More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)

[Les303]

Carol , where exactly in the " back of beyond " are you ?

[Les303]

Penny ,
 I just saw a snippet on the news about the severe snow storms that you are currently experiencing in England.
I can only imagine how challenging it must be for you to have to drive to & from work in those conditions.

In Queensland , when the forecasters are saying that we are expecting a severe  afternoon thunder storm with damaging winds & heavy hail etc.. , most employers will allow their staff to leave early so that they can arrive home safely before the storm hits which is usually between about 3 & 6 pm.

It is always a bit of a gamble when we take a day or weekend trip ,  to the north or south coast during the summer months.
The dilemma is that the weather during the day is absolutely perfect for the beach & you want to make the most of it but at the same time , knowing the forecast you do not want to get caught in the storm on the way home.

I will never forget the time that my sister won a prize in a radio show that was a weekends accommodation in a 3 bedroom penthouse apartment at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast & she kindly asked us to join them.

At the time of the booking my sister had her husband's sister & her two kids , aged about 7 & 9 visiting with them and I had my nephew staying with us so we would obviously have to take two cars.
Great weekend , particularly when everything was payed for.

Beginning on the Saturday there were multiple warnings for impending severe thunder storms to hit the coast on Sunday afternoon.

My sister & her family are from out west & do not experience the same sort of weather that we get in the South East so despite my advice they elected to stay until 2.00pm which was their check out time.

After having a nice breakfast we left in bright sunshine at about 8am & enjoyed a lovely scenic drive home which took about 1 hour.

All my promptings for them to leave at the same time were rejected as they wanted to make the most of their free holiday.

They were probably only 10 minutes into their trip home when the storm hit.
Due to poor visibility , minor prangs & debris on the highway , the one hour trip back to Brisbane took just over 3 hours & they still had another 3 hour drive from Brisbane to their home at Dalby.

Needless to say , by the time they made it to Brisbane they were exhausted & could not contemplate driving another 3 hours to Dalby in the stormy conditions so at about 6.00pm they were knocking on my door.

So we were all very quickly brought back to earth , after spending the last 3 days in 5 star luxury they were more than happy to spend a night at my place even if it meant a couple of the kids in make shift beds on the lounge room floor. ( the kids , probably not quite old enough to fully appreciate what they had just been through , thought it was terrific & a lot of fun. )

Stay safe Penny.

[Hobbit]

Thanks very much Les.
I greatly enjoyed both your posts. I bet your Sister wished she'd heeded your warning.   I'm a bit of a wimp where thunderstorms are concerned! I've even been known to get in the cupboard under the stairs when they're right overhead! When I was very young, about 6/7, my parents took me out walking in the woods & we got caught in a tremendous thunderstorm.  I think that stayed with me.
As far as the snow is concerned we are usually quite lucky & don't get very much which means we're probably not very well prepared & it comes as a bit of a surprise! We're only about 35 miles north west of London. (I'm only a hop & a skip from Bletchley Park)  I've got cousins in the Cotswolds & they're snowed in.  When you look at the snow they get in places like Canada & Northern Europe ours is probably little more than a flurry!  Fingers crossed it'll be gone in a couple of days.
If we didn't have the varied weather here I've heard people say that the English would have nothing to talk about
Enjoy your lovely balmy 27c.  I'll try not to be too jealous!
All the best  Penny

[2dognight]

About 1500k SW from you as the crows fly

[Hobbit]

Where are you?  I'm sure you've probably mentioned it in a previous post but I can't remember

[Les303]

She's probably outside cleaning up crows that have fallen from the sky with exhaustion.

[Ozzyjack]

Carol , where exactly in the " back of beyond " are you ?

About 1500k SW from you as the crows fly

Despite the time zone in your profile, I would guess at somewhere near Clare, SA

[Les303]

She sounds like a fair dinkum Queenslander to me , so I am guessing / hoping that it might be Birdsville & of course if I happen to be correct , then I would be expecting an invite to their famous race.

[2dognight]

Geez Les you are way off beam I did say Southwest

Ozzyjack you are not that far off the mark, well done you

[2dognight]

  Hi Ossyjack
 

  Would I be correct in thinking the two dogs in your photo are beautiful Border Collies ?

[Les303]

Geez Les you are way off beam I did say Southwest

Ozzyjack you are not that far off the mark, well done you
[/quote

Oh ,why let a little detail like directions spoil my fun.

We were only discussing our options for a visit to the Birdsville races the other day as it has been on my agenda for many years so it was obviously still on my mind.

And from a cane toad to a crow eater , I do hope that you do not actually eat those crows.

[Ozzyjack]

  Would I be correct in thinking the two dogs in your photo are beautiful Border Collies ?

Absolutely correct, Carol.  We have a sign at our place “Welcome to our house - where the humans pay the bills and the Border Collies run the house.”

We just came back after a week visiting near Les’s neck of the woods. Les, if you can find a compass you might like to head SSE across the river (as the crow flies) to Coorparoo Square where there is a relatively new establishment which serves an interesting range of boutique beers.  It is called “Beyond the Pale”. I thought to myself that here’s a place Les could identify with.

I do agree with you, Les.  Never let the facts interfere with a good story.  But that’s a bridge too far.

[Les303]

It's true , I do have a lousy sense of direction.

I really do not enjoy extended shopping trips particularly at this time of year when every where you go is absolutely packed.
Negotiations for the big Christmas shopping trip had been going on for quite a while.
All of my excuses & suggestions for alternate arrangements ( which did not involve me ) were of course totally rejected.
I was given the schedule ... we will be leaving at 8.00am Saturday morning & meeting up with my girl friends at Mount Ommaney around 9.00am , John & Julie are also coming down from the Gold Coast so you will have John to keep you company , we will have lunch there around midday & then leave so that you will be home in plenty of time to watch your precious horse races. I know you don't like driving in unfamiliar territory on the south side but it has to be Mount Ommaney because we have checked online & they have all the bargains that we are all looking for & it is more convenient for my friends so don't be such a sook & just suck it up & do this for me.
Ok , so Friday afternoon , I place all my bets for Saturday's races ( just in case ) & get out the trusty old refidex to check the directions to Mount Ommaney.
Surprisingly , despite the heavy traffic ( it's like peak hour ) I managed to find my way to the shopping centre without incident & even found a parking space reasonably close to the main entrance where we met up with our friends.
After an hour of pointless window shopping , John & I retired to the coffee shop for a coffee & a donut.
Apparently , the girls had no time for coffee , just so much shopping to be done , just text us if you need us & we will meet you back here at midday for lunch.
It's about 11.00am by now so I wander off to find a newsagent & return to the coffee shop to study the form guide.
Disaster , two of my selections have been scratched & I found a runner that I wanted to back that I had failed to spot on Friday so John , you wait here for the girls while i go and find a TAB to place these bets.
After walking around in circles & going up & down all the levels , I eventually found my way back to the coffee shop.
Exasperated , I said to John , I cannot believe that a shopping centre of this size which has every conceivable shop does not have a TAB , by the way , it's now 1230pm , where are the girls.
John replies that he has just sent them a text & they said that they would be here in about 15 minutes.
1.30pm & the girls finally appear , all pushing fully laden trolleys.
We are exhausted & starving , lets order some lunch ... I spend an inordinate amount of time staring at my watch.
By the time they have finished lunch & said all their goodbyes , it is almost 3.00pm.
I have really had a gutful by now & just want to get out of here & onto the road home. ( luckily , the horse that I really want to back is n the last race which does not jump until 5.20pm. )
After my earlier meanderings , I reckoned that I had found a shortcut to the closest exit , only problem was this exit came out on the opposite side of the complex to the one that we had initially entered.
So rather than re - enter the rabbit warren of the complex , I push this very heavy , fully loaded trolley for what seemed like forever before I eventually located my car.
With my frustration at its absolute limit & drenched in sweat , I finally get the car loaded , it is now approaching 4 o'clock , why is everybody in the complex electing to leave at the same time , I grab an opportunity to jump into a lane that is moving faster than mine & give myself a little smile as I pass all the cars that are sitting bumper to bumper in the left lane.
Once on the highway , we begin to get a clear run & i'm starting to feel a lot better as we will be home by 5 o'clock & I will still be able to put on my bet that is until ' she who must be obeyed ' suggests that we are actually travelling in the wrong direction.
Don't be ridiculous , i'm not that stupid.... by the time we found an exit where we could turn around & after stopping at a service station ( twice ) to ask for directions we arrived home just on 6.00pm.
I checked all the horses that I had backed on Friday with no winners but of course the one that I wanted to back in the last had won by 3 lengths at 20 to 1.

Even by my standards , spending an entire week drinking at " Beyond the Pale " ( clever name ) is a bit much.
I generally don't have too much trouble finding my way to a new venue however sometimes the trip home is a bit of a concern.
As well as my reputation fore being hopeless with directions , I have also been known to totally misinterpret the odd email.

[TRex]

Interesting story, Les (one to which most men can readily relate). I only had to look up three words (found all): sook, refidex, and TAB.  

Why can't women shop on their own, without us??

[2dognight]

 


     Somebody has to carry the parcels and push the trolley