Good morning all here I am this somewhat wet morning thinking about what to write about and after some thought decided I would tell you a little bit about the history of this country and the Aboriginal people who have lived here since way back when.

Europeans arrived in and yes I know some would say invaded this country way back in 1788, back then the locals known as Aboriginals lived here for some say thousands of years, wandering around this great country and living off the land.

“… they were so ignorant they thought there was only one race on the earth and that was the white race. So when Captain Cook first came, when Lieutenant James Cook first set foot on Wangal land over at Kundul which is now called Kurnell, he said oh lets put a flag up somewhere, because these people are illiterate, they’ve got no fences. They didn’t understand that we didn’t need fences … that we stayed here for six to eight weeks, then moved somewhere else where there was plenty of tucker and bush medicine and we kept moving and then come back in twelve months’ time when the food was all refreshed …” the late Aunty Beryl Timbery Beller

I will not pretend to understand how the Aboriginal people feel about other Australians because I don’t know, what I do know is that the way they were treated was disgusting we can’t undo what was done we can only do better in the future.

What I do know that it must have been scary having all these strangers arrive in their country, strangers who brought with them new unknown diseases that the locals had no idea how to treat. These diseases would have caused so much suffering and death for the locals.

It is estimated that over 750,000 Aboriginal people inhabited the island in 1788. It should be noted that the colonists were led to believe that the island was “terra nullius” (no ones land) which is what James Cook declared the country to be in 1771 during his voyage around the coast of the country.

We found the natives tolerably numerous as we advanced up the river, and even at the harbour’s mouth we had reason to conclude the country more populous than Mr Cook thought it. For on the Supply’s arrival in the [Botany] bay on the 18th of the month they assembled on the beach of the south shore to the number of not less than forty persons, shouting and making many uncouth signs and gestures. This appearance whetted curiosity to its utmost, but as prudence forbade a few people to venture wantonly among so great a number, and a party of only six men was observed on the north shore, the governor immediately proceeded to land on that side in order to take possession of this new territory and bring about an intercourse between its new and old masters.
Watkin Tench, January 1788

It is now believed that the Island continent was in fact owned by over 400 different nations at the time of Cook’s claim that the island was no ones land. In fact Captain Philip was astounded with Cook’s theory saying “Sailing up into Sydney cove we could see natives on the shore shaking spears and yelling” so how could Cook say the land was no ones.

For thousands of years prior to the arrival of Europeans, northern Sydney was occupied by different Aboriginal clans, living mostly on the foreshores of the harbour were they fished and hunted in the area and harvested food from the bush. They were self-sufficient and mostly harmonious, they traded with other tribes. They would move throughout their country in accordance with the seasons, they would spend around 5 hours per day working to ensure their survival.

Because they had such large amounts of what we call leisure time they developed a rich and complex life with customs and laws the heart of which was the connection to the land.

The arrival of Lt James Cook in 1771 was the beginning of the end for this ancient way of life, his voyage of exploration had sailed under instructions to take possession of the Southern Continent if it was uninhabited, or with the consent of the natives if it was not uninhabited, either way it was to be taken. So really whether those who inhabited the land gave their consent or not didn’t matter.

Upon his arrival Lt Cook declared the land which he called New South Wales to be the property of Britain’s King George 111, and ignored the inconvenient fact that the land was already well populated. Of course his failure to even attempt to gain the consent of the Aboriginal people began the legal fiction that the country was waste and unoccupied.

Of course Cook was soon followed by the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788, under the command of Captain Arthur Philip who mission was to establish a penal colony and take control of Terra Australia for settlement. More about that in a later post.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Good afternoon all, what a hot day we have had here, stinking bloody hot it is at the moment 3.50pm and the temp is 33°c or 91.4°f just had to drive down to the shop and the temp outside according to the thermometer in the car was 44°c or 111.2°f.

This morning Tim and I went to Harvey Norman ( a large electrical store) and I bought myself a tablet with one of the gift cards mum & dad gave me for Christmas now I just have to play with it a bit once it is fully charged.

I had a nap again today and again I woke up with a headache this is the third day in a row I have had a nap and the third day in a row that I have woken up with a headache, what the hell is with that.

Tim is off work for the next three days including today but he is working NYE and New Year Day Jessica told me she will be working NYE too so I will have Leo that night. Natasha called in to drop of her washing which I will do, but not to tomorrow morning as it is too hot at the moment to be outside hanging washing on the line.

Jessica has been here since around 1ish as it is too hot at her place, Tim is going to go with her tomorrow to buy an air conditioner and he is going to install it for her, she is getting a window unit. She is now heading home as she said it has cooled down a tad and she wants to open her house up in order for it cool down.

This morning when I was at mums my sister Sandra asked if I had any idea what happened to her Christmas present from me as she can’t find it and has been wanting to wear the shirt I gave her. Dad was complaining that he was cold this morning and wanted the air conditioner turned down which annoyed mum as it was just going to get hotter not colder during the day.

Well that is all I have today I think my brain has decided that thinking is to painful and doesn’t like me trying to get it to work.

This post was written by my oldest daughter Kathy-Lee a while back and I found it in my unposted blog folder and while on holiday at Port Macquarie so got it ready to post and today I am doing just that.

As a parent of 2 young children I tend to hear a lot of other parents opinions on TV shows and which ones are allowed. I also hear about the shows they hate or can’t stand. I’ve had a few people tell me they can’t stand Dora the Explorer, Go Diego, Go, In the Night Garden and one I’m sure was written by drunk people…….Teletubbies. However, the one that springs to mind the most is Peppa Pig.

Peppa Pig lives in a small community where everyone knows everyone. She has a mum, a dad and a little brother and her best friend is a rabbit. There’s a grown rabbit doing a different job in each episode, her sister rabbit popping out baby rabbits, a rhino working with heavy machinery, a clumsy daddy pig; the list goes on. There’s always the joke of telling children that the bacon they’re eating came from a pig, most likely a relative of Peppa Pig. I mean honestly, does Peppa Pig have any educational value or is it just one of those mindless shows that someone thought up to give children a bit of mindless enjoyment?

As a mother to 2 young children and someone who has spent a bit of time studying early childhood education; I can honestly say Peppa Pig has to be one of the best children’s shows I have ever seen. I watch this show and I link this little pigs’ development against something called the Early Years Learning Framework and the 5 outcomes identified in this interesting document. I can also honestly admit I have a lot of spare time on my hands while I wait to begin my bachelors in education (early childhood).

I have found this show to also give me handy little ideas on how I can entertain my children on cold and wet days. Until I watched this show I had never heard of thing called the rainy day game. Can you believe that there are actually parents out there are willing to put aside their phones and computers just so they can positively interact with their children? Especially on a rainy day when all you want to do is sit and watch TV, game or sleep.

After watching the show for a few weeks I thought it was interesting to see no meats to be consumed by these characters, but a lot of fruit and vegetables are eaten. I have come to the conclusion that maybe there is some subliminal messaging in this part. Try your fruits and vegetables. They can be eaten in many different ways; soups, smoothies, baked, fried. George doesn’t like his vegetables, but grandpa pig gets creative and turns his meal into a dinosaur. This doesn’t work for my children, but it might for some. I have to grate each vegetable into practically a powder before it can be eaten.

Have you noticed that even Peppa Pig has a night time routine?

They have a bath, clean their teeth, have a bed time story then go to sleep at exactly 7pm every night. Allowing your child to have a simple routine like this gives them some peace of mind. They know what’s going to happen and in most cases will work with you instead of against you. It’s flexible and allows the child to know what’s going to happen next, such as when they can get some rest.

When it comes time to say goodbye, the parents don’t dawdle. The parent will talk to the person who will be caring for the child in a positive or happy tone then let the child know they are going. There’s none of this sneaking out while the child isn’t looking and causing some form anxiety in the child. It’s a straight forward “see you later”. My eldest daughter does not like it when I leave her at school. She will cling to me for what I feel is her life and then cry as I manage to loosen her grip and attach her to her teachers. I’ve read everything I could find on how to manage this situation.

I’ve reassured my child that it’s ok to be anxious or nervous. I’ve told her who will be there at the end of each day. I spent as much time as I could with her so she had that one on one time with me. I got to know her teachers and her classroom. I even know all of her friends. But a few weeks I decided that I’d had enough. Now some may think of this as a little mean, but I took a page out of mummy and daddy pigs book. I now go into the school with her, place her bag in the right spot, talk to her teacher for like a second then say “see you at 3” and walk away. After a week I discovered this technique to bloody work. Those tears are drying up and she no longer clings.

One of the nicest things about this show is how mummy pig can be a working stay at home mum who volunteers at the fire station with the other mummies. Daddy pig also knows how to cook, clean, do laundry and care for his children without complaint. There’s not just stay at home mums these days, it’s also dads. I like how this show informs children that even dads can do certain house hold chores while caring for his child/ren while mum is at work.

The most important thing for children to see in their home when both parents are together is how much each parent cares for each other.