Author Topic: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)  (Read 814241 times)

Ozzyjack

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #105 on: December 24, 2017, 09:55:09 PM »
I particularly enjoyed that wonderful wedding photo although I do have to say that while I thought that the groom did look a bit ordinary , the bride was absolutely beautiful.

Les, you are a charmer..

Progress the photo 53 years and you would say the groom looks very ordinary and the bride still looks lovely.

On the stories, I think you might still have a few gaps to fill in.  I particularly appreciated Pen’s contribution and Carol’s comments.  It is a pity that more didn’t take your invitation up.

Have a good one, mate.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2017, 06:35:14 AM by Ozzyjack »
Regards, Jack

Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #106 on: December 25, 2017, 08:24:19 PM »
We pull into the driveway as Uncle Boyd tells me the devastating news that my father has passed away.
I am shocked & confused , my dad was the strongest man in the world , he could pick me up with one hand , he was my super hero , he was invincible.
My throat is swollen & my eyes well with tears but just a couple of drops touch my cheeks ( Dad had always told me that tough boys don't cry & I never had since I was about five years old ) as Uncle Boyd takes my hand & we walk toward the house.
As we walk up the front stairs , there are several strange adults in a huddle on the patio.
Uncle Boyd stops to talk to them while I continue through the front door & into the lounge room which is packed with relatives & family friends.
I stretch my arms out in front of me as several people try to approach me & demand to know WHERE IS MY MOTHER !!!
Nobody answers but Aunty Daphne ( my favourite aunty ) emerges from the group & gently leads me into an empty bedroom.
Les , your mother was so distraught that the doctor had to be called & he has given her some medicine that will allow her to sleep through the entire night , your sister & brothers are in your sister's bedroom.
As I open the bedroom door , i immediately burst into tears as we do the best we can to try to console each other.
At 10 years old , i was the youngest in the family with my older siblings all being 2 years apart.
Being the youngest  , i had been shielded from the fact that dad had experienced other episodes due to a coronary heart condition so for those who were aware of his condition , his passing was not such a shock.
After a little while , as his tears began to subside ,  biggest brother (Trevor ) leaves the bedroom to talk to all the assembled relatives & family friends & to thank them for coming etc... Middle brother ( Barry ) leaves shortly after.
Eventually , i run out of tears & big sister  (Diane ) can finally release me from her embrace.

After everybody else begins to leave , Aunty Daphne & Uncle Kev stay behind to cook us tea & make sure that everyone is put to bed.
Us 3 boys shared the big bedroom , Trevor , being the eldest , had the privilege of his own bed while Barry & i shared the bunk bed & of course , as i was the youngest , i had the job of having to climb into the top bunk. Diane had her own room & of course mum & dad had the main bedroom. The next morning...
« Last Edit: December 25, 2017, 08:47:35 PM by Les303 »

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #107 on: December 26, 2017, 06:39:06 AM »
A Very Happy Christmas to All :)
Mike thanks very much for the suggestion.  I will instruct No 1 daughter to search for the website you recommend & download Backyard Ashes for me.  I too loved Muriel's Wedding.
Jack & June what a brilliant wedding picture & the story was wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Les I am very much looking forward to your next instalment.
I suspect by the time you read this in Oz it'll be Boxing Day!  My Christmas wishes will be a trifle redundant!!  Happy New Year anyone? :laugh:
all the very best Pen x
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #108 on: December 27, 2017, 12:09:05 AM »
While she is at it , I would suggest that she also  downloads another ozzie movie called " The Castle " , while it has nothing to do with cricket , I am sure that it is a another ossie movie that you would enjoy.

Not too surprisingly , I received a personal message from a rather pedantic forumite who wanted to point out an inconsistency in my storyline , where I had stated that I had not cried since I was about five years old but did in fact have tears streaming down my face when I received my brand new shiny tomahawk at Christmas.
He is of course  , technically , correct but those tears were " tears of joy " & I should have explained more clearly just why that new tomahawk meant so much to me.

