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Old 18-07-2008, 03:37 AM posted to aus.gardens
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"Chookie" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

Only if you want a decent conversation with people. My biggest problem
when
in Sydney is finding someone I can be bothered talking to. I have
trouble
finding Sydney people who actually 'do' things - busy, busy, busy all the
ttime but not actually 'doing' anything other than what I would put into
the
category of 'socialising' and 'having fun'. There is only so much that
can
be meaningfully said about those activites before bordom sets in.


I've met them too, but I must say that none of them are librarians! Do
you
have relatives in banking or finance or something? They tend not to want
to
talk shop, for some reason... My friends tend to be in "Doing"
professions
like teaching and engineering.


No rellies in finance or banking, anywhere. I do have a number of librarian
friends, in fact all 3 of my closest female friends (of nearly 40 years)
trained as librarians but none of them have ever worked in Sydney.

The Sydney people I know best are my sister and her family, medicos,
business people (mostly better off), and my husbands family (most of whom
have now left Sydney and those that haven't are tolerable for a short time
but still have the "up with the Jones" Sydney mentality).

It might help if Sydney was full of librarians but even they might get
seduced by the typical Sydney mindset (Melbourne has a similar one).

One story I tell about my issue with the Sydney mindset is: for my sister's
big 50th, I bought her the complete Oxford in Micrographic form (cost about
$300 - she's a bibliophile). Her husband bought her a $50,000 diamond ring
a humungeous and very ugly single diamond solitaire.

Big party, we are the only non-Sydney people there. All those who arrive
should know of my sister's passion for books as she talks of little else
other than golf (her husband still hasn't figured out her preference for
books even after decades of marriage). Everyone who comes in the door
wants to see the ring, The first thing she says to them after a quick flash
of the ring is "Come and see what my sister bought me!" And she carts them
off to see a dictionary and they all look quite bewildered at her
excitement.

Mind you, even my book loving sister has only now got onto the No1 Ladies
Detective Agency and I can't remember how long since I read the last one of
those. I know there is a new one out coming shortly.

I can give Sydney about 2 days for the Opera and museums/galleries etc and
after that, I'm well over it and just want to escape.

The only thing that keeps me in S is money, or lack of it,


Yeah. I can understand that, having been a wage slave for years. But
then
in the country it is surprising how little some people live on very
happily
and very successfully.


Well, in our case it's the prospect of ageing relatives (my Dad is still
independent, but he turned 88 last week) and that my hubby will only ever
be employed in either Sydney or Bleak City, and he'll never stop being a
programmer -- it's his vocation, and not one that can be fulfilled outside
of
a major city.


:-)) I like that reference to Bleak City but it certainly couldn't be a
reference to the weather given that it gets more sunlight hours per year
than Brisbane.

But we've always known these things, and that's why I have a large block
(by Sydney standards, and given our other need for being less than half
an hour
from the city). It was one of the essential criteria for our house.


My husband started out as a programmer in Bleak City way back in the early
days of the industry. We escaped after only 10 years to live in the
country. He still commuted and stayed in the profession before moving into
straight management where his analytical skills resulting from the IT
background were very useful. Our earliest amibitions were to have 5 acres
in the country. Now we have 2 farms. Maybe a case of be careful what you
wish for?


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Old 18-07-2008, 06:44 AM posted to aus.gardens
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On Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:37:07 +1000, FarmI wrote:


Mind you, even my book loving sister has only now got onto the No1 Ladies
Detective Agency and I can't remember how long since I read the last one of
those. I know there is a new one out coming shortly.


Thanks for the tip. The chief pussy here likes those stories.


I can give Sydney about 2 days for the Opera and museums/galleries etc and
after that, I'm well over it and just want to escape.

The only thing that keeps me in S is money, or lack of it,

Yeah. I can understand that, having been a wage slave for years.
But then in the country it is surprising how little some people
live on very happily and very successfully.


No longer a wage slave and definitely not a surprise how little you can
live on. It is more being able to afford a bit of land where you are not
cheek by jowl, but still being able to come back to syndey for medical
servicing.


Our earliest amibitions were to have 5 acres in the country.
Now we have 2 farms. Maybe a case of
be careful what you wish for?


It depends on what the farms are?


