Words Just Not My Words/Hot In Aus

Tuesdays Ramblings

Ok here we are at a new day, hope for me it is a bit better then yesterday for some strange reason at 10am yesterday my eyes started to sting like I had been awake too long and I found I was unable to concentrate on the letter I was trying to write. So I did the only thing I could think to do I went back to bed for a bit, after sleeping for an hour or so I got up and felt fine. I was fine for 3 hours when again my eyes started to sting so I went back to bed slept for an hour or so got up was fine but only till around 7.30pm when I went back to bed and slept all night. So far this morning I am doing ok, managed to do a load of washing and get it on the line, ok yesterday I managed to do two loads of Natasha's washing and get it on the line so one load this morning is nothing. I have also gone to the shops this morning for bread and cold meat and a pizza for me for lunch or dinner.

This morning I saw on Sunrise (morning news show) that in New York there is this woman who is paid to cuddle people, what the hell is with that, that is weird she said it isn't sexual, hate to tell you this lady but I bet it is for some of the people you cuddle.

Also they were going on still about Mariah Carey NYE performance, ok it wasn't a shining moment but what the hell it wasn't a first for her she has had other stuff ups during the last x amount of years, it was new yesterday, not today, move on people.

Ok Donald Trump is criticising everyone he can except the Russians over the hacking scandal business but come on this is Trump what else do people expect him to say and do, when he takes office will he be inviting back all those that were kicked out of the country because of it, we will see.

They also told us how Miss Lebanon Immigrant Australia was caught with ice in her car and not the ice that melts because that ice no one cares about and let's be honest here it would melt and ruin the car, unless it was in an esky, just saying. Anyway she got caught with the other ice in her car, the stuff that doesn't melt and good upstanding and honest people do not have in their car. Now I didn't know there was such a title as Miss Immigrant Australia but seems there is anyway she was caught in Sydney in a drug bust she was also fined for not wearing a seat belt or displaying P plates, oh and she was stripped of her title just her title not her clothes although I am sure there were some who wouldn't have minded seeing her stripped of her clothes but that would be oh so wrong, just saying. More wrong then the drugs in her car because cops can't make you strip off your clothes.

A lot of people have drowned this summer mostly children and toddlers but also an old man he was in his 80's and was once a judge who had his home bombed or something, really didn't care that much so didn't listen that much. Maybe if swimming lessons didn't cost and arm and a leg more people would have their child taught to swim. When Sydney had swimming lessons it cost her mum around $200 for 10 lessons and it may not seem a lot but when you are expected to pay that amount up front it is a lot.

Have Kathy and the girls here while I am writing this, both the girls found back scratchers and used them as pointers which drove their mum nuts. She then gave both of them a peanut M & M and said don't eat the chocolate and give it to nanna, and what did they do, they did just that.

Natasha dropped a lot of stuff she wanted us to advertise but she will be lucky to get between $10-15 for the lot so both me and Kathy thought we would just give her the money and re-gift the stuff now we both said to do that at the same time so that cracked us both up.

Speaking of Natasha yesterday I went to pay my Avon bill and found there was not enough money in the account someone had taken money out for fuel, not saying who but I bet you can guess.

Just had the girls ask for food, I said I had grapes red, black or green,or strawberries or cheese, Sydney-May took red grapes and Summer chose cheese.

Kathy has gone to get fuel in her car and then she is going over to my parents place to pick up boxes, Kathy and Michael are planning on moving to Queensland sometime in the next month or so, so she wants boxes to pack stuff in.

Ok I am going to post this now, I have already read something like 30 odd blog posts.  

My New Year's Eve/2017

Here we are at a the start of a New Year, 2017.

I am hoping it is a great year with less upsets then the last year, I am getting better at letting my daughters live their own lives. Kathy-Lee is talking about moving to Queensland sometime in the next month or so, I am not happy about this but it is her life and she has to do what she thinks is right for herself and her family, I will miss her so much and yeah we can talk on the phone and Skype each other but still I will miss her.

Natasha has settled into her new house, she moved at the end of the year but she said she is going to try and get a swap because she doesn't like the driveway she is one fussy and picky girl. I am expecting to have Blain a bit over the next couple of weeks as he is with his mum and she will need someone to watch him while she is at work, the only day I can't watch him is Friday so that day he will need to go to Jessica's or Kathy's place instead.

New Year's Eve saw me in bed at 8pm as I was unable to keep my eyes open and of course I was up at 5.30am yesterday as I was today. I haven't stayed up to see the New Year in, in many years for me it is just another night. We did have Leo here but he was asleep by around 9ish although he got up a few times during the night and I found him asleep with his laptop on his bed playing something and I would close the lid and move it to the floor, only to find it on his bed again a couple of hours later. Easy to tell when he has been up he turns the hall light on and leaves it on, also he gets up and eats stuff, he ate a whole box of Drumstick type ice creams and 4 chocolate biscuits and also some strawberries and I am sure other stuff during the night.

I don't do resolutions, I just try to be the best me I can be, I am a kind and caring woman and that should count for something. I do my best not to run people down, verbally or physically I don't take my car and try to run people down, why well that's just not the right thing to do, also running people down in the car is illegal, just saying. Although over the years there have been a number of people I would have liked to hit with my car.

Yesterday I kept thinking it was Monday not Sunday not sure why just did, today is a public holiday here it is the New Year's Day holiday and it is raining been raining since I got up this morning and I was up at 5.30am again I was going to just lay in bed and listen to the rain but I had to go to the toilet and once I was out of bed I thought no point in going back to bed.

Hello 2017, here's a little more about New Year's Eve's history

Ok here we are at part two, have you ever wondered why we start the new year off the way we do, I am not talking about the special traditions and such but why the start of a new year is important at all. Think about it New Year Celebrations are not just something held in some countries but held in most countries, the end of one year and the start of another is a big deal and has been pretty much for as long as we have had calendars telling us when one year ends and another starts.

I think it must have something to do with the fact that we have survived for another year, because way back when many people didn't survive the year, especially children once a pond a time children didn't necessary survive a year and many women died in childbirth. So we celebrate making it through another year and make resolutions to do things better in the new year may date back to when people believed that the gods controlled so many things and they needed to say and do things to make the various gods happy. Or maybe I am wrong but it makes as much sense as anything, and let's be honest none of us are old enough to really know we make guesses about things in history based on writings we find and stories passed down through the generations.

Did you know that in some countries such as Canada, the Untied States, the Netherlands and parts of the United Kingdom oh and Australia it is quiet common for some people to organised cold-water plunges often called a Polar Bear Plunge or an Ice Plunge to raise money for charity of course in Australia it takes place in winter since the New Year is usually pretty damn hot if not bloody stinking hot. For thousands of years, New Year's has been a festival of rebirth, reflection and survival allowing people all over the world to celebrate another year.

Want to know about the New Year's Eve song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700’s, it was first published in 1796 after Burns’ death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”

Of course for many of us nothing really changes when the calendar goes from one year to another the only thing that changes is the number of the year, that said it doesn't stop most of us celebrating and wishing all a Happy New Year, so I am wishing all my blog friends a Happy and Safe New Year and hope 2017 is all they want it to be.

Goodbye 2016 History of New Year's Eve Pt 1

Well here we are at the end of 2016, it is New Year's Eve here, anyone wondering what I will be doing to see in the New Year. I will be sleeping, my days of staying up to see in the New Year are long gone, now I just go to bed at my usual time and wake up to a New Year. Boring I know but what the hell I am pretty boring most of the time.

Now depending on what site you visit you will either be told that New Year's Eve celebrations are a relative new thing or been around for yongs. As in for the last four millennia, others say it is has been around since 2000 BC which is four millennia isn't it, I think it is.

Anyway the earliest recording of a new year celebrations is believed to have been in Mesopotamia around 2000BC and was celebrated around the time of the Vernal Equinox which is in mid March. There are a variety of other dates tied to the seasons which were also used by different ancient cultures, the Egyptians and Persians new year was with the fall equinox and the Greeks celebrated it with the winter solstice.

The early Roman calendar had March as the first month of the year and the calendar had just ten months. In order to realign the Roman calendar with the sun, Julius Caesar had to add 90 extra days to the year 46BC, when he introduced his new Julian calendar. The Julian calendar closely resembles the Gregorian calendar that most countries now use.

It was also Caesar that created 1^st January as the first day of the year, partly to honour the month's namesake, Janus, the Roman God of beginnings whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward to the future.

The Romans would celebrate by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with each other and decorating their homes w ith laurel branches and attending wild parties.

In medieval Europe, Christian leaders replaced the 1^st January as the start of the new year with more religious days such as the 25^th December and the 25^th March which is the feast of the Annunciation but Pope Gregory X111 re-established the 1^st January as New Year's Day in 1582.

Today of course most New Year celebrations begin on 31^st December which is the last day of the Gregorian calendar and continue through to the wee hours of the 1^st January (New Years Day). Celebrations include having parties, making resolutions which no one keep and watching fireworks and some people eat special food.

