TEA ROOM # 117

Good morning everyone.
Welcome to the New Year and a new look for our Tea House.
I thought a touch of the Orient was a nice change.
We can enjoy our cuppa while watching the peaceful waters.

I hope everyone enjoyed their celebrations and are now safely home.
I am sure some may be nursing a tiny hangover.

Not much to do here, so I will be just relaxing in the garden watching the birds.

Enjoy your day and I hope you will all be making lots of great resolutions that will probably never be kept.
Mine is to enjoy the days as they come and keep chatting with all my Tea Room friends.

We came from here.....
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1291378/#top

Happy New Year
Jean.

This message was edited Jan 1, 2013 7:55 AM

Happy New Year Jean and everyone,

with 40C heading this way today, no more outside stuff for me today, I got out there as soon as the sun was up, but it was 28C overnight so whew !. The weather people are nuts, I don't know where they gather their info, it is so out of whack sometimes, drives you nuts.

I am a cheap drunk so I only had a small nip of Port last night ...big mistake , off I staggered to bed at 11.30 (missing the Fireworks for the first time ever.) luckily we can catch up with them today.

We had a Green snake here yesterday, I didn't know we had those green snakes here where I live, it was a pale green colour quite beautiful ...I was not scared of it, but it means the bad ones are roaming around.

Can't believe it's 2013 ...can you ?
I hope everyone everywhere has a great day/evening.Under the fan in the bedroom is where I will be quite soon ^_^ Hurry up Autumn !

chrissy

You only beat me by 10 mins Chrissy..Good music, Late BBQ, Brandy and beer.. I burst out laughing when I saw Cocky dancing to ''Im too sexy",mind you, I must have looked a sight singing along to it. anyway,a good night and no harm done,.,.Ive so much preparation to do for my lilies.. Refrigerator time.. now I have to decide which ones!, before New Years Day celebrations start,.,.

we had a quiet one here, bottle of bubbles between hubby & me.
Hoped for a lie in but Ma-in-law was up early & decided to bake a cake.
The sound of her rattling around set Sugar off & so I was up at 6.30
I fed the hounds, found Ma the bits & pieces she needed & went back to bed.
I must have been tired as I went straight back to sleep, hubby woke me later for breakfast in bed.
Nice start to the year :)
Took Sugar to the park where she had a lovely time playing in the creek & with a red border collie, I think they helped wear each other out.

We took the in-laws into town for the first time, big shock for them to see it for real.
We hadn't seen much of it for a while so it was surprises around every corner for all of us.

Ma came out with quite a good line, she saw a sight seeing tour bus & quipped that they need to change it to a site seeing tour.

And the cake turned out quite edible - used some banana & some of the left over boozy fruit from my truffle making.

http://s75.beta.photobucket.com/user/dalfyre/library/Earthquake

Good morning everyone.
A beautiful morning here.
I am going to enjoy it while I can as the heat will be back over the next few days.

I hope all the sore heads are gone now.

Anthony, I can just picture Sooty sitting there watching you and Cocky trying to sing...lol

Charleen, I'm glad T Bo and the others were with you during the noisy fireworks.
Its a shame so many poor dogs are left out and get terrified by all the noise .
Some people just dont think or dont care. .
Charley will have to learn he cannot eat all the hay at once.
I know horses will not go near an electric fence even if its off, once they know what it is.

Teresa, lovely pics , and its great to see some things being done on the damage.
A slow process though.
Hope Sugar & Copper were okay with all the fireworks noise.

Chrissy, glad you enjoyed your quiet celebrations.
We have had a few hot days, but the nights have all be cool so far.
How nice to see one of the pretty green snakes in your garden.
They are probably moving south as the weather warms.

Dianne, You would have had a good view of any fireworks going on around the place.
I like to watch on TV as there is less noise and no smoke. .
Get out and enjoy the garden while you can, its going to get very warm over the next week.
Hug the brugs...lol

Al, from what i see on TV, you had a white Christmas and New Year.
I hope you enjoyed your quiet celebration..
You can start planning your spring garden now .
Reading plant catalogues is great relaxation, as long as you dont decide you must have everything in them,,,lol

Moon, hope your new Year celebrations went well. I know you will be getting some cold weather soon , so settle back with a few catalogues too. A nice way to pass the time.

