Well Friday is here again, been a week that seems to have passed in a blink. This morning I am listening to a book of Aussie poems, just something different for the next few days.

Being Friday it is the day for Jo-Anne’s thoughts and my thoughts today are drifting towards clutter and mess, are they the same or not, some people will say yes they are. I, however, do not agree my computer desk is cluttered but not a mess. I know where things are and have items I use daily around the desk withing easy reach.

Tim’s computer desk isn’t just cluttered but in my opinion a cluttered mess, this I say because he can never find stuff. For many years he would complain about my desk and how it was cluttered and full of stuff but then he set up his own desk and the complaining stopped.

Now days our daughter’s well two of them complain a lot about how messy our house is and how we should throw away stuff, Tim use to side with the girls and in the last few years I have had a big clean out of stuff, Tim however has not.

Recently when Kathy was here having her say about the so called mess it was mostly her dad’s stuff she was going on about. This really annoyed Tim and all I could say was “yeah I know how you feel”.

I have spent the last couple of days sorting through the photos that came off the walls and storing them away in containers as I am not rehanging most of them. I want to update the photos with modern ones not something that is easy to do as I have grandchildren who do not like their photo taken.

I told Tim that in the next few days I am going to tackle his office, I know he isn’t pleased with that but I am hoping to get him motivated to do it himself he has been talking about doing it for months.

My girls may call me a hoarder but Tim is just as bad if not worse

as he gets it into his head that he can sell items but when he tries often they don’t sell because they are old outdated things people don’t want or would use. I have no problem with his advertising stuff and if they sell, great but if they don’t toss the stuff out.

He also likes to complain that the girls bring stuff here to store as in keep it safe because Mum will know where it is when it is wanted, this doesn’t bother me much, it does at times but generally nope not bothered.

Ok I have had a whinge this morning and now to post and let others read.

Good morning because it is morning here and another cold morning but we are suppose to be in for another warm day, thankfully we have many warm winter days after a bloody cold start to the day.

Well it is time for this weeks word of the week and I have chosen a word my Nana/Grandmother use to say a lot when driving, as she didn’t swear.

Mongrel: Dog of no definable type or breed

Any animal or plant resulting crossing of different types or breeds.

Despicable person or exasperating thing

Mixed origin or character

A cold and wet Wednesday here and of course it is that day of the week I share some Aussie slang.

Cark it…….To die or cease working

Clacker……Anus or ass

Clayton’s…..Fake or substitute

Coathanger…..Sydney Harbour Bridge

Corroboree…..Aboriginal dance festival

Good morning all another Tuesday has arrived like it does every 7 days and Tuesday is creature day and we are in Africa and the creature we have is the Jackson’s Chameleon.

Jackson’s chameleon, also known as Jackson’s horned chameleon, three-horned chameleon or Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon native to East Africa, and introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California.

Looking like a mini triceratops, the Jackson’s chameleon has three spiky horns protruding from its face. It’s because of this amazing headgear that it’s called the three-horned chameleon.

Found in the mountains of Kenya and Tanzania, it lives in trees and mimics its surroundings, changing its skin colour to match twigs and foliage, and rocking back and forth in time with the rustling leaves.

Only males have horns, they use them to defend territory, locking them together they try to push each other off the branch.

They are born brown but four months later they turn bright green, the grow to about 30cm’s or 12 inches. Usually docile with human interaction, they can be aggressive with other reptiles and chameleons.

Hello Monday, hello world, hope all is well in your part of the world wherever that is.

Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The 23,000-square-kilometre area is located approximately 800 kilometres north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent It. is so iconic that it was one of the first sites in Australia to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is renowned for its natural beauty, with aqua blue water, white sand and red earth. It’s been described as one of the most remarkable places on Earth.

The Three Sisters are an unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. They are located close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains’ best known sites, towering above the Jamison Valley

Lake Eyre, officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in the east-central part of the Far North region of South Australia, some 700 km north of Adelaide. It is the lowest point in Australia. The lake is also the largest in Australia.