Speaking of enjoying special food and food thought to bestow good luck in the coming year I will now tell you a little about such foods because you really want to know, don't you.

In Spain and some other Spanish-speaking counties people will down a dozen grapes, symbolising their hopes for the months ahead-right before midnight.

In other countries dishes containing legumes which are thought to resemble coins which will bring financial success are eaten such as lentils in Italy and black-eyed peas in the southern states of America. Then there are pigs, yes pigs in some cultures pigs represent progress and prosperity so pork is eaten in countries such as Cuba, Austria, Hungary and Portugal.

Ring-shaped cakes and pastries are a sign the year has come full circle these are found in the Netherlands, Mexico and Greece as well as other countries. Sweden and Norway enjoy rice pudding with an almond hidden inside and it is said that whoever finds the but can expect 12 months of good fortune.

Many countries and customs around the world include watching fireworks and singing “Auld Lang Syne” well in English-speaking countries we sing “Auld Lang Syne”.

Of course many make resolutions, things they want to change or do differently in the New Yea and some even follow through on those resolutions but most don't. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to date back to the Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn favour with the gods and start the year on the right foot.

Most of you will know that in the United States the most iconic New Year's tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City's Times Square at the stroke of midnight. This even is watched by millions around the world and has taken place since 1907. Over time the ball itself has became bigger it was at first a 700 pound iron-and-wood ball it is now a 12,000 pound ball. Many other towns and cities across the States have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual but not always dropping balls but things like pickles and possums at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Now I am sure many of you are thinking but what happens in Australia Jo-Anne, you're and Aussie tell us about your countries New Year's Eve celebrations. Ok so I will.

s

Here in Australia many people will camp out from early on the 30^th to get a good spot to see the fireworks in Sydney although this year I saw on the news that some of the spots were cornered off till this morning because of terrorist. We don't want the crazy people with bombs getting the good camping spots.

Of course in Sydney the fireworks are a big thing and many people will choose to stay home and watch them on telly instead.

Also many towns have 9 or 9.30pm fireworks so the little ones get to see them before they fall asleep, many years ago the town I lived in did fireworks at 9 and midnight and I could watch them from my back yard but not any more the cheapskates decided it cost too much and stopped them, bastards.

While researching this I read that we have a week of celebrations from the 1^st to the 6^th, well I can tell you that is news to me, I know no one who has a week of celebrations, just saying.

We don't eat special foods, we do drink a lot of grog and eat a lot of chips and dips or pizza many like pizza on New Year's Eve but hot chips are common.

I am sorry this has turned into a long ass post, I get caught up with the history and such and it ends up being long as. I have decided to split it in two and will do a bit more tomorrow, not much more but a bit more. 

Five things Friday last one for the year

Well been a while but here I am doing five things Friday the last one for the year, can you guess what this weeks theme is.

Turkey

Pork

Plum Pudding

Mince Pies

Champagne 

It is another stinking hot day here, just saying

Well here I am on this stinking hot Thursday afternoon, writing some kind of blog post, I am not going to have a nap today as the last few days I would wake up with a headache after my nap so I will give it a miss and see how that goes.

My armchair/recliner had pretty much died, a few weeks back the foot rest stopped closing so I just left it up. Well today like an hour ago the foot rest on one side broke so it doesn't want to move which makes it difficult to get out of the chair. Of course being short and fat doesn't help, Tim said he will have a look at the chair soonish. We have had the lounge suite for 15 years at least so it has had a lot of use.

I did my grocery shopping online again this week and again Kathy-Lee will pick it up from the Coles near her home and bring it here and unpack it for me.

Jessica and Leo have been here most of the day, Tim and Jessica went and bought an air con for her house but Tim wasn't able to fit it today he needs something I don't know what but something so I guess he will try and do it tomorrow morning.

Jessica is going to give me a keyboard I can use with the new tablet although I might have one in the linen press I should have a look and see. It would make it a lot easier for me to write on the tablet if I can hook one up to it.

You know what I have been doing yesterday and today, downloading music to a flash drive to use in the car, I figured out how to do it on my own, Jessica was going to do it but she was taking so long that I asked for the flash drive back and decided to give it a try myself and I have done it, I am pleased with myself and yeah I know not a big deal but I know bugga all about computers and downloading stuff.

Sandra found her Christmas gift from me she asked her daughter Temika who will be 7 in just over a week, and she knew where it was, so Sandy was happy.

I should have a better post in the next day or so