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Old 21-07-2008, 11:57 AM posted to aus.gardens
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In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

One story I tell about my issue with the Sydney mindset is: for my sister's
big 50th, I bought her the complete Oxford in Micrographic form (cost about
$300 - she's a bibliophile). Her husband bought her a $50,000 diamond ring
a humungeous and very ugly single diamond solitaire.


Ahhhh OK... that is definitely NOT the kind of circle I move in -- not as far
as the rock goes anyway. The book thing I *can* imagine!

I have met younger members of the northwest nouveaux riches; they would put a
$5000 diamond on their credit cards, but they would not go to $50K because
their mortgages are starting to hurt now. I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches. I have heard
of a couple of women up that way who spend their time getting pedicures, and
whose only work is hostessing for their husbands' business dinners -- not even
charitable work, and certainly not raising their children -- that's what
nannies are for. I haven't met them. I have met their employees and their
(significantly poorer) relatives. I think it is rare to find people who are a
total waste of space, though -- a lot of the glitterati do actually help out
with Variety Club and other charities, as do the Old Money types.

The closest I have got to prestige is that good friends of ours (not listed on
the page below) helped in the endowment of the John Lions Chair in Operating
Systems:
http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/JohnLions/

If I were to move in more rarefied circles, I'd pick the
academia-and-classical-music group, not the Variety Club Bash types. But I
would be much more likely to join the Mighty Duck River Restoration Collective
than help endow a chair.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
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Old 21-07-2008, 02:31 PM posted to aus.gardens
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"Chookie" wrote in message "FarmI"
ask@itshall be given wrote:

One story I tell about my issue with the Sydney mindset is: for my
sister's
big 50th, I bought her the complete Oxford in Micrographic form (cost
about
$300 - she's a bibliophile). Her husband bought her a $50,000 diamond
ring
a humungeous and very ugly single diamond solitaire.


Ahhhh OK... that is definitely NOT the kind of circle I move in -- not as
far
as the rock goes anyway. The book thing I *can* imagine!


Thought you might :-)). When it came for my big 50th, guess what I asked
for and got in return? I use it a LOT.

I have met younger members of the northwest nouveaux riches; they would
put a
$5000 diamond on their credit cards, but they would not go to $50K because
their mortgages are starting to hurt now.


:-)) I've stopped wearing all rings, they interfered with getting my garden
gloves on.

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.


Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.

I have heard
of a couple of women up that way who spend their time getting pedicures,
and
whose only work is hostessing for their husbands' business dinners -- not
even
charitable work, and certainly not raising their children -- that's what
nannies are for.


Strewth - my sister is nothing like that, thankfully.

I haven't met them. I have met their employees and their
(significantly poorer) relatives. I think it is rare to find people who
are a
total waste of space, though -- a lot of the glitterati do actually help
out
with Variety Club and other charities, as do the Old Money types.

The closest I have got to prestige is that good friends of ours (not
listed on
the page below) helped in the endowment of the John Lions Chair in
Operating
Systems:
http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/JohnLions/

If I were to move in more rarefied circles, I'd pick the
academia-and-classical-music group, not the Variety Club Bash types. But
I
would be much more likely to join the Mighty Duck River Restoration
Collective
than help endow a chair.


Much too useful to society. :-)) I guess you don't want to hear the story
of the photo of a Eastern suburbs dwelling brother in law (not my sister's
husband) with his arm around Pamela Anderson?


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Old 21-07-2008, 02:49 PM posted to aus.gardens
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On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:31:36 +1000, FarmI wrote:


Thought you might :-)). When it came for my big 50th, guess what I asked
for and got in return? I use it a LOT.


A gardening fork? {:-).




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Old 22-07-2008, 01:11 PM posted to aus.gardens
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"terryc" wrote in message
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:31:36 +1000, FarmI wrote:


Thought you might :-)). When it came for my big 50th, guess what I asked
for and got in return? I use it a LOT.


A gardening fork? {:-).


Nah. Don't buy a ticket in a meat tray till you get it right :-)).


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Old 22-07-2008, 06:14 PM posted to aus.gardens
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On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:11:46 +1000, FarmI wrote:

Nah. Don't buy a ticket in a meat tray till you get it right :-)).


No point in me doing that. I'll just get arsy to do it.
Just about every month she wins something at her quilters group.

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Old 25-07-2008, 06:25 AM posted to aus.gardens
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In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.


Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.


Sorry -- forgot about that little southern outpost of the North Shore. