Monday's Report

Good afternoon everyone, it is now Monday afternoon for me, I had a somewhat busy weekend. Friday was Dawson's end of year presentation and I as always went thankfully it was held in the morning and I was able to go and do food shopping afterwards and on Saturday I went and did other shopping and paid my layby's and such.

On Thursday just pasted I went to the appointment with the specialist over at the hospital and got no bloody answers, it is too soon to tell what is really causing the tremor although the doctor has prescribed medication that may help control it this I will pick up this afternoon or tomorrow morning. The chemist I see didn't stock it and had to order it in so that is why I am late getting it and starting it.

This morning I had to go and have three teeth filled cost us $897 for three fillings and I still need two more done next week. I don't handle seeing the dentist well, for many years now I find after the stuff they inject to numb you up wears off I start to feel unwell and get a headache and don't feel like doing much.

Over the weekend Natasha started to move a lot of her stuff in her bed is here now but the fridge, washing machine a lounge and some other stuff is still at her place her dad will move the fridge tomorrow along with the washing machine. She isn't keeping the washing machine she is just going to move it out of her house and leave it on the side of the road someone will claim it, her fridge is coming here though.

Seems I will not be having Blain here this week, since his dad and Kelli found out that I let him use his Xbox while grounded, so he is going to Jessica's place. Yesterday I was feeling betrayed this was because I felt that Kelli shouldn't had been snooping around the bedroom and she could had said something to me instead of telling his dad, also I was accused of encouraging Blain to lie to his dad and yeah I get that it seemed that way. I did tell Blain not to volunteer the information about using the Xbox, I did say don't lie if asked but if not asked don't say anything.

Also I heard from Jessica that I would not be having Blain not from Jono or Kelli or even Natasha but Jessica, Jessica went on and on about how I can't be trusted to discipline the child and how I let him do stuff he wasn't allowed to do. I have always been soft when it comes to discipline this is not new, also Kelli told me that I am not to ask for her help again I assume she means with Blain so I won't.

So yesterday I was in a right mood, I snapped at Jessica, I snapped at Tim and I felt like I had been punched in the gut, not that I have ever been punched in the gut so really don't know how that feels but you get my meaning. Kelli said she doesn't know if Jono will forgive me but you know what if he does he does if he doesn't he doesn't, I am not going to tie myself up in knots stressing over it, I can't change what has happened. It is what it is, was I wrong yeah I was, this I know.

Sometimes we do things we shouldn't do, but we can't go back and change anything and what's the point in holding grudges and stressing over stuff, Jessica said yesterday that I hold grudges, who the hell is she thinking of, being pissed off for an hour or so isn't holding a grudge, it's being pissed off for a bit that is all, by the afternoon I was over it and had moved on.

Photo Wednesday

Blame

Good morning world, yes it is still morning here, I was thinking this morning about writing a little about blame and then when I was busy reading blogs I came across Louise's blog well came across isn't right as I usually read her blog anyway she can be found here: http://dareboldly.com/2015/11/23/its-not-my-fault-can-i-blame-you

Now what made me think about blame this morning was of course two little boys who like to blame each other for every little thing although they are cousins they fight like siblings.

Anyway I was thinking this morning when I was a child was I quick to blame my siblings for things and you know what I reckon I was, why, well because I think blaming others comes naturally.

I don't know why it does it just does, even many adults are quick to blame and I wonder what it is that we are afraid of that makes us want to blame someone else for things that go wrong in our own lives. Not that blaming ourselves is ok either as at times we are quick to put ourselves down and that type of blaming is not good.

I know when my girls were little I use to tell them that I would not always take the word of one child over another without investigating more, meaning don't come and dob on your sister for no reason or to just get them into trouble as I will not stand for it. Blain and Leo have a habit of dobbing on each other just to get the other one in trouble, ok have to be honest Blain does it a bit more then Leo does. Leo seems to have a bit more empathy then Blain does.

I agree that there are cases when telling on someone is the right thing to do but we as parents and adults have to teach our young when it is right to tell and when it isn't, we also need to teach them that when they do something wrong they will be punished and the punishment will be just, I have never been a fan of telling a child you are grounded till I say other wise, ok it is ok to say that in the heat of the moment but once we have had time to calm down we should spell out to the child what their punishment is and for how long, we don't lock up people without telling them for how long, you can't throw someone in jail saying they will stay their till you say otherwise, they have to be given a time frame and I think the same applies for children when we ground a child we should say how long they are grounded for.

