h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Now THAT would be a wonderful occassion.

Well here it is Wednesday 9.57am and I am ready to face the world the Mongols arose way before me and now we set forth to procure ingredients for stain glass cookie making

I am only just now starting to feel relaxed and re-energized and starting to get to a place where I can think about christmas, Our eldest arrives on the weekend and then we will sit down and have a family conference about what Christmas food will look like this year. As yet we are still undecide though I know seafood is on the list and knowing my boys so will ribs be..

I look forward to phone calls from where ever

Tom arrived home with a wind mill for me last night for my garden so now there is a windmill gently turning in the breeze in the middle of my pansies next to Homer's pond (the Frog) now if your imagining a dutch wind mill type contration wrong its the kind you find on stations to power pumps that bring up water from underground to water stock it is made out of beaten metal and looks very rustic just right for the Australian bush...

I need to sally forth before there is one of those successful revolutions where they take over and hold me hostage for the day

I'm familiar with the windmill type. Many farms where I grew up used to employ them in generations gone by, to pump water for the cattle and other livestock from wells. They still 'dot' the country-side of a couple of provinces.

Tonight I have to clean up and be on my best behaviour. I'm taking us out to dinner at a really good hot-buffet restaurant, and then a small theatre. For a humourous panto version of 'Goldilocks and the 3 Bears', with a little adult humour in the mix. We've done these evenings each Christmas season for 8 or 9 years now, and they have always been a lot of fun.

Well here I am logged in on my childrens computer becuase mine now cannot access the net or email...It has taken me three days to remember what my new username and password are so now I have written them down so I don't forget....

I am wide awake and wishing I was asleep it has rained all day today and we had thunder and lightning this morning hard to believe it is summer...they are predicitng rain for Christmas day if so I may have to rethink our food on the day and instead of salads it will be hot roast vege pity means more work in the kitchen botheration and no swimming bother bother bother not what I really want to say but then my usually bugger will probabley be sensored very Australian but misunderstood elsewhere

Tom and the boys are camping and a grilfriend and her daughter are staying over we had a pleasant evening and I had a glass of red which I think is actually keeping me awake

Well Christmas is fast approaching and I can't wait to see the childrens faces on the day....I am sad though because one of my closest friends leaves shortly afterwards for Tasmania to live...I will miss her a lot even though I only see her once a month or so we have been friends for the past 7 years and in that time have encouraged each other a lot on our journey through life...she has been my prayer partner, mentor, adviser and encourager and even though there is still the phone and aeroplanes there are few people in life you can be truly your self and know that you are accpeted warts and all and she is one of them so I am going to miss her.

Well now that I have worked out how to get back on I shall sign off and hit the hay before I become really sentimental and maudilin...

Hope to get my computer back soon

HAve a good one Nic and weirdo7

I am sorry, but I just cannot envision Christmas with warm showers and rain, salads, tents and other summer'ish stuff. Girl, you really DO live upside down.

Did Rafe ever figure out who that was on the phone?

As for your dear and close mentor/friend ... Do check into the MSN Messenger stuff and the HotMail lines. Or even Yahoo or Google mail. Best yey, ask a child. There are so many instant messaging thingies, many that support a head-phones and microphone thingie. So besides daily talks (that you might not even have had before) your friend might be available MORE !!! Do ask the folks, eh?

Okay here I am on my familiar computer happily computing on my ergonomic board again...... I noted your kind email offer however I am going to create a new space over the Christmas break something a little more up to date... ...

Well it is still pouring with rain here five days on unheard of weather the earth may be globally warming but we here have actually had a fire in the house two days running bizzaris extremis

I am now in a real quandry as to weather to plan a hot traditional Christmas or go with our usual cold christmas buffett <insert confused smiley here)

Started wrapping prezzies yesterday

Well I am off to do exciting things like eat breakfast and hang out washing beofre the hoardes arrive they are all sleeping in this morning after a late night game of Scotland Yard and I am fairly sure that we are in for a long day of art and craft and gaming they are all well and truly in holiday mode me I think I want to play leggo all day

Have drawn up designs for the Hides or is it Hydes for the archery
and TJ arrives tomorrow to help his dad build them for the boys along with our future daughter in law

So while they build she and I will cook well at least that is the plan

I had the strangest dream last night that half our property was under water and all the reptiles prefered it that way they were busy swimming around as happy as larry meanwhile I woke up to you guessed it more rain our tanks are overflowing its wonderful

Not sure what it will do as far as the fire seaon goes I should imagine that it is just going to create more fuel

So the 'fire season' is all a part of your natural cycles, eh? Most perennial plants here will only wake up after a good and deep frost. So whn I learned that a lot of your plant species actually need atleast a flash of flame across the soil ... Well, it just seemed odd to me. "Flannel Flower" I believe are the seeds that Venus tried to gewt going. With no success. She chats a fellow in your country occassionally.

No worries about the PS offer. It was just that, knowing that your own hours are always quite full and busy. Best'o'luck with that.

For ourselves, we've been through a bit of a deep-freeze, temps quite a lot colder than normal for December. And then yesterday was a full day of snow-squalls and storm. A fresh foot (30 cm?) of the stuff, so our snow-blower got a good working out this morning. As did our backs ... the machine doesn't get too close to cars, doors or up the steps, so the shovels are still always in-play.

For the dinner, would a hot and cold buffet be too weird? Bake a ham, roast a bird, what-ever. Maybe some hot sausage or other meat finger foods ... And loads of chilled salads, such as potato, pasta, jellied things ... Covers all the bases without fully steaming out your home.

Well the rain stopped at 12.10 and blue skys were the order of the rest of the day and get this tomorrow is suppose to be 30 with the temp reaching 35 by Christmas day after five days of pouring rain and me wearing a sweater and long pants ....wish they would make up there minds...

well tomorrow I am picking up or should that be later to day the ribs yes I cant sleep dont know what woke me but awake I am

Flannel flowers are some of my favs but you need to either put them in some hot coals or dunk them in boiling water from memory if you want to germinate them we have some that grow on the property

The menu so far for chirstmas day looks like this:

Breakfast Panetone, Mangoes, Pineapple, Strawberries and Blueberries
with Edam and Smoked Dutch cheese and crackers and strong coffee

Lunch Ribs, Salmon, Chicken Satay, Duck and Ham (mum and Dad being traditionlists) no prawns or Lobster this year decided to simlify things Potatoe salad (with egg/celery/shallots) Coleslaw with pineapple and marshmellows (yes I know its American but I like it), Stuffed baked potatoes (zuchini/carrot/bacon/cheese/parsley/onion)
Roasted Pumkin,Sweet Potato and fresh green beans with butter and Maccadamia nuts with a bottle of Tattinger (courtesy of Mum) for the adults and non alcoholic wine for the children
Christmas cake, fruit mince pies and Plum pudding and Icecream

while dinner will consist of all the left overs and probably the remains of the chinese take away we are having Christmas Eve that Mum and dad are bringing with them yum yum yum

So now that I feel like raiding the pantry for a 3,00am feast I think I ll sign off and do just that while watching a movie maybe a grilled cheese sandwich will put me back to sleep

And just how many states are you feeding? That menu would more than do for my entire clan, aunts, uncles and first-cousins !!!

Birthsdays and Christmas we celebrate big the rest of the year we eat very simply with no dessert unless someone is visitng etc etc

I figure its a celebration so we is gooing to celebrate

Plus there is always enough for any unexpected drop ins

And this way i don't have to cook for a couple of days afterwards

mmmmm have I made enough excuses yet

I was reserving 2 questions for you ... How huge is your freezer for left-overs? ANd against that slim chance of ever winning a lottery, which is your nearest airport?

I can only hope that someone other than yourself is plying the digital camera trade for the day. I'd love to see the whole tribe ...

will put dad in charge he is the most technoloogically with it person in the house despite his 68 years he can do everything from the hardware fixing to the software he is truly amazing knows more about computers than most of the young guys selling them hope I am still as in touch at his age

We have three freezers yes I know but thats what happens when you live in the bush and ther eis no corner store i buy 15 loaves of bread at a time and 18 litres of milk etc etc

Maybe you could jump on a raaf jet

I do occassionally forget that you live somewhat more remotely than most folks I know. So yeah, stocking up well with each shopping run makes perfect sense. Though to be honest, I find milk altered after freezing ... Just not quite right somehow. My mother-in-law freezes hers.

How big of a herd (or horde) do you expect to be feeding for Christmas day then?

Oh, and I must admit to ageing ... I know that we exchanged a few words about flannel flowers, and how to get the seeds to germinate. But I can't find it. I think Venus would really like to have a success with them sometime, as they are so pretty. Could you send me an e-mail with what-ever ideas you know of? Please?

Roger wilcow however I will wait till after Christmas day because I suspect that one of my presents is a book on native wildflowers don't ask me how I know this and I wont be forced to

I should be doing other things but hiding out in the bedroom playing on my laptop is so much more fun

Oops the sound of mongol hoardes approach makes a dash for the wardrobe maybe I'll find narnia on the other side

Your time on the laptop is not hiding, cringing or even lurking. You are actively researching the ways, methods and opinions of the world !!! All in the interests of teaching your 'brood' what to expect, and good ways to meet it all.

Well, that would be my story anyway ...

I(n your own time about the flannel flowers, dear. I don't think Venus is anxious for now anyway ... It is her winter time as well as mine, though so much milder. To her, a frost is horror, to me, that is T-shirt weather.

If you find Narnia, or even any land that Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote of, behind your closet ... Please give me the address?

Merry Christmas, and the very best wishes in every way (heart, health and faith) to you and yours, dear Lady.

I go away for four days and you end up in a blue .....Well dear friend I hope your Chirstmas was a good one here it was announced on the news this evening that we were the hottest city in the world today with yesterdays Christmas day being the hottest in 50 years 45.6 degrees and to make Christmas really memorable our airconditining run out of gas so there we were swimming in the pool till late.....tomorrow we head for the city when the shops are open to re gas the one we have or buy a new one....

Despite the weather though we had a lovely Chirtstmas even with the dramas on the side, remember how I said we were traveliing on the 23 to Perth to see my sons church play well whilst there my middle son had an accident that saw me leave the church by ambulance to the nearest big hospital where his foot was put into plaster around 9.30pm that night....however they x rayed the wrong part of his foot so next it was off to the major childrens hospital which saw more xrays whichc nfirmed one break...we have to wait for the swelling to go down to confirm another one well that saw me driving home around 2.00am and guests arriving around 9.00

Today we were suppose to have more guests but as I didn't get to bed on Christmas eve until 2.30 and I was up at 6.30am it was nice of the children to let us sleep in considering how little sleep we had had we cancelled our friends at least until the weekend and I have spent most of boxing day under a fan either sleeping or watching DVDs...

Tomorrow is our midlle boys birhtday and insead of his bestest friend in the world coming here and them spending the day shooting with the new bows and arrows we are going to the city and taking him to the movies hes got the hang of his crutches now and it will be a hell of a lot better inside a cinema

So how was your Christmas uneventful I hope wish we had some of your snow I seem to remember you sending me some last year

After reading through all the posts I am almost convinced that it is impossible to have a discussion about the issue of faith without it turning into a debarcle unless some simple guidlines have first been put in place and everyone agrees to abide by them.....I saw the word socratic thinking bandied around but not much evidence of it in use and how do I know because I am a participant in a group made up of middle aged women who meet together (infrequently I admit) who for the past three years under the tutelage of a Dr of philosophy has been teaching us the basic principles and then guiding us through every day usage of the process...

Perhaps we could decide on some guidlines start one here if your interested ?

Well I am going to go for another swim it is 9.30 here qand the temp is down to 39.5 but its still a stinker of a night after that i think I will grab a bowl of ice cream oooh and before I forget no one thought to take photos this Christmas all too hot and tireerd but we were happy and we did enjoy ourseleves as we played board games stretched out on the wooden floors or swam in the pool hope your day was a good one too

Our day was far less eventful than yours. Christmas Eve, a lady-friend of Milady (and her bipolar daughter) arrived for a visit. Then the three of them were away to the late-night church service. I hope you'll not think the less of me for not joining them, but with my own doubts, it just feels a little 'wrong'.

I do hope young-man-with-crutches is doing okay, and does not have more than the single break.

Our Christmas day was quiet, mild weather that is finally melting the remnants of a few ice-rains. If you can send a pocketful of the heat, it may help... We chatted with nearly every family member, of every generation, by phone. And then roasted a turkey bird and made a fabulous feast that we'll pick at for days and days.

Oh, btw, since Milady is NOT allowed to keep a certain little travelling bear, she received her own baby koala for Christmas. And is happy with him.

I am so very sorry to say that I have been around here too long. And seen that there is no way to keep any discussion simple and centred on good faith. There will be unpleasant and hateful folks dropping in, just to stir things and make it all nasty for everyone. Most of the 'anti-faith' folks seem to have an active anger at any and all churches, and I have a gut-feel that it's beause of some past and personal experiences. You know that, without a face-to-face calm discussion, that anger will burn anyone it meets. It is a sad shame, but just the nature of people. But in the end, this being a 100% open site, there is nowhere that you could host a frank and comfy discussion of beliefs, without ugly intrusions. Maybe one day, I could host a small site, ... not to moderate, but to 'filter' who stays. All welcome, until they get nasty. Hmmmm, maybe a project for the new year.

Anyway, Little Red Haired Girlie, I am pleased that most of Christmas was good for you and the entire tribe. And I wish every blessing and good wish on you that I have the priviledge to call on. s and smiles from the Great White North.

Hi, friends, it's me, weirdo, lost my page (believe it or not) and set up a new name and home!
What a truckload of troubles!

My page is back!