn't live when Nanna did (born 1929) as it was a sometimes sad story of friends being killed in the war.
We were talking yesterday of the day of the televsion first appearance and one of the young lasses asked if it was color...I distinctly remember coming home and having a colour tv I think that must have been in the 70s? The telephone we did not get for a long time after my friends had them in their homes ! Now my 11 year old wants a mobile phone I don't think so!!

I hope all is well with everyone...Keep smiling

xx

Thanks, Allan. It's not often I feel down like this and it annoys me. I always seem to bounce back quickly.

Hi Janet - you snuck in. I read on an earlier post that you are taking a break. Good on you - sometimes it can get a bit much and we need to slow down. Mum and dad bought our first telly when I was 10. It was a little black and white and I loved it. Especially Disneyland on Sunday evening. OH and I bought our first colour telly in the 70's.

Sue xx