Breaking news!

Just in!......Andre from Foodworks at Morningside has sent me a message...."Vimto Cordial now in stock!"I replied......."Fan-flippin'-tastic"I think he is my new favourite Goth- like person!

Communication!

I have spent most of the day sending emails.....if you got one...YAY!....if not.......it is because.....A) - you still owe me one and I have not forgotten,B) - you are family....we have close bonds.....but we don't speak or send emails,C) - I spoke to you last night,D) - I didn't think you read this blog and have been caught out,E) - you are in Australia and I happily see you occasionally,F) - I don't have your email address......(send it to me .......nicholasallen@live.co.uk)...........and next time I will make sure I add you,G) - I have never met you and don't know you well enough.......( but if you want me to....see above.)H) -you have changed your email address, and it has come back undelivered....I) - your computer has sent it straight to 'Spam'........hurrrruummmph! If you did receive one.....I look forward to your interesting and witty replies......not much pressure....but some......I love reading about your lives as much as you must enjoy reading about mine.....if you are reading this.If this is the first time you have ever stumbled upon this blog........"hello, and welcome".....you need to go back to the beginning to catch up.......Here is where it started......http://possumgalore.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/

Who is he?

 James Cameron Slaughter (1902-1982), town clerk, was born on 16 August 1902 at Thursday Island, youngest of five children of Brisbane-born Ernest Ebenezer Slaughter, plumber, and his Scottish-born wife Jessie, née Cameron. Reared in Brisbane mainly by his mother, a strong-minded, determined woman, Jim attended Petrie Terrace State Boys’ School before starting work at 14 with the Ithaca Town Council, Brisbane.Of average height and well built, somewhat distant and aloof on initial acquaintance, Slaughter projected an aura that commanded respect. As town clerk, ‘JC’ mostly conducted himself with great formality, always addressed lord mayors as ‘my lord mayor’, and was held in awe by all administrative colleagues. Conscious of the town clerk’s traditional role as a leading member of the community, he joined several of Brisbane’s top clubs, and mixed in business and sporting circles.Widowed in 1980, Slaughter died on 16 October 1982 in South Brisbane and was cremated with Anglican rites. His son and daughter survived him. After Charles Chuter, he was the second most eminent figure in twentieth-century Queensland municipal administration.(Extracts from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.)........and they can't even ensure his waterfall has water in it........tut!

Pride!

Tonight we drove out to the cinemas at Victoria Point because there was nothing we wanted to see at our usual cinema in Brisbane.We saw the film 'Pride'

.....there were only 4 of us in the cinema.Will and I both found it very emotional and we absolutely loved it and highly recommend it if you get the chance to see it.Once again scenes of the  countryside of 'home' tugged at my heart strings. I go through the days convincing myself I am not the least bit homesick and then when I see scenes like that......just a van driving through the Welsh countryside....I could almost burst into tears....and I realise how much I miss it. 

Melbourne Cup Day.

Yes, it is the first Tuesday in November and the day of  'The race that stops a nation'....The Melbourne Cup.Last night Wendi came and Dulcie chose the horse she would back. She only ever bets on this race. They also cut out all the names of the horses in the running out of the paper, roll them up, put them in a colander and then throw them down the hallway and then place bets on the first three and the one that falls last."Are you going to bet, Nick?" asked Wendi."Are you Will?," I asked.Will wasn't going to....he doesn't like it and thinks it is cruel for the horses."But, I think you should bet in at least one race," he said.I studied all the horses and three of them were British and of the three 'Red Cadeaux' had been second twice, including last year so I felt that it deserved to win this year....I chose Red Cadeaux for my horse. Dulcie chose Precedence.I can't remember what the horses were that Wendi and Dulcie bet on because of the way they fell out of the colander.Today Wendi came back to watch the race and she brought a lunch of fresh prawns for us. The prawns were huge and delicious....we didn't eat them all so Dulcie and I will have the ones that are leftover for lunch tomorrow.We settled down to watch the race......I must be getting quite Australian because I was getting quite excited too. The build up is huge with interviews with all the jockeys and then the singing of the National Anthem and the parade of the horses.The race started at 2.00pm. It only lasts just over three minutes.A German horse called Protectionist won and deservedly so......as it came from the back of the pack through the middle and was way out in front at the end......the jockey was British.My horse, Red Cadeaux, came second again!......for the third time. According to Wendi I might have won $3Dulcie's horse, Precedence, came sixth.....but the jockey was fined after the race for excessive use of the whip.The favourite for the race Admire Rakti came last and sadly collapsed after the race and died.......You can see why Will doesn't like it.