If you do something wrong, make a mistake or even deliberately do something wrong admit it and if you are punished for it than so be it accept your punishment and move on. That said the punishment has be fit the deed, I remember many times when the girls would get punished by Tim for something they did wrong that he would go in my opinion too far such as grounding them for far too long I use to say that what they did wrong was like pinching a lolly from a shop and he was acting like they held up a bank both deeds wrong but one worse the the other.

I feel that often now days children/teenagers commit offences and when they get arrested and go to court nothing happens they get let off sometimes with a fine they don't pay or community service which they don't do and this happens over and over again or they blame not having a stable home for their behaviour over and over again and that is a cope out. There is no accepting what they did was wrong,instead they just blame someone else and as such do not learn to deal with things.

When we blame others all the time we don't learn how to deal, to accept we screwed up and how to move on from that and not screw up again.

Yes when I was younger and I would say drop a glass and break it I would automatically say look what you made me do, when in fact no one made me do it, it just happened, now that I am older I don't stress over things like a broke glass or a split drink. I no longer feel the need to blame someone else for things that happen, I can accept it happened it may have been my fault it may not have been but really what is more important is how I deal with what has gone wrong.

I think teaching our children to not look for someone to blame is the better way to go as sometimes things happen and no one is to blame.

55yrs and a lost gift card plus a bit more

Good afternoon all it is Monday afternoon and pretty late in the afternoon at that and I am just getting around to writing a post spent the morning reading a heap of posts but only now getting around to writing one.

I had to take Leo to school this morning then I had to go to the Dept of Housing to hand in the forms applying for Natasha and Blain to live here, then I had to go back to Kmart to return a pair of light weight harem type pants. Yesterday I bought a pair after trying them on but then decided I didn't want the ones I tried on instead I would get the pinkish ones and of course I didn't check them I just pick them up the size on the hanger was 14 when I got home I realised they were only a size 12, so I had to go back and exchange them for the right size. I also had to return a Lego set that Jessica had bought for Leo that I already bought at the start of the year for half what she paid for it.

Oh yeah yesterday when I went to pay for my goods at Kmart I discovered that I was missing the $50 gift card Kathy gave me for my birthday, I was somewhat upset, on the Saturday Leo had been playing with my phone and a bunch of cards fell out and I think the Kmart card was amongst them. I rang my mum and her and Dawson went and searched the area Leo said they fell out as well as around the house and Dawson even checked the rubbish bin but no luck couldn't find it. Jessica said she would replace it but at the time I was somewhat upset, I was lucky I had other money to pay for the stuff with.

On Saturday we had a party for my parents 55^th Wedding Anniversary at their house so they didn't have to worry about driving anywhere and mum could have a few drinks, I was up at 6.30am cooking and took over most of the food. My brother also prepared some food his awesome chicken and his fettuccine dish.

There was a good turn out pretty much all that were invited turned up except for my mothers brothers and their families and none of my sister Sue's children were able to make it, but all in all it was a good day and mum and dad were surprised which is what I wanted. I of course did all the planning for the day and thus I was happy that it all turned out ok.

Thankfully Saturday was a nice day weather wise after Friday which was in the mid 40's Saturday's nice 23°c was just that nice. No rain either although around 2pm it started to get a bit cold but that was ok by then people were leaving and mum and dad could go inside and chill.

I want to get the Christmas decoration out and start decorating the house, wanted to do it today but didn't get around to it so hopefully tomorrow I will do it, I also have to go through my stock pile of presents and see what I have. 

Five things Friday, yes I am posting, what a bloody shock

Hello Friday don't everyone faint that I am not only posting on a Friday but I am doing it on a Friday morning, this is because with Leo still off school and Blain gone to his fathers so he also is having the day off there is no children to either hog the computer or take up my time I find myself up dressed and ready to leave 45 minutes before I need to do so.

So without further ado here are this weeks five things for Friday

My birthday

A trip to the hospital

Conjunctivitis

A wedding anniversary

Stinking bloody hot

My Thursday & My Parents Wedding Anniversary

Damn it's hot here, temp in the high 30's and the air conditioners are going so inside the house is pretty ok, but outside you feel like you are going to melt, tomorrow it's suppose to be 43°c damn not looking forward to that.

Both Blain and Leo are home from school today, Leo because of the conjunctivitis and Blain well I feel he was ok to go to school but his mum let him have the day off, yesterday he went on a school excursion to Merewether baths and at lunch while running around playing in the park he ran into another boy splitting his lip and splitting the other boys forehead, the school rang Natasha and told her he had an accident and that they had called the ambos this naturally freaked her out and she rang me to meet her at the hospital. We spent over 2hrs at the damn hospital and in the end when he was seen they said they would do nothing it would heal on its own, so his mum let him have the day off school.

At the moment I have both the boys here while both their mothers are at work and had to tell both of them we didn't want them to go outside and play as it is far too hot outside for them to be running around. Blain doesn't like it when he gets hot and sweaty and Leo loves getting hot and sweaty and running around.

Oh yeah yesterday when I arrived at the hospital I stumbled and fell flat on my face, hurting my knees and hands a bit but all in all not really hurt, I was getting to my feet when I heard someone running up to see how I was and when I turned around it was Natasha she was the only person who came to see if I was ok, after she came up a taxi driver stopped to see if I was ok but honestly I don't think he would have stopped if Natasha wasn't there.

I was stumbling a bit yesterday and again this morning when I went for a walk I was also stumbling a bit but thankfully I don't fall over very often. I have the occasional bad day when like yesterday I stumble a lot, maybe the bad days will become more frequent but I will deal with it when and if it happens.

Also today is my parents 55^th wedding anniversary and this has made me think about their marriage they after all this time they are still happy together they rarely fight although they did bicker at times like all couples.  

Photo Wednesday and more

Hi Wednesday, what the hell happened to Tuesday, oh yeah Jo-Anne kept getting distracted each time she sat to try and write a post. Leo had to go to the doctor as he has conjunctivitis, so off school till Monday but at least he doesn't need drops or anything as it is suppose to be viral. The weather is pretty hot, Blain is going on a school excursion to Merewether Baths hope he has a good day.

Tim and I went out this morning looking at caravans, he was surprised at how much they cost, more then he wants to pay so he said we will just keep looking, however, since we will need to replace the car next year as it will need a lot of work for it to pass for rego again so Tim said we will just trade it in and get something newer. So if we are going to do that I think the caravan can wait it is not a must have like the car is or a newer motorbike for Tim.

Anyway since it is Wednesday I will post a photo for photo Wednesday, this week it is my brother Dave and sister in-law Leigh because it is Leigh's birthday 

53 and counting

Hello Monday and what a nice Monday it is shaping up to be the rain has cleared and the sun is out.

It was 53 years ago that I came into the world weight only 4lb 2ozs and being only 12 inches long, so tiny and frail that some thought I would not survive. Wouldn't think so if you saw me now hardly tiny and not frail although with all the problems with my arm and balance I am not as good as I could be but I still wake up each day and set out to enjoy life.

Have received a number of text messages wishing me a happy birthday, and called in to see my parents on the way home after I dropped Leo off at school, the gave me some ornaments for my yard and new watch and a nice pendant.

Tim wished me happy birthday but hasn't got me anything as yet he said he couldn't find anything on my list so he may just give me money to go and get something.

I had hoped the girls would had done something last weekend for my birthday but didn't happen, maybe they will do something next weekend, only time will tell.

Leo was quick to wish me happy birthday this morning when I picked him up to take him to school and Natasha also wished me happy birthday but didn't give me anything as yet either.

Now sometime during the next week or so I will have to dig out my Christmas decorations and decorate the house for Christmas. I do love Christmas just as I do love my birthday.

I don't see my birthday as me getting old, it means I have been around for another year to see my grandchildren grow, and my daughters grow and spend time with my family who all in all are pretty great. Yes they can be annoying at times but over all I am lucky to have a pretty great family.

Life is what we make of it, we can have setbacks, and knock downs and disappointments in life but we can chose to take a breath, to dust ourselves off and carry on. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have no idea what that day will bring.

So I am 53 and counting 

A wet Sunday at Jo-Anne's Place

Hello Sunday and what a wet Sunday you are, this morning I woke up when Tim's alarm went off at around 6ish and spent the morning reading and writing blog posts as well as doing a load of washing which because it is raining has gone in the dryer.

Tim is at work and I am home with Leo as Jessica wanted to go and do some shopping this morning without Leo which is ok as long as she isn't late getting here to pick him up I would like her to get him around 12.30 at the latest, so I will be able to go and have a nap as I get so very tired so very easy now days.

My mum said I should tell the girls that my weekends as child free so I have been thinking that I might suggest that once a month I will have a child free weekend not sure how Jessica is going to feel about this as she does like me to have Leo one night of a weekend.

However, as mum says no one watched her children just so she could have a night off, and no one watched my children so I could have a night off, what is this crap about wanting a night off, Jessica says that I had her dad to help with the looking after the children and she is on her own but let's be honest here Jessica your dad wasn't a big help all the time, yes he was here but I d id 90% of the work looking after you girls that was just the way it was.

I have been feeling like shit lately my arm is aching so much and when I am tired my balance is shot and all in all I just feel like shit, I have had a few nights when I lay in bed crying from the exhaustion and the aching arm.

I am scared of what the specialist is going to say about my arm, I am scared of getting worse, of becoming a burden on my family and yes I know they don't think that way but it doesn't stop me feeling the way I am feeling as I sit and type this my arm is aching and my hand shaking when I stop typing.

It is only just after 11am and I am so tired I would love to be able to go and have a nap but can't do that just yet as still have Leo here.

Anyway that is all for today's post I am too tired to think much and finding it difficult to stay awake.

We will remember them, lest we forget

History Tuesday/Stoves & Ovens

Well today is Tuesday and that means it is history Tuesday and what to write about today, I have been thinking about it all morning and have decided to write about something pretty much all of us use, the humble kitchen stove/oven.

We take it pretty much for granted we turn a knob and we have heat for cooking in some cases we may have to light the gas but it is still a simple thing to do. However, that of course wasn't always the case. The modern electric stove/oven has only been around since the 1920's the gas stove has been around since about 1820's.

That said there was still many homes that didn't have such stoves still well into the 1950's many still made do with the old log burning stoves or coal burning stoves can you imagine having to get up and light the stove first thing in the morning and to have it going all day because of how long it took to get up and running good enough for cooking, I can't.

It was a British inventor, James Sharp that patented a gas oven in 1826, the first semi-successful gas oven to appear on the market, by the 1920's gas stoves were found in most households with top burners as well as ovens. Of course not all households had gas running into them thus why not all homes could have gas ovens.

Around the late 1800's with the invention of electricity that the electric stove came into use, with an early model being made by a Thomas Ahearn a Canadian who demonstration how a meal could be prepared with electricity at Ottawa's Windsor Hotel in 1892.

My mum who grew up in a small country town had a wood burning stove that she had to light of a morning from about the age of 7, she said it was a big stove about 2'4” and during the winter months they left it burning all night as it would also heat the house.

It is people like mum who love electricity and being able to flick a switch and have light and to just turn a knob and have heat for cooking as she didn't have that for so long when she was a child. They didn't have electricity at all when she was a girl, it was only the year her nan died that they got a kerosene fridge, before hand they had just an ice chest to keep the milk and cream and butter cold.

It was in 1946 that an engineer for the Raytheon Corporation, Percy LeBaron Spence discovered while doing research that the chocolate bar in his pocket melted while he was working on microwave-producing magnetrons. This got him thinking and he did further experiments and realised that microwave radiation could cook food more quickly than by normal heat. Only 8 years later the company produced its first commercial microwave oven, the first domestic version was released in 1967 although because of the high price and the fear about radiation meant it took another decade for microwaves to become popular. Today they are common place and found pretty much in every home.

My grandmother would not own a microwave as she was afraid the radiation would give her Alzheimer's although many years later while suffering from Alzheimer's my pop bought a microwave so he could reheat the meals his daughter in-law made for them by this time nan was unaware that they had one.

So that is all I have for today's post.

Just another Monday

Hello Monday, it has been a busy morning, I had to take Leo to school and of course I get nearly to Natasha's to pick him up and realised I had forgotten to bring Leo's school clothes with me so I had to get Leo and come home so he can change his clothes and I then took him back to school. I also had to drop of his new Webster pack of medication at the school and the fool chemist mucked it up he only take 1 table at midday and the chemist had added his morning medication as well which is one and half tablets. I was worried that they would make me take it back and get it redone, thankfully the woman who signed in the pack said it would be ok and I didn't need to have it redone.

I had to take a form into the Department of Housing for Jessica and what happens when I get there she hadn't signed the form so I said she might be out in the car the bloody woman being helpful she went out the back to try and find her and came back and told me she wasn't in the car. Since I knew she was at home that was not a surprise I said I would go out and ring here and find where she was, I go out and walk around the corner and signed the form for her and went back and handed the form in for her.

I also had to pick up forms to fill in about Natasha moving back home with us, Tim was annoyed he said why do we have to fill these forms in why bother, but I want everything up front if we don't tell them they will find out and we could end up with more trouble then we need.

Kelli asked if I would be able to record how Blain is when I get him this afternoon, so I dug out my digital recorder, I could use my phone but if I did that he would know what I am doing and I would rather him not know so I found the recorder and have put it in the car ready for when I get him this afternoon. I am expecting to not be in his good books since his father went mad at him about his swearing and being rude and disrespectful of me and others.

I also had to go to the building society to deposit some money in order to pay a bill, so by the time I got home and read some blogs post and started to write this up I was feeling somewhat tired, oh yeah I also went for a walk this morning which felt good and was tired at the same time. I would love to be able to have a nap during the day but usually don't feel like I have the time to do so, since I have to leave at 2pm to head to the school to get Blain and then I go and get Leo and by the time I get back here it is between 3.30-4pm so to late in the day for a nap. Before hand I am not tired enough to have a nap I find it is after 1 that I start to get really tied so tired that a nap would be good.

Ok that is all for today why well because my brain doesn't want to come up with anything else so I am just sharing me day so you all know I am still alive..................

Sunday at Jo-Anne's Place

Hello all, it is Sunday at Jo-Anne's house and this Sunday afternoon I am going to work on my blog posts and read some blog posts but it isn't the afternoon yet is the morning 6.50am as I start this but I expect I will not finish it till later in the morning or even in the afternoon.

Lately I have felt a tad un-organised and have to say I don't like it at all, I prefer to be organised in my belongings and my time and my thoughts, can't say why exactly I feel un-organised I just have done. I have not felt like blogging on Fridays and Saturday and often on Sunday either and then I get annoyed with myself for not blogging and yes I know I shouldn't feel like that but I do. I also have been slipping with my letter writing although yesterday I answered 5 letters so that was good, did that instead of blogging but to be honest I would prefer to do both.

Today Tim is going over to Jessica's place to do some work around the house, repair some holes in the walls and fix a door and take Leo's old bed apart and take it out near the kerb she has a kerbside collection coming up. He wanted me to go over and help but I said I was doing a baked lunch so while he and the girls are at Jessica's I will be here cooking and around midday they can return here for a nice baked lunch. Have to say he was annoyed with me that I didn't want to go and help but I said let's be honest here how much of a help do you really think I will be, he snapped that he would need some help but didn't comment on how much help he thought I would be, why, well I think he realised that I was right and I wouldn't be much of a help so he snapped because he doesn't like it when I am right, just my opinion.

I have been up since 6.30am had to get the roast on to cook in the slow cooker and have been writing this between peeling the veggies, I will start the cooking around 10.30-11am takes a while to cook everything.

It is now 9.25am and Tim has just got out of bed and Kathy just rang to say she would be heading over to Jessica's place soon. Ok it is not a warm day here pretty cool in fact and I had the front door closed, so Tim gets up and opens the door to go out to have a smoke and comes in and leaves the door open what the hell Tim, it isn't like he is even in the room he has gone down the hall somewhere. So I get up and shut the door watch him come back and open it again.

So all the girls turned up for lunch, Natasha was in a right mood, she stormed into the house and was slamming doors and such all because she was an hour late to get to Jessica's place and everyone was leaving when she got there. Thankfully by the time we sat down to eat she was over it and laughing and joking with her sisters, this was a bit of a surprise as she often takes a while to get over stuff just like her dad.

It is now 1.50pm and I am at last getting around to finishing this and posting it, after lunch Natasha and I cleaned out the spare room and set it up for Blain to use and now the girls are leaving, won't be long before Natasha will not be leaving of Sunday afternoon as she will be living here.

Speaking of Natasha her and I had a good talk, she was annoyed that I spoke to Kelli about Blain's behaviour on Friday while she (Kelli) was her, Blain has become very cheeky and swearing for no good reason and outright lying about stuff to me, refusing to do his homework telling me he was going to throw it in the bin because he doesn't want to do it. Well Kelli told Jonathon (Blain's dad) and Jono rang Tasha and went off at her and somehow this all became my fault, but it is all good now we have talked and sorted things out.

A School Meeting

Hello bloggers, it is a nice cool somewhat wet Thursday here I didn't do a post yesterday because I just didn't feel like it, I went with mum to Dawson's school for a meeting about what Dawson will be doing next year, mum and I planned to go to see nan after the appointment at the school but didn't get to see nan as by the time we were finished at the school we just didn't feel like we had the time to do so.

Mum and Michelle had been told Dawson would have to go to a different school next year Jesmond High instead of Wakefield he can't stay at Wakefield as that school isn't able to have senior students as in years 11 and 12 so since Dawson will be in year 11 next year he has to go to a different school.

Mum thought that he would be going into mainstream schooling but that isn't the case, he will be going into a class for students with emotional behavioural problems the class will only have 7 students in it and is in the seniors only part of the high school, so no younger children to annoy Dawson. Learning this made both mum and me as well as Michelle feel better about him going there.

Now mum and Michelle will have to sort out how Dawson will get there, hopefully he will still be able to get the “taxi” there and back, it is not really a taxi it is a school transport scheme, he gets picked up and dropped at the school and in the afternoon he get picked up and brought home this costs nothing and means that mum doesn't have to drive him. The principal told mum that he may not be able to get it as they may say mum drives so she can drive him but this is not something mum wants to do, she does enough as it is and she will be 76 next year. Oh well we will see what happens.

Today we had wanted to go to the cemetery to visit pops grave as it is 5 years since he passed it was 5 years yesterday but it has been far too wet to go there and the ground would be so bloody wet and muddy so we gave it a miss.

Tasha had a phone call from the Department of Housing yesterday about the letter I wrote a week ago saying how she is fed up and leaving the house and moving back home with me and her dad. She told them that she is done she didn't want to hear their lies any more she has heard it all before and she is just so fed up and will be out of the house as soon as she can arrange storage for her belongings and can sort out the spare room in this house. She said she wasn't rude but was firm and yes she cut the woman off but she said she is so over it.

I really don't know how it is going to work with her and Blain moving back here but we will see and there is no way we would tell her they couldn't come home as that is not who we are we are always here for our daughters.   

History Tuesday/The Melbourne Cup

Hello Tuesday, well it is the first Tuesday in November and that means it is Melbourne Cup day also know as the race that stops a nation. This is of course a horse race, it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over, it is the richest “two-mile” handicap race in the world and considered one of the richest turf races.

It is held by the Victoria Racing Club at Flemington, in Melbourne of course which for those who do not know is in the state of Victoria, the race runs at 3pm in the afternoon of course this is daylight savings time.

The race was first held in 1861 and it is pretty much a given that the race club committee could envisage that the cup would still be around over a century and half later and growing to be such a big part of our social and sporting culture.

Back in 1861 the race was held in front of about 4,000 people but by 1880 around 100,000 people would be at Flemington to see the race, the population of Melbourne was only around 290,000 at the time. People also travelled to Melbourne from all over the country for the race.

The first race was won by Archer in 3.52 minutes, the recorded for the fastest win is held by Kingston Rule in 3.16 minutes who won the race in 1990. The first race was 3,219 metres but has since been shortened to 1,868 metres.

Of course it costs to enter the Melbourne Cup the initial entry fee is $600 per horse around 300-400 horses are nominated each year but there is only 24 horses in the race. Following the allocation of weights the owner of each horse must on four occasions before the race delcare the horse as an acceptor and pay a fee. First acceptance is $960, second acceptance is $1,450 and third acceptance is $2,420 the final acceptance fee on the Saturday prior to the race is $45,375, should a horse be balloted out of the final field the final declaration fee is refunded.

Horses come from all over the world to enter the race and for many years it has been won by foreign horses for many years, the first horse bred in neither Australia or New Zealand to win a Melbourne Cup was the British horse Backwood in 1924. This year 18 of the 24 are from overseas.

The first winner received a gold watch, the first Melbourne Cup trophy was awarded in 1865 and was an elaborate silver bowl on a stand that had been manufactured in England. The first existing and un-altered Melbourne Cup is from 1866 is in the National Museum of Australia. The silver trophy presented in 1867 also in the National Museum of Australia was made in England but Victorian jewellers complained to the Victorian Racing Club that the trophy should have been made locally. No trophy was awarded for the next eight years.

It was in 1876 that an immigrant for Austria produced the first Australian-made trophy it was an Etruscan shape with two handle, one side depicted a horse race with the grandstand and hill of Flemington in the background. The opposite side had the words “Melbourne Cup, 1876” and the name of the winning horse. A silver plated base sporting three horses was added in 1888 but in 1891 the prize changed again to a Victory figure offering a olive wreath to a jockey. In 1899 the trophy was in the form of a sliver galloping horse embossed on a 3ft long plaque, although some thought it looked more like a greyhound then a horse.

The last Melbourne Cup trophy made in England was made for the 1914 race, it was a chalice centred on a long bask which had a horse at each end, the trophy awarded in 1916 was the first gold trophy which was a three-legged, three-armed rose bowl. In 1919 the three-handled loving cup design was awarded.

It was also in 1919 that the Victorian Racing Club commissioned James Steeth to design a trophy that would be in keeping with the prestige of the race, little realising that it would become the iconic Melbourne Cup that is still presented today.

During the Second World War (1942, 43 & 44) the winning owner received war bonds to the value of 200 pounds.

A new trophy is stuck each year and becomes the property of the winning owner, in the event of a dead heat a second cup is on hand. The present trophy is made by Hardy Brothers from 34 pieces of gold metal hand beaten for over 200 hours, close inspection of the inside of the Cup will reveal small hammer imprints.

As of 2008, the trophy values were increased and the Cup now contains 1.65kg of 18 carat gold valuing the trophy at around $125,000. The winning trainer and jockey also receive a miniature replica of the cup and the strapper is awarded the Tommy Woodcock trophy named after the strapper of Phar Lap.

Now you may be wondering why it is called the race that stops a nation, well this is because on Melbourne Cup day many businesses will have a break between 2.45-3.15 while the race is run, often staff will meet in the meal room for a cuppa and cake and listen to the race. Many stores will broadcast the running of the race over the P A for customers and staff to listen too.

Melbourne Cup Day officially became a public holiday in 1877 for those living in Melbourne, however, while all of Melbourne's 31 metropolitan councils celebrated the first Tuesday in November there was a gap where some regional councils did not so in 2008 the Victorian Parliament passed a new legislation that saw Melbourne Cup Day as a public holiday for all council areas in the state except those where other holidays had been designated. This means that Melbourne Cup Day is now officially a public holiday throughout the state.

I have never had a bet on the Melbourne Cup but I can remember my nan always having a flutter and listening to the race and yelling for her horse to win.

Nothing much on this Monday

Hello Monday and what a lovely Monday it is, at the moment it is not too hot nor too cold so just so nice the type of weather I like.

This morning I was going to go for a walk but it was a bit wet outside so I decided not to bother, this would make my mum and daughters happy as they don't like me to go for a walk, as they worry about me after that day when I was losing my balance and had difficulties walking.

I drove Leo to school this morning but really didn't feel like doing so but Natasha didn't want to do it and I had to take Leo's school clothes and school bag over to her place as of course they didn't bother to take his school stuff home with them yesterday.

Natasha has started to move some of her stuff in, she has brought over all of Blain's clothes and Xbox games and a few of his toys, we will be setting a bed up for him in the next day or so or so she has said.

I hope she is happy living here, I am not sure how she will be as it is not easy in my opinion when adult children move home with their parents but it is what she wants to do, I wrote a letter off to the Department of Housing telling them that she is done and wants out of the house she is in so much that she is prepared to move home and share a room with her soon to be 10yr old son. She said he will have the bed and she will sleep on the lounge.

On Saturday night we had one little boy come to the door trick-or-treating and I gave him something although I don't do Halloween I thought it was only one boy so why not.

I have been watching the tv show Banished set in the early days of New South Wales, convict days how hard life must have been for those early settlers I can't imagine but they some how managed and survived and built this great country.

That is all I have for now, my brain isn't working much so I will just post this and maybe tomorrow I will be able to write more