NEW YEAR 2013

It is already the second day of the new year. Yesterday was a day for sleep and recuperation.
As always a new year starts full of hope and a wish for it to be better than the preceeding one. This is as true for me as I am sure it is for most people.
Last year, in May, I received a bone marrow transplant to treat a return of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. The donor was my eldest son. I now have the same DNA as my son and also the same blood group as him. Amazing eh!! So for 2013 my only resolution is to keep as fit and healthy as I can and my hope and wish is that my disease does not return again.
So to any one who may read this, I trust that you will have a happy and healthy 2013 and remember to enjoy and find happiness in every day.

TONY GREIG A GREAT CRICKET PLAYER AND COMMENTATOR

Tony Greig was one of the best cricket commentators that I have ever heard. He really knew the game having been both a batsman and bowler. He was also a past captain of the English team and so also knew about the tactics of the game. He will be sorely missed in the cricketing world.
Tony also played a major part in the development of the modern game. He was involved in World Series Cricket that bought about the modernisation of the game and was also the first player to wear a helmet whilst batting; a practice that is common place today.
I will miss his voice on the Channel 9 team
RIP TONY GREIG

FAMILY CHRISTMAS

14 people...us....3 of our children.....3 partners.....6 grandchildren....makes for one noisy, joyous, happy and messy Christmas. Would not miss it for the world. Does tend to tire out an oldie like me though.
Unfortunately the cold and rain are still with us so we are all confined inside. I careful mowed all the lawns, trimmed the hedges and cleared all the paths of leaves so we could spend time outside...DAMN.....
Chicken, ham, roast potatoes, beans, asparagus, roast pumpkin, gravy, plum pudding, ice cream, custard and plenty of wine and that was just the main meal. Before...Australian king prawns and meat balls.
Now for a glass or 2 of Australian Shiraz and a strong coffee and tonight a good long sleep.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2012

Another Christmas Day. This is the third since I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and only given a 30% chance of seeing the first one. As you can see I am still here!
Christmas now holds much more meaning for me. It is a period of reflection, happiness, family, the joy of life, and thankfulness for what I have and been given. The small irritations of life and petty disagreements no longer matter.
Today is a typical Blue Mountains Christmas Day the temp is about 15c and it is misty with the occasional shower. A great day to be inside, listen to music, talk, watch people open presents and share a great Christmas Dinner. Combination of traditional and Aussie foods; fresh Australian prawns, roast chicken, hot veggies and plum pudding with ice cream and custard. YUM.
Tomorrow we have all our children and their partners and six grandchildren for another lunch. It is great to see the younger generation growing up in our beautiful, free, democratic, safe country. We thank God every day for the privilege of living here.
Lastly, may you all have a wonderful Christmas full of family, friends, happiness and joy.

BIRDS IN OUR BACK YARD

The top picture is of a male King Parrot and the lowere one is a male Ganggang Cockatoo.
We are very lucky here to have a great variety of bird life.
Other birds we see very often are, Wattle birds, White Cockatoos, Black Cockatoos, Crimson Rosellas, Satin Bower birds, Magpies and Currawongs.
We also have a family of Brush Tail Possums that live in the trees in our yard, along with some copper head snakes and large skinks.

GUN CONTROL 2

So the American NRA think that the answer to the school shooting is to have armed guards at every school. More guns! Do they think that every child minding centre should also have armed guards; every school bus; every childrens birthday party; where does their madness end.
They also said that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun....well if the bad guy could not get a gun there would be no need for the good guy to have a gun.
Please America for the future of your society and your children give up the guns now.

CHRISTMAS DINNER

It would seem that the supermarkets and advertisers here in Australia want us to change some of our Christmas traditions. Ever since I was a small child I only remember our family having roast chicken with our Christmas dinner. Most people I ask remember the same. Then why is it that every advertisement on TV and in brochures only refer to turkey. I understand that turkey has always been an American tradition but not really an Australian one. Maybe I am also biased as I truly enjoy a meal of moist roast chicken, ham and baked vegetables for my Christmas dinner. I find turkey to be very bland and dry.
By the way to me DINNER on Christmas day is the meal that we enjoy in the middle of the day.
A cold Christmas dinner of beautiful Australian seafood has also become a tradition in many parts of the country. I think that this is a great idea as long as we support our Australian producers and keep away from the cheap and inferior imported products.
However the most important thing is, that no matter how we celebrate Christmas, that we have a happy and safe one.