Hello to anyone I missed.
Happy New Year to all .

Heres a treat for morning tea. ...Chocolate Almond Torte..

I'm off outside
Jean.

Alive and well here! Very quiet night. We actually watched the fireworks from Sydney on the TV coverage from NYC Times Square. What a fabulous display! I'm sure it was beautiful.

Al

Good Morning Everyone ...how are you all feeling ^_^ exhausted from the festive fun ?

chrissy

we went out to a double dog show today, Sugar got nowhere but two friends with Dalmatians won their age classes in group for the morning show & hope fully will do well for the afternoon show.
We left after the Dals were judged as the rain was setting in & we didn't need to stay on.
It was a funny day weather wise, we had blustery nor'west wind & rain & it was warm to start with.
Then the sun came out & it was scorching.
We made sure to cover up with plenty of sunblock, and then the sou'west change blew up... suddenly it was cloudy & the rain came down.
Back home now & the rain has finished & the sun is back out & it's warming up again.
Sugar had a lovely time saying hi to all her spotty friends & is now crashed out asleep.

Maybe Sugar will do twice as good in next show.
Beautiful day here, poor hubby had to go back to work. We got his blood sugar down but this watching what you eat is just not what I like but i do believe I may have lost some weight too. YAY!!!!!!! I have discover Cinnamon capsules and Robert is taking them too, so I hope his sugar comes back down to being more reasonable. I think he is feeling better he was outside yesterday a little more than usual. No waking up at night with leg cramps. that was bothering him too. Robert has quit all the snacking between meals too. He is on insulin twice a day, so he just need a doctor to "let him know" he needs to do better.....
Wishing you all a Happy Healthy new Year....
Yep, Charley still got his head in that hay......

Good morning everyone. A beautiful morning here.
Going to be really hot later, but the mornings are really lovely & mild.
Well , Christmas & New Year are gone, now we wait for the shops to get all the Easter eggs out....lol

Teresa, Sugar is doing really well. Doesnt matter if she isnt always placed, as long as she tries.
Dear little "angel" (oops weasel. )
Has she managed any new mischief over the holidays besides trying to chew everything ?

Charleen, its hard trying to regulate our hubbys, but keep trying and its good that you feel you have lost weight too.
Mine likes to snack and he just loves sweet things.
Give Charley a hug and tell him I have an extra cookie here for him.

Anthony, are you recovered from Christmas & New Year now ?
You will be out playing among the lilies I suppose.
Hope cocky recovered from the singing duet with you.

No exhaustion here, Chrissy. A lovely quiet and peaceful time for us.
No rellies, no kids, no drink, just a pleasant time.
I dont miss all the rest these days.
I must be getting older.

Al, nice to hear you enjoyed your holidays too. The fireworks look so much better on TV and as you did , you see all the other places too.
I see so much snow over there, so I hope you are not too bad in your area.
Its wonderful how the gardens will all come back so beautifully in spring.

Dianne, how are things down your way ? Going to be very hot later and then the same for the weekend. My brugs are looking good despite the heat as I go out and keep them damp each day.
Its a good time to sit in the shade and enjoy whats still green in my garden.

Hello to everyone else. I am off as its shopping day. We will be getting things done and be home early before the heat gets too much.
Good ice cream weather.

Heres a yummy Mixed Fruit Trifle... for those with hot weather ..
...........Apple & Cinnamon Slice for everyone in the cold places. ...

Stay safe and enjoy the day
Jean

The New Year brought new temperatures with it. New Year's Day was overcast, but the temps were around 18C. Now,an inch or so of rain and a day later, it is barely 7C at 4:30 in the afternoon and very wet, windy and overcast. The sort of day that makes you want to stay inside.

After two nights of dipping to 0C, my silly odd little brug is still clinging to its partially opened blooms. I doubt seriously that they will do more than fall off in the next couple days.

You could cut it off and bring it in, it may even open up and bloom... They can be rather tough plants....

Worth a shot.... nothing to lose if it doesn't. grin

Flat out moving everything around -Very hot here

It's only 24c here, but it feels like 34c.......the cats and Tilly are all flaked out in various corners....
Ray has gone for a walk to try out his new walking shoes...he is a delicate flower with delicate feet....lol
Jean, that trifle looks like mine, that's the type of glass bowl I bought for it....