In 1840 Edward John Eyre became the first European to see the edge of the 9,500 square kilometre lake. It was originally named in his honour. The official name for Lake Eyre was changed to Kati Thanda in 2012.

Cradle Mountain is a locality and mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. At 1,545 metres above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountain in Tasmania. A precipitous comb of rock carved out by millennia of ice and wind, crescent-shaped Cradle Mountain is Tasmania’s most recognisable.

Wolfe Creek Crater is a well-preserved meteorite impact crater in Western Australia It is easily one of Australia’s most stunning natural wonders. Sitting on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, it’s the second largest largest meteorite crater in the world and almost spans an entire kilometre in length.

Got up to pee at 2.45am and had trouble settling back down and got up at 4.50am.

Tasha arrived around 6ish for her shower.

Another cold day my finger tips feel numb.

Jess came over at 2.30 to how me something on YouTube.

While watching YouTube last night with Jess, I fell asleep around 3.30pm and slept straight through to 2.40am this morning after getting up to pee I was unable to settle back down and got up at 4.50am.

Tasha is here having a shower she said she will try to have one at home tomorrow.

I had to get Tim up to go with Sam to wait for his driver due to rain, he wasn’t happy.

Tim had a doctors appointment about getting ore time off work he has this appointment every month then he has to take paperwork into work for the next month.

This afternoon Sam rang and said he was home, Tim thought he was at home but no he was still waiting for Papa and his driver had to ring before Tim realised and went up to get Sam. I was just as thick it didn’t click with me that Sam was wanting someone to go meet him. Also it was Sam’s early day which happens every 2^nd week.

Had a good night’s sleep woke at 3am to pee and settled back down till 5am. Another dark wet looking morning but no rain.

Sam asked me yesterday if I would start ringing him at 7am so he has time to have a shower without feeling rushed so of course I said ok.

I explained to Sam that both his Papa and I were a little thick yesterday arvo when he rang saying he was home, they were ok with that not upset and said that they should have explained better.

Shopping came without a few items that I have asked Tasha to pick up for me today. She forgot my shopping Tim will get it tomorrow

Tasha had her post opp check up at the hospital after which her and Jess went out for lunch.

Another good night’s sleep up at 5am dressed and ready for a day doing bugga all, well it often feels like that. It is cold of course but not raining which is good, I like it when it rains overnight and not during the day.

Sam had to go to school without their phone as they couldn’t find it, I was surprised Sam didn’t get all pissy about not having it.

Cleaners came I thought it was only last week that they were here but I was wrong.

Tasha asked her dad to go and pick up some fish and chips for her and Blain and he is pissed that Blain didn’t go with him to run in and pick up the order, she just didn’t think of sending Blain with him.

Had a rough night waking often for a bit before going back to sleep, I got up at 4.50am when I had enough and it was close enough to 5am.

Rang Sam at 7am had to ring a few times before there was an answer. After I came back from seeing Sam off I discovered that Sam hadn’t taken their medication.

Tim has gone to cash in the cans and bottles. Then he is going to the supermarket to get a couple of things for me.

Sandy called in and dropped off postage stamps which we attached to the letters and she took the letters to post for me. She is still having trouble getting Temika to go to school. Only a few nights back I had a dream with mum telling me Temika needs to go to a special school for someone with anxiety issues.

Up at 5am. Not as cold this morning.

Sandy called in so Denni could use the toilet she had locked herself out of her place, so rang the estate agent to see if they had a key which of course they did, thankfully her estate agent is only a 10 minute drive away.

Been a warmish day, and of course I have my long sleeve singlet on but can’t be bothered to take it off.

Had a decent night up at 5am put a long sleeve singlet but after 5 minutes I took it off as I was already feeling hot. At 6.30am I had to put the singlet back on as I was cold again.

While writing letters I some how manage to delete a heap of files that I could not find, took me well over an hour & half to find them and restore them. This was made harder by me shaking so damn much.

Kathy and the girls came over, Kathy and Syd are both sick with a cold. Kathy changed the sheets on our bed.

Tim and Kathy hung a few more photos for me.

Sandy dropped in a caramel slice for me. It was yummy.

Good morning all this cold Friday morning, I have been thinking a bit about saying “love you” or “I love you” each time you hang up a phone call from a close family member or friend.

I ring my grandchild Sam each morning Monday to Friday in order to make said child is awake and out of bed early enough to have a shower and get ready for school. Sam’s mother maybe there but will be sleeping, any not what this is about. At the end of each call we both say “love you” before hanging up. The same goes for all my daughters, grandchildren, husband and siblings and of course to Mum & Dad when they were alive.

Whenever I see one of my siblings I will give them a hug and a kiss on the cheek, like I do when I see one of my daughters or grandchildren.

In my family this is normal, however, I know that it isn’t the case in many families. When I first met Tim he found it strange that we were such a huggy kissy family as his family never did such a thing. He could never imagine hugging or kissing his family members.

It wasn’t something done in my dad’s family before he met mum it never occurred to him to say or do such a thing. Dad said mum showed him what a loving family could be.

When my brother who is now in his 40’s was in his late teens early twenties he surprised our dad by giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek before leaving to go out at night with his mates as his mate was right there watching. Dave didn’t care it was what we do.

Tim never leaves the house without giving me a kiss and telling me he loves me. Also like me he finishes a phone call with love you, see you soon. All my girls end calls to their children the same way.

Every second week I think I might do a post on the history of something, starting today.

Here is another history of something post and this weeks something is the old school blackboard which is now pretty much obsolete. In some places they may have been called a chalkboard, here in Aus it has always been called a blackboard.

As a child I had a blackboard that my dad would freshen up with blackboard paint, when needed.

In 1801, the rather obvious solution to the problem made its debut. James Pillans, headmaster and geography teacher at the Old High School in Edinburgh, Scotland, is credited with inventing the first modern blackboard when he hung a large piece of slate on the classroom wall.

Manufacturing of slate blackboards began by the 1840s. Green porcelain enamel surface, was first used in 1930, and as this type of boards became popular, the word “chalkboard” appeared. In the US green porcelain enamelled boards started to appear at schools in 1950s.

So what’s up with the name? Originally, blackboards really were black. Before wall-sized chalkboards existed, late 18th-century students used their own mini boards made of slate or painted wood, according to Concordia University. Those first boards were, in fact, black, and they paved the way for the larger ones

In any case, early blackboards were primitive, made from materials such as pine covered with a mixture of egg white and carbon from charred potatoes. Or a paste of lime, plaster of Paris and lampblack might simply be spread on a classroom wall.

By the 1970s, whiteboards were slowly being adopted in schools. The amount of dust created when using and cleaning chalkboards was a major catalyst for many switches from blackboards to whiteboards.

Here we are on another cold but dry Wednesday so it is time for this week’s Aussie slang.

Battler: Hard working, barely making ends meet

Boomer: Large male kangaroo

Bush Telly: Campfire

Bushie: Someone who lives in the bush

BYOG: Bring Your Own Grog

Of these the only one new to me is the bush telly haven’t heard that before. My parents were battlers same can be said for Tim & I

Well this morning it is another cold morning had over night rain and have unpacked the groceries. Anyway here is this weeks creature it is the greater flamingo, this regal looking bird owes its exquisite pink colour to the animals it eats, which are prawn like crustaceans that live in the saltwater mudflaps of south-western Europe.

Stirring up the mud with its webbed feet, the flamingo buries its long, bent beak, and sometimes its whole head, in the water to suck up the tiny treats.

Its tongue pumps up and down pushing the water out of its mouth and trapping the food in tiny filters. The greater flamingo is the largest of the family at 1.5m tall.

The live and breed in colonies of up to 200,000, there are safety in numbers, while some birds stand watch while others can feed. A loud deep warning honk, similar to that of a goose, alerts them to predators.

The greater flamingo is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World, they are found in Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, the Levant, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe.