Tag Archives: nonsense

go on…deep breath …then jump onboard

28 Dec

After our fabulous white Christmas adventure with ‘the best son in the world’ his gorgeous partner and our new extended family,  it’s time to brace ourselves and head for the airport… So, with the melatonin on hand,  the afterglow of the past 16days in our hearts … and the promise of a movie marathon, I think we’re all prepared to abandon ourselves, give-in to the thought of the pending 27hrs … and jump on-board.

I’ve spent quite some time reflecting on this whole distance thing…. and it’s quite funny really. Over our 4 trips to North America and Canada we’ve met  so many people who say they would LOVE to visit Australia, but that it’s just so far away ….Oh, and the fear of all our ‘man-eating wildlife’ …(mmm too much Steve Irwin I think)long plane ride

Hello …newsflash, it’s the same distance for us (and guess what….we survive).

I think a lot of it has to do with how you think about it ….I have a tendency to look forward to forced R&R..after all there is not much you can do, other than go with the flow, watch the people, and enjoy the ride. You’ve just gotta hope for ‘good neighbours’.

 

Deep breath – here goes …see you on the other side !!!

 

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lost in space….

13 Dec

Having prided myself on only having missed one day so far in my 365 day challenge…it seems I ‘ve been beaten again by that dreaded international dateline. …

No matter how many times I did the mental gymnastics… travelling backwards to the other side of the globe has messed with my head completely. TECNICALLY  I had 2 chances @ 12th Dec….yet somehow its already 13th. For the record, I had a crack at one post an route….but, well…that’s another story.

I wonder if that’s where the saying ‘time flies’  originated from ?

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bet you were wondering about this too ….

30 Nov

Why are hamburgers called hamburgers when there is no sign of ham ???

This was the topic of conversation as we sat outside a hamburger joint in sleepy little down-town Merriwa this afternoon. So… after the four of us having our own guess (and making up some good stories),  you guessed it, I decided to ‘google it’.

Surprised, and enlightened, I am happy to share a bunch of useless facts with you all.

I was surprised to read that it all  started with the Tartars (nomadic people of Asia and Europe) back in the middle ages. nomadsThese horse riding wanderers, tenderised their beef by sandwiching it between their saddle and their horses while they rode… mmm …yum.Later on, the Germans somehow got involved and mixed this tender meet with a few tasty flavours (I can imagine why) …and then broiled it and it became known as Hamburg steak.

When the Germans started to emigrate to the USA in the late 1800’s they took the recipe for this tasty morsel with them…. boom boom … Hamburger stores started to pop up ….and  next thing, the world is over run with McDonalds. If you don’t believe me you can get the facts right here.

 “making hamburgers the old way”

So there you have it in a nutshell … nothing to do with ham, everything to do with the Tartars …and the rest is history. Now aren’t you glad you asked ?

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feeling smug ….

16 Nov

There is no doubt that today provided plenty of blog-fodder …catching up with old friends after knee-replace2 years was a feast of fun, food, life observation and  crazy conversation that traversed everything from family to… knee surgery…  work…  building… knee surgery…  politics… travel… knee surgery…  study…  school….  plans …. aging parents….oh and did I mention knee surgery ???

We had a blast, laughed a lot, talked at cross purposes and covered SO much ground in a relatively short space of time …BUT …while I could write a book on knee surgery (or maybe even perform it) after today’s conversations… it’s been gazumped as tonight’s ramble.

Instead I’m going to make yet another confession about my lack of nature knowledge.

As Mr 50Something flicked the TV onto one of his preferred action fishing documentaries (is that an oxymoron? …somehow ‘action’ and ‘fishing’ don’t quite seem to fit) …  I heard mention of death by  ‘electric eels’ somewhere in a remote Amazon jungle.

electric eelPlease forgive my ignorance.. BUT I seriously thought electric eels were a plumbing tool for blocked drains. I had NO IDEA that they not only exist in the real world… but they electrocute people. I was so stunned by hearing this, that (of course) I googled it and learned all there is to know about them. If you want to surprise your workmates with your brilliance have a read of this.

So all in all it’s been a huge day … I can now say I’m expert on both knee surgery and death by electric eel attack …Reckon I might just go and update my CV.

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lighting up …..

6 Nov

There is no denying that Christmas is not too far away…but when is it too soon to ring the bells on the festive season???

Today when I was driving through Penrith in Sydney’s outer Western burbs, I was struck by the flashing coloured billboard advertising the lighting of the city and arrival of Santa…TOMORROW .. .the 7th November!!!! 

aust christmasIt’s bad enough that we Aussies struggle to compete with the idyllic picture of a white Christmas… complete with egg nog, sleigh bells and the scent of homebaked gingerbread …. but SERIOUSLY ???

We have our own unique way of celebrating in the sun and the surf … BUT the first week of November, out in the burbs is a bit of a stretch to ‘get us in the mood’.

I suppose I understand the commercial battle for the dollar, and I get that stores push to grab it earlier and earlier each year …. but lighting the town and generating that anticipation and magic of Christmas, can surely wait until December.. Can’t it???christmas

I mean, let’s face it, if Trafalgar Square in London and the Rockefeller Centre  in New York…two of the world’s more  iconic Christmas spectaculars…, can wait until December, then ….let me ask  “what’s the rush Penrith” ????

 

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face painting for the 50Something…

22 Oct

So… there I was preparing to head out for the day with Mr 50Something, when I sense he is becoming a  little toe-y. I heard the pacing and the car keys rattling and knew instantly  that I was getting the ‘hurry-up’, so rather than finish the job properly, I figured I add the final touches in the car.

I emerge from the bathroom ready to go and he looked at me quizzically…

‘ummm … you look good …BUT …you haven’t finished ‘colouring in!’colour in

I replied that I had my paint box and tools and that I would complete the work of art en-route…

He was then completely amused as he watched the portrait take shape layer upon layer on the blank canvas. A hint of colour here and a touch of gloss there, extra fibres for eyelashes, tinted gel for those (ever important) eyebrows, a defining edge for the lips and finally a quick powder dusting to set the lot.

Done … from ‘early morning bedroom’ face to ‘happy to be seen in public’ face in only 2kms….. and with endless commentary from the man who first questioned what was missing and then proceeded to ask ‘why do you bother with all this’ ?…. sigh…. Because I’m 50Something but not dead yet !!!

 

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round the S bend…

20 Oct

A little toilet tale with a twist …. I’m not complaining about lack of loo paper or failing pelvic floor muscles, nor am I commenting on the cost of inflation hitting the humble toilet roll …. or any other cubicle contemplation for that matter.loo cleaner 2No… tonight it’s all about cleaning…and where is YOUR  line in the sand ?

After a good squirt of sweet smelling, disinfectant that’s guaranteed to ‘give your bowl that extra sparkle’... I proceeded to  giving it a good scrub. BUT in my enthusiasm, I lost the lid of the cleaning gel in the loo.

Without a moment of hesitation, I dived my bare hand in to retrieve said lid, before it vanished around the S bend …where it would be guaranteed to cause harm to our enviro-cycle.

It was a completely selfless rescue, no second thoughts at all, but it did make me wonder who would shake my hand if they knew?

 

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broken dreams …

19 Oct

I have recently (like 3 days ago) discovered the magic of ‘White Tea’ … not the kind the you’ve added milk to… but the pale cousin of green tea.

If you believe anything you read  …

‘Lotus Peak White Tea is the pinnacle of sophistication with an unmatched subtlety, complexity and mellow sweet notes once reserved for Emperors and Nobility’ 

…wow…

(all I know is that it really does taste good)

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Which is why I was so devastated to discover a teabag malfunction this afternoon….Having steeped for the requisite 3 minutes I headed to the quiet corner of the garden for my moment of indulgence. About to take my first sip I soon realised that the subtle, complex and mellow sweet notes of sophistication had spilled forth into my cup.

BUT not to be beaten I managed to strain the warm brew through my teeth.

(probably not the way of the Emperors, but tasty nevertheless)

so…if you get a chance ~ join the nobility

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“x” rated landscaping

14 Oct

One of the huge challenges of growing up into a ‘50something’ is learning to accept the person who stares back from the mirror.

I mean …. who IS that with the ‘not-so-taught-skin’, the nipples that now seem to prefer the view of the floor, the thinning eyebrows, the wobbly butt and the thickened waist… not to mention the grey roots ? I think all of us ‘more-than- mid-lifers’   are familiar with, and happy to talk about these fairly confronting changes … but the one sign of ‘maturity’ that we tend not to discuss …is the greying of our pubes. (I told you this was “x” rated)

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from this                                                                          to this

Over the weekend I shared many giggles about all things aging with my ‘50something’ friend ….and this topic soon came up. We agreed that there is no greater indicator that you are getting old, than thinning-grey pubic hair. I mean what can you do to disguise it ??? hair dye seems a little extreme and probably not real effective given the rapid rate of follicle replacement ….. Getting rid of it altogether ? well that’s an option I guess, but there is definitely the pain factor ….and then regrowth ….PLUS the fact that our skin aint as tough as it used to be …..so fronting up for a Brazilian may result in more than just the embarrassment of bearing all to some gorgeous young thing who is about to see just how old you really are!!!

Landscaping trends are a definite age defining fashion statement.

There are those (around our tender ages) that are happy to settle for the summertime edge trim … a ‘bit of a one-go’ with either the wax or razor to keep any ‘strays’ under control when at the beach or poolside…Yet our younger generations are much more likely to make their fashion statement by whipping it all (or most of it) off entirely….to achieve a pre-pubescent look (that I personally find a bit disturbing).

It’s a fascinating topic but not normally one that gets much air-time …. so I’m happy to have thrown the gauntlet to all of you to embrace whatever fashion takes your fancy …. we may be 50Something … but we’re not dead yet.

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all in a days work …

9 Oct

I feel like the last few posts have been all about ME…and to avoid becoming self indulgent I sense the need to get back to tackling the big issues.

So tonight I’m wondering about our men (and women) in blue…Our enforcers of law and order…our keepers of the peace …our very own NSW Police Force.  Now I am not about to criticise, they have a tough and at times dangerous job to do ….BUT you wouldn’t have known that today. pedestrian

On my drive through Sydney  I noticed ‘gangs’ off 2 or 3 Officers strategically located on busy city street corners….watching then pouncing on unsuspecting pedestrians who stray from the allocated road crossing, then writing tickets for their ‘criminal’ behaviour. I know its about safety, and that rules are in place to help us all … but seriously ??? who was left on ‘bank robber alert’, or ready to respond to an emergency??

Having pondered the value of this pedestrian blitz…I then left the city, smack bang in the middle of the peak hour traffic. Driving at a snail’s pace in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway, I passed a number of Police Officers with their radar set up …..

police radarNow you tell me …. does that seem like a reasonable use of taxpayers money, when, for 20km of my trip I did not exceed 50kph in a 110kph stretch of road?  It was impossible to come even close to the speed limit ~ let alone go over it in that short space…..YET I passed 4 patrol cars parked obscurely so as to avoid detection, each one clearly on a mission to catch speedsters ….. BUT WHY during peak hour traffic? it makes no sense at all.

Having given this dilemma some thought …it makes me wonder what they actually hope to achieve…. I mean here we had 4 Officers sitting on the side of the freeway in the vain HOPE that someone might exceed the speed limit …. or perhaps they just wanted some peace and quiet and a bit of  ‘time out’.

I wonder …..

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