Category: Diary

Our Brunch on a Sunday in August 2018

 

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I copy here what I wrote in last year’s blog including the comments to that post:

Sunday, 12th of August 2018

   Diary, Life in Australia, Old Age   1 Minute

The soft boiled eggs that Peter cooked for breakfast were perfect. I ate my warmed up crispy bread-roll with the egg, I also had some fresh strawberries with strawberry jam on one half of the bread-roll. And I took all my vitamins. We both also had a great cup of coffee for our breakfast.

At nine o’clock we started watching the Insiders’ program on ABC TV. The politics that were discussed upset me a great deal. I mean I should be used to this sort of political talk  by now where everything gets blamed on labor. But somehow it got to me today more than usual. I just could not keep my cool. Maybe I should stop watching these interviews where no question gets answered properly and were outrages lies are repeated ad  nauseam. Soon Peter handed me a bit of brandy to calm my upset stomach. This bit of brandy that I sipped very slowly, actually made me feel a whole lot better.

Later on for  brunch we had baked camenbert cheese with some bread and a glass of red wine. We also had a bit of vanilla ice-cream with apple sauce. Luckily my stomach had settled sufficiently, and I could enjoy this excellent meal. I enjoyed it very much indeed!

Edit“Sunday, 12th of August 2018”

7 thoughts on “Sunday, 12th of August 2018”

  1. We forgot the ABC Insiders which is unusual. Just as well by the sound of it. Glad you made up for it by having such a lovely breakfast. We are finding that the ABC is so keen to remain neutral that it is now dribbling a lot of nonsense in its commentary, frightened to give an opinion, any opinion.

    Reply

    1. Here you can watch the whole program, Gerard, in case you and Helvi are interested.

      http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/sunday-12-august-full-program/10111188

      “Barrie Cassidy interviews Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, and Fiona Katauskas talks pictures with The Feed’s Jan Fran. On the panel are The Australian’s Niki Savva, Guardian Australia’s Lenore Taylor and The Saturday Paper’s Mike Seccombe.”

      Barrie Cassidy and also the panel did not upset me. The Energy Minister chose not to answer certain questions. Do you expect anything else from politicians? Sometimes I just cannot listen to them anymore! But I understand that the person who is interviewing has to remain polite. I went out for a while to calm down. But I did watch the hilarious talking pictures. A bit of fun and laughing is definitely preferable!

      What do you think of the “National Energy Guarantee” program?

      http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/balancing-act/10111158

      https://www.energy.gov.au/government-priorities/better-energy-future-australia

      Reply

  2. Thank you Uta for the links.

    Helvi watched the whole episode on my computer. She thought Frydenberg was weak. We feel that renewables are the only way to get cheap energy that will also guarantee lower emissions. It is ironic that Australia with its overabundance of resources now has some of the highest energy prices in the world.
    Sadly the word ‘renewables’ has become a dirty word in our Government. Those without solar and batteries will increasingly carry the burden of coal fired energy and its maintenance.
    What do you think will give us energy at a price that is affordable? I just had my electricity bill which was $410.- for three months. The last gas bill was about the same.

    Reply

    1. Our recent electricity bill was a bit over 600 Dollars for three months, Gerard. But we use no gas. You’re right, only people who have solar and batteries can expect to pay less for power in the long run. Why does the government not want some of the old power stations to close? And why, oh why, do they even think of allowing new coal power stations to open? Surely no investor would want to invest in new coal fired power stations? Who owns the coal? Is it the government or some companies?
      Surely, we have enough sun and wind in Australia for all our energy needs. We have sun and wind for free, whereas someone has a vested interest in all the coal reserves and wants to get some adequate profit from whatever their investments were.
      I hate it that there are so many different energy companies now. The supply of energy and water should be in government’s hands only. The government should also have strict rules that our air and environment does not get polluted. But instead of looking after the needs of the total population in the first place, they are more interested in looking after vested interests and companies above all. Anyhow, this is the way I see this, and I am just an ordinary citizen without special knowledge.
      You say that renewables are the only way to get cheap energy that will also guarantee lower emissions. I could not agree more!

      Reply

  3. Your Sunday meals sound beautiful and yummy! Especially the eggs Peter made for you with love! 🙂

    I try not to watch news or politics TV shows. But maybe I should. Usually they upset me too much. 😦
    HUGS!!! 🙂

    Reply

Diary about a blog by Keith Davis published by the AIM Network on August 17, 2019

Women

This is a blog by Keith Davis published by the AIM Network on August 17, 2019. I read it today, and I also read the 32 replies that were published by the AIM Network.

Keith Davis wants “equality, and an end to violence against women in our society!”

Among other things Keith asks: “Who, on average, kills one Australian woman each and every week of each and every year of each and every decade?”

These killings of course are a terrible crime. So, we know, these killings are mostly done by men. But what actually drives some men to commit murder? Is it a power game? Do they want to show that they have more power than a woman by resorting to killing or to some kind of abuse? In what cases do women have the power to defend themselves?

Is it a matter of feelings, of not being able to cope with angry feelings? But then, what makes such men feel so much anger?

Do men in general feel a need to show dominance over a woman? In our day and age, where women rightly strive for equality between the sexes, can some men just find it too hard to grant a woman ‘equal’ rights?

Many different circumstances may result in violance against women in our society. Apart from violent behaviour, which on the whole might be the exception, I ask myself, where, oh where, do we find an understanding between men and women? My experience tells me, it does exist. In some cases maybe it does not exist permanently. Divorces in our society are quite common, aren’t they? I reckon a vast number of reasons may lead to divorce. On top of it maybe a significant number of women these days do not want to commit themselves to marriage because they aim for absolute indepedence.

This gender equality thing, does it lead some women to want to be so independent that any relationship apart from a ‘platonic’ relationship is out of the question? Maybre some of these women prefer to become lesbians? But even in a lesbian relationship one of the partners would have to become more or less dominant, or not?

Maybe a sexual relationship can be over-valued. I mean it is beautiful when it happens and when it is mutually satifying. But for people with this strive for independence and no inclination to want to raise children, maybe they are better off without a sexual relationship or possibly a very casual relationship if you can rely on the partner to be right with this. If not, it may lead to a lot of complications or a break-up of a great friendship!

In Picton and Katoomba in 2018, a Reblog with some more Pictures

The first two pictures here are from the “Yellow Deli” at Katoomba where we had some delicious refreshments!

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In the Breakfast room of our Motel

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Opal Card took us on the Bus to the centre of Katoomba and in a circle back to our Motel

These Katoomba buses were available very frequently and we used them several times.

We also went for beautiful walks close to where our motel was:

 

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These are pictures from our Chhristmas in July Dinner at our Motel:

 

 

 

 

https://wordpress.com/post/auntielive.wordpress.com/184

We went to the tearooms and had tea and some excellent strudel!

http://www.bygonebeautys.com.au/

I copy here what it says about “Bygone Beautys”:

“Welcome to Bygone Beautys

Bygone Beautys Treasured Teapot Museum & Tearooms is nestled in the village of Leura within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The tearooms and showrooms offer visitors a truly memorable experience – so don’t forget your camera! Home of world’s largest private collection of teawares, including more than 5,500 teapots from all over the world and spanning five centuries, most items are on display in the Treasured Teapot Museum.

The ultimate experience is to enjoy the famous silver service Traditional High Tea or the ever-popular Devonshire Tea in the Bygone Beautys Tearooms. Visitors can also purchase estate jewellery (gold, silver and diamonds), antiques, collectables and contemporary quality gifts, including a wide variety of boutique teas – all scattered throughout the Retail Emporium.

On most days you may catch the proprietor, Maurice Cooper OAM, (better known as The Teapot Man or Mr Teapot) serving customers at the front desk. Maurice will be easily recognisable wearing a bow tie, and will probably be in the midst of selling a diamond ring to a customer. Maurice and some of the staff are themselves great examples of Bygone Beautys!

To find us on foot from Leura Railway Station or, if driving to the Blue Mountains from Sydney, turn left off the Great Western Highway into Leura Mall. Go past the railway station, turn left into Railway Parade at the roundabout, then turn right into Grose Street. Continue straight ahead to the next corner and on your left you will find Bygone Beautys.
With car park and lift availability, we offer Disabled Access and welcome visitors of all ages.

Museum Admission of $5.50 per person is redeemable with an equivalent purchase in the tearooms or retail area.”

 

At the end of our holidays on our way back home we stopped at WentworthFalls:

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There is a great coffee shop bakery at Wentworth Falls, where we had some delicious  lunch! Among other things I had a very good vegetarian soup!

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g504276-d4915072-Reviews-Bakery_Patisserie_Schwarz-Wentworth_Falls_Blue_Mountains_New_South_Wales.html

Bakery Patisserie Schwarz

“Schwarz Patisserie is not only well known in the Blue Mountains, it is famous as a specialist German bakery throughout the region with visitors travelling from far a-field just to grab one of their delights.

For over 24 years, the Schwarz family have hand-baked fabulous continental cakes, pastries, pies and bread daily according to traditional recipes. Wedding and speciality cakes are made to order.

They also serve coffee and a selection of delicious light meals.”

Open daily from 7.30am – 5.30pm

https://www.bluemts.com.au/6310/bakery-patisserie-schwarz/

 

auntyuta's avatarAuntyUta

In June 2018 we stopped here:

Common Ground Cafe & Bakery @ The Razorback Inn

http://commongroundbakery.com.au/

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We liked the hot apple cider. This was just the right thing to have on a cold winter day. I also had a very good pumpkin soup and Peter had a chicken pie and salad.

DSCN4452 This is the Entrance to the Cafe at the Razorback Inn in Picton

One year ago Peter mentioned the following on Facebook, and Facebook reminded Peter today of that entry which Peter allowed me to copy here:

27/07/2019 11:06 AM
Attachment thumbnail
Today we had lunch at the “Yellow Deli” at Katoomba. It is run by the same cult, the “Twelve Tribes”; as the “Common Ground Bakery” is near Picton where we were four weeks ago. It is a cosy little place where the service and the food are excellent. On a cold day, like today, we loved the hot…

View original post 6 more words

Some of my Pictures from June 2019

On a sunny morning in winter Peter and I love to sit in front of our house with a cup of tea or coffee.
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So these pictures are from early in June this year.

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We had just bought this new set from Bunning when the above picture was taken. It is great that we can use the little table and chairs for sitting outside in the sun.  But usually we do not leave everything outside. All these things are very useful inside here too and so easy to move around a bit! These flowers on the table we probably had already on Mothers Day as can be seen from the below picture that was taken on Mothers Day.

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The following pictures are also from my June 2019 picture folder:

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Early in the morning I love to stroll to these trees! To be with these trees for a while to me is the perfect start of the day.

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I am about to start some morning exercise!

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Here is Peter on a morning when he went for a little stroll with me. Usually he prefers to do a walk on his own, a proper walk that is,  with a bit of speed. I walk too slowly for him!

In Picton and Katoomba in 2018

In June 2018 we stopped here:

Common Ground Cafe & Bakery @ The Razorback Inn

http://commongroundbakery.com.au/

 

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We liked the hot apple cider. This was just the right thing to have on a cold winter day. I also had a very good pumpkin soup and Peter had a chicken pie and salad.

 

 

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This is the Entrance to the Cafe at the Razorback Inn in Picton

One year ago Peter mentioned the following on Facebook, and Facebook reminded Peter today of that entry which Peter allowed me to copy here:

27/07/2019 11:06 AM
Attachment thumbnail
Today we had lunch at the “Yellow Deli” at Katoomba. It is run by the same cult, the “Twelve Tribes”; as the “Common Ground Bakery” is near Picton where we were four weeks ago. It is a cosy little place where the service and the food are excellent. On a cold day, like today, we loved the hot apple cider that warms you up.

 

Memories: Our Travelling in June 2018

https://auntielive.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/aunties-diary-2/

In June 2018 we stopped at the

Common Ground Cafe & Bakery @ The Razorback Inn

 

From there we went to Picton to have a look at the GEORGE IV INN. We thought we might be able to stay there overnight.

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As it turned out we stayed there only for a few drinks. We did have a look at their accommodation. But it was not to our liking for they could not provide us with any heating for any of the bedrooms.

So we stayed in a motel a bit outside of Picton where we had a large warm room with all the conveniences.

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There was also dinner available on the premises, and so we had some excellent food and drinks there:

 

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This sign was in our bathroom. I think their tank water was limited because they did not have enough rain for a while.

 

We checked out early in the morning and had breakfast here:

 

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We rather liked this little town where we had breakfast. Then we drove on to Bowral.

The little town where we had breakfast was Tahmoor:

https://auntielive.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/memories-about-tahmoor/

Here I write about T

https://auntielive.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/aunties-diary-2/

Six Years ago

Six years ago I published a blog about an outing to Wollongong:

https://auntyuta.com/2013/07/20/3928/

The following is a copy of this blog I published then on the 20th July 2013:

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At 8,20 this morning we caught the bus in Dapto, going to Wollongong and arriving there at Marine Drive by 8,45 am. Bad weather had been forecast. This is why we left early hoping that we might be lucky and still have a bit of sunshine before the weather turned bad. We were right. Beautiful morning sun received us at Wollongong’s foreshore and we took off on our walk. It was very beautiful to walk along the foreshore this early on a winter morning.

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Peter saw this beautiful little car in the street and took a picture of it.
Peter saw this beautiful little car in the street and took a picture of it.

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We waited at this bus stop for the free shuttle bus that was to take us into Wollongong City.
We waited at this bus stop for the free shuttle bus that was to take us into Wollongong City.

In Wollongong City we met up with our friend Sylvia for some coffee in a Spanish Cafe.

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We went back to Dapto by bus, picking up a bit of fruit in Dapto Shopping Centre. Just before midday we were back home again. We were happy that we had left early for this terrific outing. As it turned out, in the afternoon the weather was indeed not as good anymore.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we’ll go out for lunch to meet the family to celebrate little Lucas being one year old.
Of course we are looking forward to this very much.

Here is a link to the blog I published six years ago about the celebration of little Lucases birthday:

https://auntyuta.com/2013/07/21/happy-birthday-lucas/

 

 

 

Sunday in the Highlands in the midst of Winter!

Last Sunday, the 14th July, we went to Berrima in the highlands. With some very cold wind it felt freezing cold up there. After all we are still in the midst of winter! But we had lunch at the warm and comfortable Bushrangers Bistro:

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g528923-d5106488-i279534481-Bush_Rangers_Bistro-Berrima_Southern_Highlands_New_South_Wales.html

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After Lunch we went to the WELBY GARDEN CENTRE to look there at a special tree!

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Peter looks at the tree that was planted in 2012 in memory of out daughter Gabriele. We want to go back in springtime to have another look at it. They tell us, in spring it should be flowering beautifully!

 

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

 

Our stay in Newcastle from Friday 28th June to Sunday 30th June, 2019

Before I forget to mention it, very early on Sunday morning we had some great coffee and breakfast and a lovely walk at Newcastle Beach! That was just a perfect conclusion to our stay in Newcastle for the 21st birthday celebrations for Martin’s daughter Lauren.

https://beachsafe.org.au/beach/nsw/newcastle/newcastle-east/newcastle

Newcastle is actually blessed with quite a number of beaches:

ww.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Explore/Recreation/Beaches-Baths/Beaches

Here now is where our trip started:

We left our home in Dapto with our son Martin early on Friday morning, A taxi took us to Dapto train station. So, we went by train to Sydney Central Station where we had to change to another train going to Newcastle.  I liked the train journey very much! On the train I even started reading a novel by LIANE MORIARTY. It goes by the title “Nine perfect Strangers”:

Nine Perfect Strangers

I had bought this book at Central Station. (We had a lunch break at Central Station. In the meantime I am already close to finishing the book!)

So, we arrived at the Newcastle-Interchange on Friday/afternoon, that is the interchange to the light rail.

https://revitalisingnewcastle.nsw.gov.au/what-we-are-doing/newcastle-interchange/

There had been an incident, that is why the light rail was out of action for a while. So we decided to travel on by bus (towards Newcastle Beach). We got off near the Old Newcastle Train Station. Opposite the Old Train Station was our apartment that we had rented for two nights. The two bedroom private ground floor apartment had a livingroom and kitchen and was exquisitely furnished. We really liked it a lot. However we joked about it, that it was like a jail because of the bars at the entrance and in front of the windows!

https://revitalisingnewcastle.nsw.gov.au/what-we-are-doing/newcastle-station-precinct/

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Opposite from the old heritage railway building was our groundfloor apartment that was very well secured with bars in front of door and windows!

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The following picture shows some beautiful park reserves that belong to the foreshore near the Old Railway Station building:

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Family gathering spot

Our family have been coming to the Railway Carriage Shed regularly for gatherings over the last 15 years. Plenty of room for the kids, sheltered in all weather, and well-maintained BBQ facilities. A great meeting place.

Date of experience: April 2016″
I think this is actually the place where we were in Jan.1999 for Lauren’s Name’s giving ceremony.

Foreshore Park

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Our son Martin, Peter and myself having a little rest at the foreshore.

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Newcastle has quite a busy harbour!

https://www.portauthoritynsw.com.au/newcastle-harbour/

 

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This was our closest light rail stop:

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The birthday party was at the Honeysuckle Hotel:

https://www.honeysucklehotel.com.au/functions

We had pizzas and wine for supper at the hotel:

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Lauren, the birthday girl, and friend Jeremy were great dance partners!

Sunday morning we caught the light rail to the interchange. Then we went by train to Sydney Central Station where we found out that because of trackwork we had to catch the railway bus to Dapto. In Dapto we did then catch a taxi back home.

We worked out that on Sunday going home we had caught four different modes of public transport, namely:

Light Rail, Train, Railway Bus and last not least a Taxi!

Uta’s Diary, June 2019

Here is something I published one year ago on the 6th of June:

Hurrah! My new glasses are here!!

DSCN4344DSCN4347DSCN4346This is printed on one of the cleaning cloths.
The green rimmed glasses are for using at the computer, the red rimmed ones are for walking around in, and the dark glasses are anti glare and good for wearing in the car.

I also still have some reading glasses!!

Here is what you can find in Google about The Fred Hollows Foundation:

https://www.hollows.org/au/about-the-foundation

So, I added that I still have some reading glasses as well. I could not read any books if I did not have my reading glasses. These too are very important to me. With all the different glasses in their different cases I get by beautifully. I think, all the different glasses still work more or less as well as they did last year.

Anyhow, the other day I did get a reminder from Specsavers that another eye-test is due. So I thought, I better get my eyes checked again. I made an appointment for Tuesday, the 25th of June.

It turned out that the night from Monday to Tuesday was a very bad night for Peter and me. Peter happened to feel extremely dizzy. He felt so horrible that I called the ambulance. The ambulance people checked him out: Blood pressure and pulse were all right. So there was nothing wrong with his heart. They determined that it was just very bad vertigo. Since Peter had been vomiting a bit, they gave him an injection to stop the vomiting. They offered they could take him to the hospital, but there was probably nothing they could do about the vertigo. They said it was up to Peter to decide whether he wanted to go to the hospital or not. When Peter decided to stay at home, they advised, to call them back if later on for breakfast he did not feel all right.

Both Peter and I were able to go back to sleep for a few hours after the ambulance people left. And breakfast turned out to be pretty normal! So, this was good. Also, Peter was then able to drive me to the shopping centre for my appointment at Specsavers.

The eye-test result was pretty good, my eye-sight deteriorated only very little. I asked, whether it was all right, to have my cataract operation instead of in July, some five or six months later. The examining lady answered that this should be all right.

So I had been on the waiting list for the cataract operation since August last year. And I was advised recently that I could have it now in July. I found out that it was possible to delay the operation for another six months. Only if I did not have it by the end of six months I would loose my spot on the waiting list and had to go back to the end of the list!

So, I am happy now, that I can wait for this operation for a little bit longer. I mean, so far my eye-sight is not too bad. I do not fear the operation as such, I only fear that if my good eye gets operated on and something goes wrong, I might end up being totally blind, for my other eye is totally blind because of macular hole. . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_hole