Hello everyone on this cold Thursday morning, hope you are warmer then me. Well this weeks word comes from yesterday’s post.

Duffer: An incompetent or stupid person

Someone who steals and alters brand marks

Someone who is a poor golfer

Hello everyone recently as in this year I have been reading as in listening to a lot Arthur Upfield’s books they are fictional stories set in the Australian outback, during the 1930’s through to the 1950’s. Anyway listening to these books made me think about old Aussie slang and current Aussie slang so for a little while I will share 5 Aussie slang words and sayings here each Wednesday till I lose interesting in it.

Today’s five are all old rarely used slang if at all.

Duffer: cattle rustler

Dead horse: Tomato sauce

Donger: penis

Dog’s eye: meat pie

Cook: One’s wife

Hello everyone on this cold Tuesday morning here is this weeks creature the “Ruff” it is a bird.

The ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia.

It’s the ring of puffed up neck feathers that give this bird its name: a ruff was an ornamental collar worn by people living in Europe during the mid 16-17^th centuries.

Only breeding males display the ruff, it also has a tuft of brightly coloured feathers on top of its head and orange legs, beak and rough facial skin. Once mating is finished the fancy feather moult and its beak, legs and face dull.

It is known for its aggressive displays at communal mating grounds called leks, its scientific name is Philomachus pungnus which means battle loving.

Hello Monday, my head is all over the place this fine Monday morning but I have remembered that it is facts day and today we have the Tassie coat of arms.

The coat of arms of Tasmania is the official symbol of the Australian state and island of Tasmania. It was officially granted by King George V in May 1917. The shield features significant examples of Tasmanian industry: a sheaf of wheat, hops, a ram and apples.

The Latin motto “Ubertas et Fidelitas” translates as “Fruitfulness and Faithfulness”. A pair of Tasmanian tigers, or Thylacines, form the supporters to the shield. The tiger, a carnivorous marsupial, was common in Tasmania in the 19th Century, but is now believed extinct.

The flag consists of a defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge is a white disk with a red lion passant in the centre of the disk. There is no official record of how the lion came to be included on the flag, but it is assumed that the red lion is a reference to Great Britain.

Like all other Australian States, the Tasmanian flag has the Union Jack in the top left-hand corner and the State badge to the right, on a dark blue background. It is twice as wide as it is deep. The badge depicts a red lion within a white circle. Although the reason for the design is not clear, it suggests historical ties with England and was approved by the British Colonial Office on 29 November 1875. It has remained largely unchanged since except for a slight modification to the lion when the flag was officially proclaimed as the State flag by Governor Sir Stanley Burbury on 3 December 1975. A motion was passed in the House of Assembly in November 1997 recommending legislation to prevent any alteration to the flag without approval at a referendum. Such legislation has yet to be introduced.

Flora Emblem

The Tasmanian Flowering Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) was identified and named by a French naturalist, Labillardiere, in 1799. It may grow to over 60 metres in height and is most common in southern and eastern Tasmania although some examples are found on the Bass Strait islands and in southern Victoria. Its timber is highly valued for its strength and durability.

The Tasmanian Blue Gum is protected in areas under State control, such as national parks and crown land, and may not be removed without permission. It was proclaimed as the State floral emblem on 5 December 1962.

Fauna Emblem

The Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii (Boitard, 1841) is the world’s largest remaining carnivorous marsupial (since the presumed extinction of the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger). It is found in the wild only in Tasmania where it is widespread. Although once common, it is now a threatened species.

The Tasmanian Aboriginal word for the devil is purinina. Its scientific name, Sarcophilus means ‘flesh-loving’ and harrisii comes from George Harris, the surveyor and naturalist who described the species in 1808. It was given the name ‘devil’ by early European settlers who were frightened by its unfamiliar night-time calls.

Mineral – Crocoite

Crocoite is an unusual orange-red lead mineral which can be beautiful and colourful. The main source of quality specimens is the Dundas district on the west coast of Tasmania. The crystals there are usually long thin prisms, however large crystals from this locality have been scarce in the past thirty years. It was proclaimed as the State mineral in 2000.

Didn’t get up till 5.20am and part of me didn’t want to get up but I did. It was very cold.

A quiet day doing bugga all and watching Judge Judy with Tim, that woman can piss me off being judgemental at times. I prefer to watch The People’s Court.

Up at 5am as usual and another bloody cold day.

Tasha bought me two long sleeve singlets and half a dozen pairs of knickers, which is good because a number of knickers the elastic has gone in the legs.

Jess told me that the long sleeve singlets and not called singlets but I have never called them anything else.

Tim is going on and on about wasting power and wanting to unplug and stop using it, I said I didn’t agree but if that is what he wants to do he can but he got bloody angry because I didn’t agree with him. I asked him why that was but he said he didn’t know why he was like that.

Damn it is cold but I am up and dressed and need the heater on.

Tasha had a pre opp appointment, her operation is on Tuesday she was told she would be in hospital for about 7 days that part she isn’t keen on but we will see what happens.

Tim had a rehab appointment and while there the surgeon came and spoke to him, he is now to have a another operation tomorrow sometime.

Slept in this morning till 5.25 and yes it is bloody cold.

The computer is being a right bitch this morning, driving me mad with frustration.

Tim has to be at the hospital around 3pm, Tasha will take him and either Jess or Sandy will pick him up after the opp.

Thankfully Jess got home from work by 2.15 so she was able to meet Sam.

I will put myself to bed.

Tim slept on the lounge last night his operation was more complicated then expected. He got home around 9pm.

It is the first day of winter but not as cold as the last few day.

It feels like a long ass day and I keep forgetting it is Thursday feels like a Friday or Saturday.

Tim isn’t complaining of pain at this time as his hand is still numb from the injections they gave him at the hospital.

Last night when he was coming to bed Tim fell over, he was able to get himself up and into bed, the sound of him falling made me jump and caused concerned. I hope he is ok.

Another not so cold start to the day.

Sandy dropped in to drop off my postage stamps, so I added them to the letters which she took to post.

I will need a shower this afternoon as twice today I have found myself drenched in sweat.

I woke at 4am needing to pee but decided to put it off for an hour which I managed so up at 5am as per usual.

A cold but not too cold morning. Jess has had work every day this week.

It has been a warm day, took till after 1pm before I was able to sit comfortably without back pain.

We here we are at another cold Friday, heard on the news at 5am that the so called experts thing we are in for a not so cold winter but we will see.

Being Friday it is a day for Jo-Anne’s thoughts but what are my thoughts, well I think that those who are suppose to be experts about stuff have bugga all common sense.

Common sense is something I feel so many do not have any more maybe the fact that we are pretty much a nanny state/country unlike when I was a child or even when my girls were little they would walk home from school. I drove my girls to school but from the time Kathy was in year 5 they would walk home from school. Now days it feels like children are always driven to and from school.

Yes children need supervision and yes left to their own they will get into mischief but children have been getting into mischief since the beginning of time.

Also it is natural for parents to worry about their children as there are bad people in the world, and bad things happen but that is how it has always been.

So many expect the government to support them instead of earning their own money by doing an honest days work.

The cost of living is high but that isn’t a new thing throughout the ages the cost of living has been higher then most people can deal with. I do not know how some people manage on just what the government pays but it is better then having nothing like it once was.

My thoughts are all over the place this morning but that is pretty normal for me.

Good morning not as cold this morning still cold though, I have been slack this week with posting just because I have had computer troubles with it running slow and freezing and overall giving me the shits.

Today’s word or the week is: shit

It is considered a vulgar swear word, the dictionary says it means

Faeces or to expel faeces from the body

A contemptible or worthless person

To tease or try to deceive someone

An exclamation of disgust, anger or annoyance.