Watcha Doin' - 2019 Showing 1,201-1,250 of 2,486

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Ooo a canoe!

[Sarah]

Thanks guys. Not been canoeing with Rob before so we'll see how that goes. Haha!

[Peggy]

Rob and I did it once, 12 years ago. Does that say enough? ;-)

(Just kidding, it wasn't THAT bad - the only bad thing was that I made us canoe in the direction of a crocodile instead of away from it. And we just don't do well doing those kind of things together. I have no skills and Rob has no patience. Also, I think we haven't really had a chance to canoe again since that time).

[Peggy]

I'm about to book a srprs.me trip for Rob's birthday. I think they have it in Belgium, the UK and Ireland too. You book a surprise trip for a certain number of days, certain number of destinations, and either by car or plane. They book it for you, and a week before you go you get information about the weather at your destination. If by plane you also get the time at which you need to be at the airport (the actual destination is revealed while at the airport). If by car you get a specific place you have to drive to first on the day you leave, which is at about 2/3 of the destination. When there, you can open the envelope with your final destination.

I'm waaaaaaay too much of a control freak for this kind of thing, but I also very much like the idea. So I'm booking a 3-day trip by car to 1 destination. I should be able to survive that without being able to plan for anything ;-)

[Margo]

Oh Peggy, that does sound fun! I haven't heard of those trips. I would love to have make all the arrangements for a holiday and just show up on the day. I hope it is as great as it sounds.

[Peggy]

I hope so too! 133 days, 13 hours, 3 minutes and 15 seconds until our destination is revealed (according to the countdown clock on my personal page).

[Margo]

Wow, that really adds to the anticipation! I am excited for you -it's almost as good as going myself lol

[Peggy]

Haha, I'll keep you updated ;-)

[Sarah]

That is going to be so fun Peggy! I would love to do something like that! I think we've discussed it before. Looking forward to hearing about your experience!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Wow, Peggy! I would totally do something like this! Enjoy and let us know.

[Lisa]

Sounds exciting, Peggy!

[Janice, Moderator]

That sounds like fun, Peggy! I'll be curious to hear about your final destination.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "Thanks guys. Not been canoeing with Rob before so we'll see how that goes. Haha!"

Oh that will be interesting. Lexx and I used to canoe a lot as teenagers before we met each other. We have never attempted it together.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

That sounds fantastic and terrifying, Peggy. I think the fact everything is close in Europe will help a lot. If it's terrible, you can just go home. I fluctuate between everything needs to be planned, to let's just wing it with our holidays.

So look forward to see what happens. And very jealous this is something you guys can do.

[Margo]

I changed my profile pic again. This is one Pete took of me on our recent weekend away. I usually hate pics of myself but I actually don't mind this one. Think it's because I have that satisfied expression I only get when I'm about to dive into a glass of wine LOL

I'm feeling v sorry for myself right not as in addition to my twisted ankle woes I have a sore through and can't talk :(

On the bright side, my psoriasis seems to be clearing up nicely. Not sure if the steroid cream finally worked or if LISA's tip about essential oils paid off - at the very least Lisa, it didn't hinder so thank you :-) My doctor has already written off for an urgent specialist referral so will probably hear back this year sometime ;-p

[Sarah]

It is a lovely photo Margo! Rob has had tonsilitis this week. Sore throats are no fun. I hope yours eases off soon.

[Sarah]

Rusalka wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Thanks guys. Not been canoeing with Rob before so we'll see how that goes. Haha!"

Oh that will be interesting. Lexx and I used to canoe a lot as teenagers before we met each other. W..."

Yes i've done a lot of canoeing over the years. Bit of a canoe snob as i wanted something more streamlined with a rudder, like used is marathon canoeing. But they are stupid money. So we comprised. I won't be racing anywhere but we'll have some fun and get fit which is what it's all about.

[Peggy]

Very nice Margo!

[Janice, Moderator]

Cheers Margo! I should go pour myself a glass of wine and join you.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Great news, Margo!
I hope you feel better soon.

[Margo]

Cheers all 😆

[Lisa]

Feel better soon, Margo. Also, glad to hear your psoriasis is clearing up. Who knows, maybe the essential oils did help a bit 😉.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I like your new profile pic, Margo!

Lisa, which essential oils did you suggest?

[Margo]

Kristie, I a quick look online and went with what I had around. A mix of about 10 drops of teatree oil, peppermint, lavender and cedarwood in a few tablespoons of castor oil. I used it as a moisturiser on the rash. That was soothing.

I used a mix of the same oils in warm water as a soak for about 15 min each day. I was also on a very strong prescription steroid cream

[Kristie, Moderator]

Glad it worked for you, Margo! Sounds like it may work for other rashes or really dry skin as well. My grandson occasionally gets small patches of eczema, which he has a steroid cream for. I bet the oils would feel good for him too.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I missed the eczema update. So glad you found something that works! Mine drives me slowly crazy.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Coming over from the Movie Mania thread, where a discussion started about our terrible offshore detention policies. The other problem about people not doing things is that it's illegal to visit the islands without Aus gov approval, and you can only publish certain approved things. The inmates have their phones confiscated a lot, and they have new ones smuggled into them. There were articles written by one of the major papers on the front page about how our camps aren't that bad, compared to some other historical camps that locked up people indefinitely around 70 years ago... you can't make it up.

But it's all creeping... Our police raided a journalist's home yesterday for their source of a story a year ago, another one has been demanded to give up their source or possibly face a criminal case, and today they raided the national public broadcaster about a investigative piece they published 2 years ago with the broadest warrant.

Just a heads up that this creeps. National security, on water matters (what they call asylum seeker boats which you can't report on), and now these attacks on the free press. I'm getting a little terrified.

[Peggy]

This is insane Rusalka. It starts to feel like China and Russia were the goverment hides stuff, does not tell their own people about certain events, and where there's no such thing as free press. Not saying that Aus is as bad, but some of these things are not what you expect in a 21st century country in the western world..

[Peggy]

Oh, and I didn't mean to imply in the other thread that nobody cares or is doing something. I'm sure many Australians do care and want to see things changed and try their best to make it happen. It's just such a shocking policy to me that I can't believe nothing bigger is happening, on a scale beyond what you as a simple citizen of a country can do.

[Sandra, Moderator]

That is worrisome, Rusalka. So, so, wrong.

[Lisa]

Kristie wrote: "Glad it worked for you, Margo! Sounds like it may work for other rashes or really dry skin as well. My grandson occasionally gets small patches of eczema, which he has a steroid cream for. I bet th..."

Kristie, lavender and tea tree oil essential oils would definitely be good to use on eczema. Another good one would be eucalyptus. If you mixed 3 drops of each oil into a carrier oil, such as jojoba or coconut, it could then be applied directly to the eczema patches and massaged in a couple of times a day. Your grandson might get some relief by doing that. Alternatively put 3-4 drops of each into a bath and soak in it for a while.

I have recently made myself up a concoction to massage into my arms, legs and joints to ease my Fibromyalgia pain. I used lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and lemongrass oil. I put 3 drops of each into a glass spray bottle, filled the bottle up with jojoba oil and then I apply it directly to those areas twice a day. Whilst far from being a cure, it definitely provides me with some relief. In fact, I think it works just as well, if not slightly better, than the medication I take tbh.

[Lisa]

Has this thread been updating okay for everyone? Mine didn't update for several days. I thought everyone had just been quiet but when I logged on earlier I suddenly got the notification that there were new posts and when I looked, several were from a few days ago yet I only saw them for the first time today.

[Lisa]

Rusalka wrote: "Coming over from the Movie Mania thread, where a discussion started about our terrible offshore detention policies. The other problem about people not doing things is that it's illegal to visit the..."

Sounds worrying, Rusalka.

[Margo]

Lisa wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Glad it worked for you, Margo! Sounds like it may work for other rashes or really dry skin as well. My grandson occasionally gets small patches of eczema, which he has a steroid cre..."

@lisa, glad you are some relief, however small.

@Rusalka, that is scary. I recently watch a UK mini-series called Collateral Damage. If that is to believed then UK refugees are treated in a similar fashion, but there may have been dramatic licence. Refugees are a huge problem in Europe but they must be treated humanly. Many are fleeing terrible things but their entry must be controlled and they must be housed. The Irish government seems to be putting them in hotels which is going too far to the other extreme. We have a housing crisis here already.

@Sarah and Lisa- what do you think of Trump wanting to put the NHS on the table for trade talks? I hope that was another blunder but it's aroused my suspicions!

[Sandra, Moderator]

@Lisa, I haven't had any trouble with this thread. Hope it works properly for you from now on.

[Sandra, Moderator]

@Margo, I don't agree at all about mixing trade and NHS issues, but I am not surprised at all Trump is doing that. He seems to see every issue only in economic/trading/money terms. :/

[Lisa]

Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Glad it worked for you, Margo! Sounds like it may work for other rashes or really dry skin as well. My grandson occasionally gets small patches of eczema, which he has ..."

I'm not too sure what to think about Trump, the NHS and possible trade deals. I would prefer it if the two issues were kept separate but I don't really know enough about what he is possibly proposing to make an informed judgement at this stage. There is a part of me that thinks that if he could come up with something that could potentially improve the NHS down the line then that could be a good thing in the long run. But at the same time, I don't think the NHS should play a part in trade deals and I do wonder why he brought it up and if there is an alterior motive or hidden agenda at play. So the short answer is, I don't know what to think right now.

[Lisa]

Sandra wrote: "@Lisa, I haven't had any trouble with this thread. Hope it works properly for you from now on."

It seems to be working okay now, Sandra.

[Sarah]

I've added that Manus book to be wishlist. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening there.

OMG, I hate Trump. Sorry. He's been saying that the protests today were people cheering FOR him. Hahaha! He's so deluded. There was a big turn out here. As for the NHS, it shouldn't feature in trade deals. Trade deals are about commodities. The NHS is something that is good about the UK. Sure it could be better but privatising it will mean the poorest people will suffer and health issues will go through the roof. Healthcare shouldn't be for profit. I'm not exactly happy about some of the other trade deals that could potentially occur with the US. Food stuff in particular. The EU has strict food standards of which some exports from the US do not satisfy. And for good reason. That's my two pence worth!

[Margo]

Sarah wrote: "I've added that Manus book to be wishlist. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening there.

OMG, I hate Trump. Sorry. He's been saying that the protests today were people cheering FOR him. Ha..."

I agree Sarah. The NHS is a great thing. I really miss the free medical care I got in the UK. Here we pay for everything and, as someone with many medical issues, I feel the pinch. I think if Trump got his hands on it, you would end up with the kind of 2 tiar system we have here where those without insurance have to wait sometimes years for the treatment they need. We have gone the same way as the US re: heath care and it is not good.

[Peggy]

I haven't seen anything on the news about this. I know about the UK visit, but there haven't been details.

I just slept for an hour and I woke to massive rain and also thunder. We sleep under a slanted roof and up to some point the rain on the window is cozy, but this is too much. It's deafening! And that with the thunder and lightning, and it being dark, and being so high up in the house.. to be honest I got a little panicky. So now I'm downstairs with the lights on, which feels much better. I'll try to sleep on the couch for a bit, as it's almost 12.30 am and I'm tired and I have to work tomorrow. It seems the thunder will continue for another 1.5 hours, and the heavy rains for much longer after that.

[Margo]

I hope you got back to sleep Peggy. Stormy weather at night can make it impossible to sleep. My house is at the top of a hill. I've lived here for 10 years nowvand I am still not used to the wind howling down the chimney or the rain beating on the window.

Hope you are not feeling too bad today.

[Peggy]

It's funny how those sounds can still keep you awake.

I slept a bit on the couch after a while, woke up at 3.30 and then went back to bed. Not feeling too awake today but I'll survive. Rob just slept through it all..

[Margo]

Haha, Pete is the same - he could sleep through anything :-D

Worrying article about wild bees building their nests from plastic. I thought it was interesting enough to share:

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/indept...

[Lisa]

I saw that article earlier, Margo. I agree, it’s very worrying. More needs to be done about plastic, it’s crazy the amount that is still being used. Whilst on the subject of plastic, I saw some people moaning on Facebook the other day about McDonalds giving out paper straws now instead of plastic ones. They were hating on the paper straws and what was the reason?... You can’t suck milkshake through them properly 🙄 #firstworldproblems

[Sarah]

I know what that's like Peggy. When we have storms on the boat, there is no way to sleep. It's so loud when the rain is heavy against the steel roof and thunder shakes the boat! I do love a storm though. It's very dramatic. Much better when it happens during the times I'm normally awake.

[Peggy]

I can imagine it's like that on the boat too. We once had a severe thunder storm while camping at a festival. That's no fun either. And again, Rob sleeps on..

[Peggy]

I'm also trying to be more aware of plastic. I recycle it and obviously don't throw it just on the ground when I'm outside, but also try to be better with smaller things like packaging and such.

One of my favourite coffee bars have also abandoned plastic straws, but they had like 6 different alternative straws and they did a testing session to see which one was best.

[Sarah]

It is good that they trailed the straws out. Some of the alternatives are pretty awful. Companies are doing some good things at the moment. Waitrose here in the UK are trailing a no plastic refill section so people can get bottles of washing upliquid etc refilled rather than buying new ones. Plus pasta, oats etc. in your own reusable tubs rather than plastic packaging. And more countries are starting to plan blanket bans on straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds. And there are some clever people out there creating new types of packaging from plant based materials. It's a good start!

[Lisa]

I had heard about Waitrose’s refill plastic scheme on the news the other day. I think it’s a great idea. Hopefully more supermarkets will follow their example. They also really need to look at how much plastic some foodstuffs come packaged in. For example, Tesco wrap some vegetables in a layer of plastic and then seal them inside another plastic bag. There is really no need for 2 lots of plastic wrapping per item. 1 would be more than enough, or ideally, scrap the plastic altogether and use a more environmentally friendly alternative.