This is something that I had no idea about and Jean, I wonder if you were aware of the excess charge, if you take a loan car while your car is being repaired....
I didn't know that there was such a thing, but there sure is....my cousin was sitting at an intersection and a young woman who was on the phone, ran in to the back of her....while it was being repaired my cousin thought that she would take advantage of the "FREE'' loan car....
Until her daughter asked her how much was the excess ........wait for it....$3000 for a Honda Jazz......she did not go ahead with the loan car..

Neither of the insurance companies involved in the accident had a way that she could cover the excess......
So I rang a friend who has the local panel beaters, to inquire on his charges and why it was so expensive...
His was $1500 on a small car......if I had wanted a bigger car it would have gotten dearer.....whoa....
He said that a few insurance companies will do a deal with a hire car company for a cheaper excess, but in the main...no go.
He can't get the car insured, as a loan car for less than that.

Jean, did you know about this and what would your excess have been?
I was gobsmacked, I suppose it's reasonable under the circumstances, but golly....I would be catching the bus...
Dianne.

Charleen yes, take the cutting and try, good luck with it, isn't it sad to see that frosted growth.

Yes hot ! ...sitting under a fan here, but it is better than New Years Day, oh boy that grilled everything !
take it easy Anthony and everyone in the heat.

Hope you got home before the heat Jean, it looks a bit scary down your way (fire wise). Take care and be safe.

Have a great arvo everyone out there (or evening over the pond).

chrissy

Yes Dianne I am afraid the Insurance costs are ruining a lot of things, we used to have a huge family reunion every year at our local Church but it has stopped now because it was an extra 600.00 for the day, just for the insurance to cover anyone having an accident. It's the law.
Same with most places now, the fees are horrendous because of the Insurance rules and costs.

chrissy

Dianne, we found out about costs for a loan car right at the start.
I had had one years ago free, mind you, while my car was being fixed.

Those were the good old days.

Here it was going to be something like $100 a day and who knows how many days at the start. Turned out it was a week . Lucky hubby was able to borrow a vehicle ( free ) from the local CFA as they needed him to be able to get about in case of fire.

Its 39C here at the moment. It was hot in Hamilton but not uncomfortable . By the time we were going through Coleraine the heat was worse so I stopped for lots of ice cream. Its all in the freezer now. Guess what I am having for tea ?

Moon, bring the dear little thing inside in the warm. Its been trying to bloom for you so give it a warm place and you may see it open.

I'm sitting here with the fan on and its not too bad .

Going to be even hotter tomorrow so the ones that know are saying ( weather bureau persons ) ...lol

I could do with a little of Al's snow for a while .

Keep cool and stay inside .
Jean.

the insurance companies are trying to make some money back...
after paying out for earthquakes, floods & fires in the past couple of years their coffers are looking a bit lean.
In some areas of ChCh you cannot get insurance.
My stepson tried to get contents insurance & was knocked back.
There have been all sorts of dodgy happenings, a lady I work with rang her insurance company about something only to be told she was no longer insured as her policy had lapsed.
They claimed to have sent her a letter when her direct debit payment failed but it seems like they were happy to have an excuse to get rid of her.
The reason - she has a house that she can't live in & hasn't been paid out for yet.
Her policy still covers fire or further damage so the insurance company would rather not take the risk.

Luckily she was able to get her policy renewed as the bank should have let her know the payment failed or put it though again once her pay had gone in...
computers are great but have one little glitch that delays money going in & all your bill payments can fall over.

Good morning.

Re insurance and loaner cars....our car insurance has a rider attached for loaner cars....but we pay a bit for it on our insurance bill every six months...which is ridiculously high but that is due to the type of coverage we have. State law requires us to carry liability insurance of at least $10,000/20,000/10,000 (damage/medical for injuries/property damage)....which can be obtained fairly cheaply...some policies less than $50 per month. Of course, should you have that coverage and have an accident, it only pays damages to the other party...nothing for your damages even if it is the other guy's fault....your Ins. company has to file against their company....

When our grandson started driving, we were really concerned and spoke with not only our agent (who covers not only our cars, but also our home) but also with a couple friends who are also in the business. Their advice was to go for the largest amount of coverage we could afford as now days folks are very quick to file suit. We had been carrying a $50,000/100,000/50,000 policy on our cars.....now we have a 100,000/300,000/100,000 policy on all three vehicles....here, rates are higher for males under 25 years old....I guess they think at 25 they magically become safer more responsible drivers...and females under 21. I certainly shows up in the premium....Hubby and I have full coverage on our vehicles (comprehensive, collision, medical/liability) and it runs us about $800/6 months....Grandson has collision/medical/liability (older vehicle) and that runs us $1450/6 months coverage....but it is really necessary since he is a minor and should someone sue him (us) without that coverage we could lose our home if a judgement went against us. And yes....insurance is a "legal" racket....

Hi everyone ...here it comes, be safe ! Stay cool somehow !

chrissy

Good morning everyone. I am late this morning as I was out watering things early.
It was 40C yesterday here and going to be hotter today with a strong wind. The state is on fire alert and so is hubby.
He will be manning the local HQ in case there is a fire.

The poor brugs are all limp with toasted leaves. Its not only the direct sun but the dry heat that has toasted them.
The whole garden is slowly turning summer brown now. I only water the pot plants from now on as all the others have to survive on their own. They do a good job of it as they are still there after so many summers.

Moon , I am glad we dont have to pay that amount of money for insurance. It is hard enough to keep up with what we have to have here.
By the time one pays for house & contents, life and car insurance each month, half our money is gone and all for a very very small return if we ever have to claim .

Teresa, one of the ladies on the brom thread mentioned vriesias as good plants for you to try. I can tell you that the ones I have here do very well. Most of my broms are in the greenhouse but there are a lot that live outside and survive very well.. Best place is under some shadecloth or on a veranda.

Hello to all looking in. Keep out of the sun today ( or cold for our OS friends)
I am off to finish a bit of watering around the greenhouse.

Heres something nice for a hot day......Lemon Icecream dessert

Stay safe.
Jean..

Hear, Hear moon, that's exactly what it is, only we have to have it for peace of mind......

Chrissy, that pic makes me feel like I'm boiling, I won't look at it today...lol

Well, we are prepared for the heat, the Hydrangeas are covered, the baby Brugs have been sprayed, extra water has been given to the Azaleas, the worm farm is under shelter, there is plenty of water in the garden for the birds, Mick has lots of shade in his paddock, the fish are under shadecloth, their pond is only 20ins deep.
Tilly has already been in her wading pool and the cats are flopped already....as usual.

I'm stewing plums.
Keep cool everyone and warm for you OS..
Dianne

AAAAAAAAH !-its gonna be a bad one!

Happy New Year everyone. It is soooo hot here. The poor plants are suffering badly, and us. The boys and I are sort of trapped inside and I keep going out to make sure the chooks and the sleepy lizard and the galahs are as cool as I can make them. I have cardboard boxes up over both the lizard and the chooks to keep the shade there and their ground has been watered down in places. The galahs have the sprinkler going on top of their cage and they seem quite comfortable. It's 47C on my front verandah. I don't think it got to less than 40C last night. John is coming up tomorrow and is going to take the boys down there for a few days. They're right by the sea down south of Adelaide so quite a bit cooler there. He has one more week of holidays and then back to the grind-stone. We had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Very quiet but did at least see the New Year in this year. Haven't done that for a while. I seem to be on the road to recovery at last and the rest has done me the world of good. Just been pottering around mainly watering. I have lots of broms that need the pups removed but they will be okay in the shadehouse til I'm ready. Dianne, I have one PP fasc. X RFP up but boy are they slow. I thought that they would have been up in the first week, but they are certainly taking their time. Have your's come up? The poor coldies are really suffering. I have had buds on one of Alan's twice now but they just frizzle with the heat. If it cools down considerably tonight I might get to keep a couple this time. I haven't seen any buds on any of the other coldies. My RFP is absolutely covered with beautiful large blooms just about out but I think this weather will wreck them before they do. Last time they just got out and then we had a burst of hot weather and they lasted about a day. I hope everyone is well, and now I'll go back and see if I can catch up with what everyone is up to. Keep cool . Colleen

Short n Sweet- 42.1.,.Man alive Im glad Im home to care for the animals,.,.