We had a big axe that was always kept razor sharp to cut the middle & big wood.
The wood box had a huge compartment for the big wood , a smaller compartment for the middle wood & a tiny little compartment for the chips & that was because you only needed a couple of chips to get the stove started but once it got going you needed plenty of middle & big wood to keep the stove going & it had to be kept going 24 / 7 during winter as it was our only source of heating the house.

While the big brothers were allowed to use the big axe , I was limited to an old rusty & very blunt tomahawk that would barely be able to cut through a pound of butter. (of course , when no one was watching , I would try to use the big axe but it was so heavy I could barely raise it of the ground. )

Invariably , by the time that big brothers had finished their allocated duties
& the woodbox was filled to capacity except for the chip box , I would still be struggling to fill the chip box so they would take over & within a few minutes not only would the chip box be filled but they provided me with a stockpile of chips which I would hide behind the backyard shed for future use.

I was certainly no angel as a kid & the lack of tears refers to the innumerable amount of times that I got caught doing the wrong thing.

The wooden spoon from mum on the back of my thighs for minor breaches was bad enough but even worse , just wait until your father gets home.
I had already been sprung , not only for wagging school but also for shoplifting a bag of lollies from the local store.
When dad came home , I knew that there was no escape , I had done the wrong thing & as dad took off his thick leather work belt & told me to bend over & pull my pants down , I took my punishment but refused to cry.

I slump on my bed (face down ) , reflecting on what I have done , Mum comes in to make sure that I am ok & at the same time tell me a little bit about the Mcabes that are running the shop.

They are not rich just because they run that shop , they do not even own it , they just manage it  so they are not much better off than us.

So , after school tomorrow , I want you to go down there with this sixpence to pay for the stolen lollies & apologise to Mrs Mcabe.

Les , it's after dark , your tea has gone cold , where on earth have you been.

Well , even after I gave her the sixpence & apologised for my behaviour , she was not impressed.

 I began to walk away when she shouted out , if you are sincere then you can deliver these flyers for me .

There was probably a hundred of them but I made sure that I delivered each & every one.
















Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #109 on: December 27, 2017, 12:54:05 AM »
I don't remember even leaving my bed during the night but I woke up the next morning cuddled up next to my big sister in her bed.
There were a few more tears , mainly from me , as I asked her , who will look after us now , how will get by .. Diane could only reply with a shrug of the shoulders & an unconvincing reassurance that we would be ok.
Then mum comes in , nothing to say , just a lot of hugs & kisses.
She is obviously trying to put on a brave front as she prepares breakfast for everyone in her usual manner.
Once breakfast is finished & the washing up is done , the boys are sent to their room.

Uncle Boyd , Aunty Daphne , Uncle Kev , local chaplain & couple of strangers all arrive  & they all sit around the kitchen table. to discuss ; How on







pat

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #110 on: December 27, 2017, 01:36:04 AM »
Les, just out of curiosity, why do you always put a space before a comma?

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #111 on: December 27, 2017, 06:22:36 AM »
What happened Les?  Did you drop your beer & forget to carry on? >:D :laugh:
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #112 on: December 27, 2017, 08:10:29 PM »
Nothing so dramatic, Penny, just a bit of a power outage which is quite common during some of our summer storms.

Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #113 on: December 27, 2017, 08:48:42 PM »
Les, just out of curiosity, why do you always put a space before a comma?

Good question, Pat, but I'm afraid that I have no idea what the answer is.
I tend to do the same thing before adding a percentage sign or an exclamation mark !
I think that I probably started doing it as my vision became worse as I felt that it made the text more distinguishable & therefore provided clearer readability.
The other thing is that I have already hit the space bar when as an afterthought I decide that there should probably have to be a comma in there so I just stick one in and carry on.
Anyway, thanks for pointing that out, as now that I am aware of it , I will be conscious of not doing it in the future.

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #114 on: December 28, 2017, 07:03:44 AM »
Oh Les so very pleased it was nothing serious :laugh: Look forward to the story continuing :)
Pen
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Les303

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #115 on: December 28, 2017, 08:36:48 PM »
Uncle Boyd , Aunty Daphne , Uncle Kev , Aunty Jessie & Uncle Col plus a local chaplain & a couple of strangers arrive  & they all sit around the kitchen table. to discuss ; How on earth is Irene ( that's mum ) going to manage bringing up four kids by herself.
The boys have all snuck in to the hall way to eaves drop but all we can hear is muffled conversation, something about the pension won' t be enough & you will have to get a job.
My mother had never held a job in her life simply because there had never been any need to have one but within a few days she got herself a job in the hospital laundry, washing & ironing sheets & other linen.
The work was backbreaking, it paid a pittance & we could all see what a terrible strain it was placing on our mother.
The next thing that I learn is that Diane (big sis ) has dropped out of school & has started working as a " check out chick " at the local supermarket.
I will never forget the Friday that she got her first pay cheque.
Not only did she shout the whole family with fish & chips (what a treat ) but there were also special little extras for everyone.
Mine, was a box of milkshake lollies (which sis knew was my favourite sweet ) , not just a little packet but a big box from the top of the shelf so long as I didn't eat them all at once.
I kept that box of lollies hidden under my clothes in my drawer where no one could possibly find them, even though I only had one drawer at the bottom of the dresser, & I reckon that I must have made that box of milkshakes last for about 3 weeks.
A little later, Mum was able to find her herself a job as a waitress at a diner , it paid nearly twice as much as the laundry job & she really enjoyed the work.
Despite our improved circumstances, money was still very tight.
As Christmas approached , we knew better than to ask for all the expensive toys that the other kids were getting & feigned gratitude when we received essentials such as new clothes & school supplies as our Christmas presents.
Dad was an ex serviceman & as such. his family were entitled to the benefits of an organisation called Legacy.
Legacy had some government funding but was mostly reliant on the dedication of selfless volunteers.
Imagine my excitement when late on Christmas morning, the man from Legacy turned up with gifts for us all.
Not essentials, like clothes & school stuff, but actual toys.
All of the gifts that Legacy delivered were donations from the community with a lot of them actually being homemade.
I was lucky enough to receive a very basic hand made train with 2 carriages on wheels, I spent endless hours rolling that bloody train up & down the hallway.

Most forumites would be familiar with the work that " A " does, building his model planes for charity.
I referred to him, in another thread, as a fair dinkum champion but I don't think that does him justice.




yelnats

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #116 on: December 28, 2017, 08:42:10 PM »
Quote
Anyway, thanks for pointing that out, as now that I am aware of it , I will be conscious of not doing it in the future.

And unconscious of doing it?

pat

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #117 on: December 28, 2017, 09:16:59 PM »

Most forumites would be familiar with the work that " A " does, building his model planes for charity.
I referred to him, in another thread, as a fair dinkum champion but I don't think that does him justice.


I wonder how many other forumites do voluntary or charitable work but choose not to broadcast the fact.

Valerie

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #118 on: December 28, 2017, 11:04:42 PM »
My partner and I, in our retirement, keep busy doing what we call "Bushcare" which is a downunder term for "caring for the bush".  It involves many days a month (sponsored by the local council), with a group of like-minded volunteers, undertaking eradication of weeds (just plain old getting down and dirty getting rid of all those pesky exotic species that have been imported from other countries) and then planting out the areas with native species (a lot of which we propagate ourselves in our vegie patch) in an attempt to bring back the native bushland which, in turn, brings back the native animals and birds.  Plus we are rabid collectors of rubbish whenever we go on our daily bushwalk (although perhaps that doesn't count).

I'll sleep in my next life

Linda

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #119 on: December 29, 2017, 12:06:18 AM »
You do make me laugh, Pat!  A British thing, I feel?!  >:D

Modesty prevents me from commenting further on this subject!!  >:D >:D >:D