General Chat

Yes Pam, I think much could be saved if expenses were curtailed.
I cannot believe the incredible salaries that council bosses are paid - they can't possibly be worth that much - how do they justify those salaries?
Some are taking home more than the Prime Minister - crazy.

Tec.

Hi CC. Ah now, I remember reading a book some years ago about the lady and the man in the potting shed. What was it called now????? I think the lady's name had Chatterley in it???? Maybe my memory is getting dim, though.

lol

P xx

CC - I don't want any references to Mellor's performances in the potting shed thank you:-))

I haven't had my day with my grandson yet - that's today Aussie time. I've just checked on what time to pick him up and he is so excited he's packed his pyjamas so it looks like he's staying the night:-)) That's fine by me.

Sue xx

Good evening CC

Sorry to have been away for a while: I've just been hunting down some meat in the freezer: Beef and Guinness Pie for tea tonight!

Allan

What a coincidence Allan - I'm making that on the weekend. My brother and SIL are coming for tea and my brother loves B&G pie - well actually I make beef and ale pie with Newcastle Brown Ale.

Sue xx

I know Tec. And they always act as though they are so entitled. There's been some talk up here in Cairns about the lady mayor. Apparently she goes to the beauty salon and bills the work to her council account. Imagine if a man did that? This is where women in public life really do need to get it together. Their constituents, whether they are in council, parliament or any other public office, are NOT responsible for their everyday expenses. It's like a lot of the people in top jobs in private companies like BHP. Give them a car allowance that they have to budget to. But don't give them an all expenses paid vehicle that they can use at will.

I recall when my ex-husband was a Golf Club Manager in Sydney. As part of his employment he had a brand new car every 2 years and this vehicle was all expenses paid, even down to the oil and window washer additive. For over 7 years he didn't have to pay for a thing. Then used to ask me how come I never had any money left over from my salary. I had to pay for everything for my vehicle (along with many other things including many household expenses) and on a take home pay of under $400 per week and his take home was in excess of $1,000. That was about 25 years ago when a dollar was a dollar.

But this sort of waste is just not acceptable. He only had 17kms a day to drive to work and rarely did he ever need to use his vehicle for work related activities. In fact, he didn't even take the banking to the bank. His secretary used to do that. In her own private, self funded vehicle. Not very fair, is it? Couldn't make him see that.

As my daughter often says to me when I relate these stories. "Well, mum, now we know why he's an ex."

LOL

P. xx

What Mellors gets up to in the potting shed is his affair. Just so long as it's not done in my time. I have warned my female staff about Mellors, the old devil has an evil glint in his eye, and can move remarkably fast for such a decrepid old man.
I have seriously considered having him seen to, but have been advised that his weight would increase, and then he would be even more useless about the place.

Tec.

Tec!!

Would you really castigate him!!

Allan

Allan, I think you may have a misspelled word there. Cast..te is maybe the one you were looking for???

hehe Oh dear, am I allowed to be that naughty in here?

P xx

I will return in a few minutes - if I'm allowed back in that is.

P xx

Allan - castigation would be the least of his worries if he continues to annoy me.......I'll use him as bait in the shark infested moat if he's not careful.

Well time to put the worries of the day behind me, and retire to the bed chamber.
Have a lovely day with your grandson Sue,
Enjoy your day Allan and Pam, and Berona,
Sleep well CC, and Linda,
~~~~~~~to Diane,
Goodnight,
Tec.

Good night Tec

Allan

I'm back. I was allowed back. Isn't that great???

Well, today it is cool and cloudy here in Paradise. But I guess we've got to have cool and rain now and again in order to keep it all green and growing.

At least it isn't as cold here as it is in the southern areas. Even Brisbane today would be cold for us.

P.

Looks like everyone has gone to bed or are going about their daily activities. So I will do the same. Have some pruning to do out the back so that I can get to the water tank without having to struggle through the jungle.

See ya later.

Pam.

Hello Pam - and anyone else who may be around.

Right now is our warmest part of the day and it's about 16c. I'd love to live a lot further north, but I would be on my own, so I'm in Sydney to stay.

You brought up a point about the clothing allowance, but I suppose the PM gets paid so well, they don't need extra. Of course, people notice what a woman wears, but I suppose the male PMs wore something different each day and had to look their best, even if it did look the same all the time. That's something the men don't have to worry about. Their wives or staff have to see to it that everything is fresh - and that's all. A woman can't even wear the same colour twice without the media making something of it. I think if she just keeps to the tailored look, they might leave her alone and pay attention to what she does rather than how she looks.

G'day Berona,

Well, let's hope that you're right. Must say I can't recall much being made about what Maggie Thatcher wore, did they? I know royalty is a different matter but the Queen Mother and the Queen put paid to that with their own basic styles. But I think it's quite ridiculous the way the media carry on about what a woman wears. If it's someone in show business or where it really matters, well, I suppose fair enough. But the Prime Minister for goodness sakes??

Pity you can't move north Berona I did. I used to live at Macquarie Park in Sydney, near the University at North Ryde and it used to get pretty cold there. But I love it up here with the milder temperatures. Today we are having around 18c - 25c. Not bad for the middle of winter, I think. By 10am we're in our short sleeves but come 3pm we're putting the jumper on.

I'm going to Sydney and will be staying with my daughter at Campbelltown in a couple of weeks. I'll be down there until August 5 so I'm going to feel the cold. I've just finished washing to freshen all my fleecy lined track suits to wear down there. I'll take my fur lined gloves and boots and my overcoat lives down there anyway so I don't have to cart that with me on the plane.

I'll be visiting my son and dil who live near Penrith and that's even colder than C'town. Where are you Berona?

Pam.xx

I was joking CC - of course you didn't say anything wrong.

Sue xx

Once again I take half an hour to catch up on messages.
A work colleague and his lady have recently had their first- the boy's given names are Rusty Grenville. The second is apparently a family name, but Rusty?
I really don't think the prime minister gets, wants or will get a clothing allowance. Just mischief making by the newspapers.Her party is centre-left and all our print media are right wing. That said, a former prime minister always looked sharp in his Italian Zegna suits.
Pam, I live about 7km south of Macquarie Park so know what you mean. I am trying not to be jealous of your climate. I think it is partly a case of what you get used to, but it has been unusually dull and miserable for a few weeks.
Hello and goodbye to everyone else. Upsiders should be up and about by now, but downunders might be busy cooking etc. We are only warming up a soup prepared yesterday so that doesn't take long.

Good morning everyone, sorry I disappeared, I had a couple of phone calls and then went to bed.

CC, I don't make my jam in the jam pan,although I do have one. These days, I make it in the microwave as it is a much quicker process, you don't need to keep stirring it and there is no danger of it burning on the bottom of the pan. It is incredibly easy to do. You can't beat home made jam, the taste is just so much better than the shop stuff, probably because it is jam packed with fruit.

OK, no one is around, I am off to the allotment to pick more fruit.I also noticed there were lots of Mange Tout ready,so I will pick them, then blanch them and freeze them. This self sufficiency lark is hard work you know