Aussies Home Sweet Home II

[aussiefan]

Hey all,

THANKS SO MUCH for the lovely welcome home from hospital.

Just love the new decor and will add to it very soon when my head is a little better, concentration levels are pretty low at present as with neurological disorders, can't sit in front of the computer for too long without going 'off'

Just had to drop by and say how much we here in Oz still miss Steve Irwin on this his first anniversary of his very untimely death.
He is a person I never met but felt very close to as his love for animals is as strong or stronger than mine and he made such a difference to all who met him around the world. He was a fabulous ambassador for Australia and his family is continuing on his wonderful work caring for Aussie animals. God Bless Them.

R.I.P. Steve Irwin.



Den, mate, I don't think that third package is ever gonna arrive, it was a purchase from ebay that I paid for but the seller is saying I haven't paid and is refusing to send it along to you even tho she has proof as the money is in her Paypal account. I have started a dispute and am requesting a refund but I can't see an answer in the near future so I guess I am just gonna have to write it off as a goner Definitely banging my head against a brick wall here as she now doesn't even answer my emails !! Some people are just pure evil

OK, off to bed, nearly midnight here.
Still no baby for my sister and no foal for Cat. The race is on ;D
Will keep you all updated

Lots of love coming everyones way

Cheers, Helen

[dawn]

is it a year already? Steve Irwin was a brilliant, brave and educated man who loved animals, the environment and you could tell he loved the shows he took part in.

Nice to see you here again Helen - no baby news? What are the due dates for both your sister & Cat? I hope you're getting plenty of rest & doing everything the docs tell you to keep you well.

[jet]

G'day Helen Great to see you back mate! My sister had a similar problem with ebay, but once she started the dispute she was refunded her money. I think in most cases where you pay via paypal , they refund your money through their insurance system and the seller is booted of ebay.

Dawn - Sorry about not dropping in last night. I had my mum on the phone, her cousin died and she she wanted to talk, and then I helped my Bubba with his assignment for music...he chose Lovehammers as his band, so needless to say, I was enjoying myself helping him find pictures and writing about the musical concepts in Straight as an Arrow.

I'll be off the boards until next Thursday cause I'll be in Sydney partying with my ausgalfriends wish you could all come too!


So, the US president arrived in Sydney last night. They closed the roads in the city and escorted him to his hotel, helicopter and all (I wonder if they will do it for Palari, sozl and I when we get into Sydney on Friday). Anyway, in true Aussie tradition, our Prime Minister wasn't at the airport to greet him...he was at the football awards night. He got up on the stage and said "You have to get your priorities right" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Me thinks he will be back to his old kissing self when they meet up today!

Den - With all the extra security in Sydney, it might be a safe bet to have bail money for us ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I'll send you some pics after we get back.

I'm gonna do the cellcert thing for you from the Grinspoon show next wednesday...they ROCK live.

Have a great week
xxx
J

[aussiefan]

Hi all,

Just a quick flyby to check up on you lot! ;D

Jet, have an awesome time in Sydney mate, say g'day to all from me, wish I was along for some partaying Could do with a few good drinks after the last couple of weeks.

Den, had a roadtrip yesterday and thought of you. Mick & I took my Aunt home after she came down to Melbourne for the weekend to see a couple of stage shows, Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast. She loves that stuff. Anyway, we had to drive up thru Gippsland, where all the floods had been, it is so beautiful and green now compared to the brown grass you saw. It was a lovely day for driving but my head certainly had had enough by the time we got home.
But definitely another "got to do" to add to your list. You would love the countryside and animals and quaint shops in the little country towns. So much fun and so relaxing.

Hey Den, what a bummer about the SAINTS missing the footy finals by half a game, as we had a draw, 2 close losses and 2 wins in the last 5 weeks, nearly but just not quite good enough, oh well, always next year as they say!! Mick is quite upset about it all unfortunately.

Thanks for my incoming parcels, you are a legend mate! Big hugs all round

Dawn, you been working mate ;D I thought you only went there to get online with us Aussie gals.
Always so nice to hear from you and you always remind me of my sister as she lives in your part of the world and my sis and I are very close.

Baby

Michelle, due September 12th, no news yet.
Cat (horse) due September 22nd, bagging up (milk) so things starting to get ready for the foal. She ALWAYS foals at least a week early!
The race is on who will pop first ;D ;D ;D

OK, my only other news is very disappointing. I won tickets to Chris Byrnes new CD release at a private function tomorrow night, Mick and my names are at the door. Never won anything like that before and I can't bloody well go as not well enough. So BUMMED about the whole thing. I know you don't all know who Chris Byrne and his band are but he is a wonderful new talent here in Oz and I just love his stuff, Den knows him, she will be disappointed for me also.

Well, I am off to bed, my head has had enough of this computer screen and is screaming at me so I must go, definitely time for a sort of early night.

Have so much to cath up on since coming home from hospital but my body just doesn't wanna co-operate, anyone wanna swap

Bye for today, have a great one all, love always Helen,

[dawn]

Helen thanks for the updates & dates! Good & bad news on the Chris Byrnes thing - congratulations on winning & what a that you can't go.

Yep, been doing bits of work, also have to cover reception now & again, so can't leave my screen on. I thought they paid me just to turn up

[dlh]

G'day all!

Helen, yes! please add the roadtrip to our To Do list. Stopping by the little towns and seeing how things have changed sounds fantastic. BTW, your package should get there in 6-8 days.

Thanks for the due dates for Michelle and Cat. Not much longer.

Sorry to hear that you are going to have to miss Chris Byrne's concert; however, I am glad that you are taking it easy. You have to take care of yourself first. If Chris is in Melbourne when I get over there, we can put his concert on our To Do List. Surely by then his new CD will be completed. The little stinka sure has been taking his time recording. Then again, it should be really good when it is completed. I just got through doing a little Street Teaming by voting for his song Glide for favorite at the ABC Newcastle Music Awards.

www.abc.net.au/newcastle/musicawards/stories/s1963072.htm

Jet, Looking forward to the Grinspoon cellcert. I'll have to remember to carry my cellphone with me next Wed. I know you three are going to have a blast....even with the President's visit and the barricades....sorry about that....Timing is everything.


Howdy Dawn, cfbj01, IWO, SG and Star! Hope you all are doin' OK.

Hey Nancy (aka ndavis021410), the new thread is coming along quite nicely. Thanks so much!

Cheers all!

Den

[cfbj01]

Just stopping in to say hi to everyone. Helen it is so good to see you posting. Take care all.

[dawn]

Hiya girls - just dropping in to say have a fab weekend - can one of you help me - how did Rosie Ribbons do in your Aussie Idol? She was in the first one over here - Pop Idol. Is she singing any better? Couldn't believe it when I heard she was in the final over there!

Anyway, take care, hopefully I'll catch you over the weekend to all!

[aussiefan]

Hey Dawn,

Yep, I have been watching oz Idol, LOVE it !
Rosie Ribbons got to the final 24 but didn't make it to the final 12, she really blew her chance by singing an ordinary song very badly when it counted. I actually liked her and thought she would definitely go thru to the final 12, but when I heard her semi final effort I knew there was no way she would get thru with that. She knew it too!

Keep meaning to ask you about Paul Potts, your guy that one "Britains Got Talent" we got that show here and I just loved him and we were able to vote which I did and I was so happy he won. He gives me goosebumps when he sings, he is just brilliant Anyway, his CD came out in Oz a couple of weeks ago and went straight to NUMBER 1, he is doing extremely well here. I can't wait til he does a concert tour, I have told Mick we are DEFINITELY going to see him. He is just AWESOME

OK, hope everyone has a great weekend. Winter is definitely gone here and the sunny Spring days are with us already, I will enjoy a bit of sun over the weekend just taking it easy as I am certainly not well at all yet but the sunshine does help
Got the news today from some of the other neuro tests I had and it wasn't the good news I wanted, sort of looks like I will not be ever going back to work again witht his problem and that is going to make it hard for me to keep all my horses and live the way I am with living on a disability pension. Have some huge decisions to make soon. I am really upset I may have to give up my horses. I am not ready to do that yet! So frustrated.

Anyway, I definitely need an early night with this ripper headache I have so talk to you all tomorrow.

Have fun all, love Helen.

[dawn]

Helen - thanks for that - it was mis-reported (huge shock with the British media! ) that she was in the final! To be honest, when Rosie was on our Pop Idol thing, she annoyed me, I just don't like that style of singing - why do all girls want to be Mariah? As for Paul, yep, seen him on a few things - he made me cry on that Britains got Talent! He seems really normal too and used to work not to far away from me before he moved to Wales. I'm glad he's doing well. Thanks for the updates.

Such a shame to hear your reports back from the hospital Sounds like a really tough decision to make for you. My thoughts are with you.

[starcrossed]

I thought I left a message? I guess not...oh, well...I have to go to dance class in a few. I will have to come back later. Missing everyone a lot. Bye.

[aussiefan]

Hey all this is a LONG post, but one that is extremely close to my heart,

I hope some of you are getting this gorgeous weather we here in Oz are having at present, it is a real burst of early summer in spring, just lovely!
Just the perfect weather for horse riding and horsey events, but with this MAJOR outbreak of EI (Equine Influenza) that has hit Australia all horse events are at a standstill except for a few states where they are isolated and race meetings are continuing.
I would love to strangle that person that broke quarantine and bought the infected horse in from Japan. He/she is costing Australia millions of dollars and caused many people in the horse industry to go broke. It is a very sad situation at present. We have NEVER had this virus here in Australia before but now it is here it is always going to be a problem.
Do you all realize how bad things are here or is the news overseas not really relaying what is happening?
I will give you some idea of the enormity of it.

Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory not affected but not allowed to transport any horses over state lines.

Victoria and South Australia have no reported cases yet but as they border or are close to NSW, the most affected state we are in lockdown. Which means SA has cancelled all horse events with ‘gatherings” (10 or more horses) of horses for 6 months. This has killed their horse show season and ALL race meetings. No horses allowed to travel out of the state or into the state from anywhere (worldwide).

Victoria is in lockdown for 2 months (til end October) this means no equestrian horse events of any kind as above. So all my horse events have been cancelled til start of November, I wasn’t going to compete but I was gonna go with friends for outings to catch up with all my horsey friends, but unless absolutely necessary you are not even allowed to take your horses off your property without a permit from the DPI (Department of Primary Industries). And they rarely give permission.
It is the first time ever the Adelaide Royal Show and Melbourne Royal Show have had to cancel all horse classes since the the war (1940’s). I feel very sad for all the people who entered their horses for these 2 HUGE shows as they are shows in which you have to qualify which means they spent thousands of $$$$$ all last season getting the performances they need to be able to compete and have been getting their horses ready since June, over winter in the freezing cold to now be told no show for them. If I had entered like I normally do and it was cancelled I would be absolutely devastated.

If you are in NSW or QLD all horse properties are under quarantine and absolutely no horse is allowed off any property for ANY reason whatsoever. The police have the power to arrest and charge anyone caught moving equine in horse transports or floats and the charges range from a fine of $44,000 to 2 years jail. The borders are being patrolled.
In NSW & Queensland people in the horse industry such as;
Farriers,
vets,
chiropractors,
riding instructors,
strappers,
horse trainers,
breakers,
pony clubs,
tourist riding schools,
horse venue owners,
stable builders etc,
jockeys,
etc etc are going broke as they cannot run their businesses or they have been laid off due to the statewide standstill. Many families are suffering big time if your livelihood is horse orientated.

It is even a BIG possibility that there may be NO Melbourne Cup this year. This is the biggest race in Australia. If it is run, only horses from Victoria will be able to compete as there is a strict ban from horses from overseas coming into the country also.

The impact of this extremely contagious virus is going to be felt for many years as this is also Australia’s breeding season and you are not allowed take your mares off your property to be served by stallions. You cannot take your horse to vets if it is drastically ill, you have to do what you can with your vet on your own property. If the horse needs surgery, you have to try to what you can with the horse at your own stables as no transport allowed. Several horses have already been put down because of this reason. It is very sad. If old horses get this they are too weak to fight it, if a pregnant mare gets it she will abort the foal, if a foal gets it in the first 8 weeks of its life it will more than likely die as too young to fight it.
It is a very distressing time here, especially as I have a foal due anytime. But I doubt that I will be able to put Cat back in foal again as she cannot leave the property to go to the stallion. So probably no foal next year. I haven’t had that problem before as I had my own stallions but since Thommo died and Charles was sold to New Zealand I have to send her to an outside stallion, which is a problem.
Next year and the year after in the yearling & 2 year old classes the entries are going to be down dreadfully and this will also impact in ALL horse related events. If you can’t breed your mares there will be no foals so it is going to make a difference for a long time to come. If a mare gets this EI it can also leave her infertile if she is at a susceptible time in her pregnancy or after giving birth.

It has now also been discovered that this virus can not only be spread from horse to horse but can be spread from person to horse and is also an airborne virus and can be carried for up to 6 miles in the air. If one horse on a property gets it, it is a definite fact that 100% of horses on that property will also get it and the neighboring properties as well. If you enter an infected property you have to have a complete change of clothes and disinfect everything you were wearing BEFORE you leave that property and you are not allowed to go to another horse property until you have gone home & showered and removed the possibly infected clothes. This includes shoes as well. It is also carried in the dirt and no vehicles are allowed on or off quarantined or any properties in NSW and QLD.

It has been discovered that there are currently
• 214 infected properties in NSW/QLD on which there are 3208 infected horses.
• 361 properties with 2751 horses identified as dangerous contacts.
• A further 161 properties with 1440 horses are suspect.
More cases are being reported every hour. There is a vaccine and an incubation period but this has hit so quickly that there just isn’t enough vaccines in Australia’s to be able to treat every horse and once the horse has had it once it is unlikely it will get it again. So technically it isn’t a fatal virus unless the horse is compromised, (young, old or has another respiratory condition which leads to pneumonia etc). The incubation period is 30 days and then the virus if treated lasts about a week. But unless all areas and equipment etc is disinfected it can lay dormant for long periods so it can still be spread much further down the track! It is a tough virus to control, this is why in the uninfected states they are taking such drastic measures.
Overnight many people were caught trying to move horses over state lines between 2 am and 4 am thinking they wouldn’t get caught. Well they got caught and have been fined and were turned back into NSW, it is idiots like this that will spread the virus to Victoria. As it is, we only have the Murray river separating us from NSW and all horses close to the border have been told that they should move as far inland as possible. This is uprooting the lives of many people as they are now having to pay agistment for their horses on other properties when their paddocks are left empty. Just more expense.

Anyway, just thought I would let you know the problems we are dealing with here, it is adding a lot of stress to normal everyday life and more expense when things have been extremely hard with the drought and then the floods and now we have to deal with this. Not a good year for country people in Vic, SA, NSW and QLD. City folk just don’t understand the enormity of the situation.

BABY

Sister Michelle in the UK, due 12 September, still no baby !

Horse Cat, big milk bag now and weeing a lot more often, foal has dropped into lower position and she is very uncomfortable. Will be moving her into the foaling yard this afternoon. She should foal within the next week. I am very excited about this foal, it is Charles last foal in Australia. He has 15 due in New Zealand. He was very busy last year at breeding time!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cheers, Helen.

[cfbj01]

Hi Helen! - I have not heard anything about that here? That is terrible.

Can't wait to hear baby news.

Take care.

[aussiefan]

Thanks cfb,

Yes, it is very scary and stressful, hopefully all will work out in the long run.

Helen.

[aussiefan]

Will definitely keep all updated on baby news with pics as soon as possible. Helen

[starcrossed]

Hello Any news yet? I tried to post before, but I guess my computer was acting up that day.

I love what everyone has done with the new place. It's amazing that that thread is already over, and you have a new one now!!! I am happy for all of you.

Life for me is about the same. i have another computer job, so looks as if i will have cash in my pocket soon. That goodness that school has started. it was slow all summer with no jobs coming in for me.

Dance class will begin teaching our routine this Friday, but I am thinking of trying to get into a production class on Tuesday nights as well. It allows for students to create dance pieces for performance. I did that before, and it is challenging.

I miss everyone.

[dawn]

Helen I hadn't heard anything about all that. Also, thanks for the promised updates on births that are due.

Star - hiya, glad to hear the computer stuff is still going well. We miss you too, but understand your a busy girlie.

Hiya to all the aussies & honorary aussies!

[aussiefan]

Hi everyone,

Getting on to midnight here but can't sleep as usual due to my nerve damaged left leg giving me much trouble.

Hi Star so nice to see you drop by. I know you are very busy but I do miss all the gals getting on board for a chat.

Dawn, good morning to you, have a wonderful day at work. Don't stress too much we can't have you over doing it mate.

It was our first elimination night tonight on Australian Idol and I wasn't surprised who was in the bottom 3. It was 3 of the girls. All the guys this year are better than the girls.
And believe it or not one of my fave guys is named MARTY he certainly reminds me very much of another Marty we all know, I want him to go along way but his nerves are really getting hold of him, but hopefully he can get past that and do what comes so natural to him which is write his own stuff, play guitar and sing, he has a wonderful voice.
Will keep you updated every week with Oz Idol updates. It is going to be a terrific 12 weeks.

Baby UPDATE

Nothing happening with either mum to be

I think both are waiting for tomorrow to have their bubs on my birthday Both doing very well altho Michelle is ready to explode, Cat not quite so anxious.

Den, where are you girl are you with all the others that seem to have been abducted.

Cooooooooeeeeeeee Den, Gael, Ing, Peeks, Lizzie, Natasha and all the others that used to drop by so regularly, Missing you all, come back and have a cuppa with us some time.

OK, had better go check Cat again before heading off to try and get some sleep. Have a great day everyone.

Cheers, Helen

[dlh]

Howdy all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELEN!!!!!!




Hope you and Mick can do a little celebrating for your big day.

Helen wow! I did not realize all that is going on with the horse influenza virus. I don't know how farmers/ranchers can make it anymore. Hopefully the quarantines will accomplish getting rid of the virus. Scary.

I got a text message from Jet at 2am. The little stinka let me know that she, Sozl and Palari just got through having a Lindt Chocolate Eclair and hot chocolate at the Lindt Chocolate Shop overlooking Darling Harbour in Sydney.

(Pic of Lindt chocolate eclair and hot chocolate Gael and I had in Sydney last December)



Darling Harbour



Can't wait to do it again next year. Yum!!!


Yes Helen, I was abducted. Those Gantz peeps are quite clever. My Granddaughter in Florida (age 8), Grandson here in Indiana (age 5) and I get together online at Webkinz.com. I've got to admit it is pretty cute way to interact with them. My grandson Jack (in kindergarten) has several little girls that are his Webkins "friends" at the library afterschool.

You say that there is a Marty on Idol this year.
Sounds as if he may be someone to watch. Keep us informed.

Hey Star, dance classes sounds like fun and a good way to workout. I have got to start exercising again. Mowing the yard just hasn't been enough to get those Tim Tam pounds off.

Cheers all!
A toast to Helen.

It will be 2 years that the Aussie thread was created on Sept 26, 2005.
It's been wonderful meeting all of yuz here.




Den

[dawn]

aussiefan said:

Baby UPDATE

Nothing happening with either mum to be

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Hiya Helen - I had to quote that bit, it really made me laugh! ;D ;D ;D

A huge [size=4Happy Birthday [/size][/color] to you.



I hope you have a fantasic day

Den - thanks for the update on Jet, good to know she's not been arrested (yet! )