43c here, phew, they say the change is coming tonight.....

Colleen, great to hear from you, my PP fasc seeds came up quickly but have slowed right down...
Your Munchausen x seeds are doing well, RFP is growing like a weed, poor girl is cooking today though...
Glad that you are feeling a lot better and that you had a nice Christmas with the boys..
Too hot for the coldies but just imagine them in Autumn, we all should have flowers...

Going in to watch the news...
Dianne.

Railway tracks buckling in some places ...glad everyone is still alive ! Remember the Tar bubbling on the roads years ago ?

Take care of yourself Colleen, this kind of heat can take a toll on you. Glad you are feeling better.

Drink lots of water and take a cool shower or swim.
This too shall pass ...

chrissy

good luck Aussies.
The heat wave made the news here, it looks pretty grim.
Just hope no idiots light fires!
Stay safe everyone.

Put some ice in your tea, folks, and stay cool and rested. We're somewhat below freezing here, still about a foot of snow on the ground. Ski resorts are all open for the season, big weekend coming up with lots of stayover guests.

Hope you get some relief soon.

Al

Hope you all get some relief soon...that is dangerous weather...be very careful and stay hydrated.

Good morning everyone. Finally I arrived to open the Tea Room.
I have been outside enjoying the lovely cool while watering everything . ( 17C)
It is so beautiful out there now but not going to last as the heat rolls back in.
Got to 42C yesterday by about 4.3opm. I have toasted plants everywhere. Nothing to do but water and wait for Autumn.
We had an awful hot wind all day which has totally gone now. ( it will be back soon )
Its the wind and air temp that does the damage to the plants more than the direct sun..
Its amazing how some plants can cope while others right next to them just fall over.
I watered early yesterday too then spent the whole day inside.
Hubby was at the CFA local HQ all day in the air conditioned building. Luckily no fires locally but a few in nearby districts.
With more hot weather to come , everyone is on alert.

Anthony, I hope you are safe where you are. I see so many fires going in Tassie.
Stay safe and look after all your feathered and furry mates.

Al, its days like this that I do wish for a little of your snow, but then with lots of snow, you have awful problems too.

Moon , I seem to be able to consume gallons of water daily in the summer, where I usually only have my cup of green tea about 4 times a day for the rest of the year. The body knows what it needs.

Charleen, I havent seen Charley lately. Maybe he thinks its going to be too hot for him , but the Tea Room has perfect weather.

Hello Dianne, hope you are surviving down there. Put the bikini on and go sit in the ocean....

Teresa, I hope the heat doesnt head for NZ. I am sure you have had enough awful weather for a while.

Colleen, Keep cool there too.

Chrissy, you will have to comfort all your brug babies in the heat.

Today I am going to have to sit at the computer and sort about a thousand files.
Yesterday while doing a bit of updating of my garden files and a few others, stupid me accidently deleted the entire folder I was using . Being a large folder, it didnt go into the rubbish bin but was deleted directly from the hard drive.
I went looking for it but ....gone.......All my years of getting pics etc , gone...
Somehow, when adding new stuff to the old file , the b*** computer put it in the wrong place , so when I thought I was deleting the old file, it was actually the new one..

I looked on the internet for info on retrieving deleted files and found a bit of software that could do it.
Apparently , when you delete anything , it is still on the hard drive until eventually overwritten. The little software thingy retrieved over a thousand files, but I had to go through them one by one to see which I needed to keep. As a lot were only numbers, I had no idea of what they were, so had to leave them.
. I now have about 900 or so to go through again and see what I have .
I will b every careful from now on and do a backup more often. I usually put everything on a memory stick every month or so, but hadnt done it for about 6 months.

The joys of modern living. In the old days , I would have had everything written down and never lost.
Oh well. Now I have something to do when its hot outside.

Better put out something for morning tea, then get myself moving. Just the broms to be watered now.

My gardenias love this weather, They are starting to flower and smell very nice on the veranda.

Here we are.....Mixed Berry Shortcake...

Happy day and stay cool and safe .
Jean.

Bugger I just lost a long thread ...must go will come back with it later

bye for now !
chrissy

Ok starting again ...(hubby wanted something done so I had to go)

Anthony I hope you are safe ...shocking

The birds are acting really weird here, I don't like it when that happens, hope it only means feral cats or snakes (rather than something weather related)

Can't even remember what I was chatting about so just a couple of plants that don't mind the heat

Hungarian black chilli with it's pretty purple flowers and splotches (Cinnamon Basil flowers in the same colour behind it). 1
Hybrid Cape Gooseberry ...yummy love them. 2/3
Covered in spider webs (like most of my plants) but still pretty, smells delicious. 4

5 My tribute to our Fire Fighter Angels ...they risk their lives for us.
Brugmansia 'Fire Fighter Angel' I hope they will all be safe today as they fight the fires.

have a safe and hopefully happy day everyone.

chrissy

Chrissy, I always watch for warnings from the birds..When I was a night security officer, If I saw plovers or rabbits roaming, I knew nobody was about!,.,.Safe, here, but the Peninsula is cut off..1 whole town 'gone' Dunalley..

I think this headline says it all, Horrific ! ...Hell Fire !

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania-news.html

chrissy

Hi everyone. Well it was lovely and cool this morning at 8am. 20C but it has slowly heated up during the day and we're back to 40C at 6pm. Terrible fires in Tassie. It felt like there were fires over the road here yesterday 48.6C it got to. The boys bags are packed ready and waiting for tomorrow when they go for their stay with Uncle John. Motor bike safety gear packed as well. They are going to do some snorkeling this time. I hope they don't cross the path of the blue ringed octopus. Their Dad nearly picked one up years ago when he was about 4, he thought it was a crab hiding under a rock. Just as well his older brother knew what it was and pushed him out of the way. They still got it into a bucket and brought it back for Mum to see. I was so scared of it. I left it in the bucket over night, by which time it had turned white, then I stabbed a knife in it about a hundred times, then I tipped it into the toilet and flush a half a dozen time. I still wouldn't sit down on the toilet for ages, thinking it was going to come back and bite me on the bum. Well I hope everyone is trying to keep cool. Colleen

Praying for rain and no wind for you all.....Doggone it...2013 was supposed to be kinder. Colleen, your temps are getting dangerously close to those experienced in Death Valley on its worst days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley

Good morning everyone.
Its a nice cool morning again. I have a cardigan on which will quickly come off once the sun warms up.
Yesterday was more comfortable than Friday even though still quite hot.
Its going to be a very hot week and I hope all the people near any fires are safe.

Anthony, hoping all is well near you, as I see fires are still burning around Tassie.
Very sad to see a town burn . So sad that many have lost all their possessions but at least the people are safe.
Take care of yourself there and Sooty & friends too.

Moon, thanks for the link to your Death Valley. I would not like to be there.
Hope that your weather is much nicer.

Al, stay inside and keep warm. Such a total contrast between our two areas.

Charleen, I sent Charley home with a bag of cookies, did he share with everyone or eat the lot ?....
Hope your weather is much nicer too.

Dianne, how is your garden coping ? I have just watered all the brugs again. I leave the larger part of my garden to fend for itself and concentrate on the shadehouses with watering.
Hope Tilly is enjoying her little pool.

Teresa. how are things in NZ ?
Are you getting some of this heat ? I havent seen any NZ news so hope it is cooler for you .
Give Sugar & Copper a pat for me.

Hello to everyone else popping in for a cuppa. ..

Heres a treat for morning tea. ...Banana Walnut Cake

Keep safe and enjoy the day.
Jean.

Roads were clear enough to get out of town for the weekend. Still about two feet of snow on the ground. We went to the city to visit with daughter Becky and the kids. Livy and the twins are doing just fine. Livy went back to the hotel with us and stayed over Friday night and went shopping with Gram on Saturday. She just loves all the thrift shops with tons of cheap second-hand stuff, one would think she was in paradise. A second-hand princess for sure.

Hope the fire situation gets better, sounds awful from here. We get dry grass and brush fires that sometimes attack the forestlands here in the late summer when super dry, the western states are much worse than here. They can be nasty at times.

Good luck and try to stay cool and hydrated.

Al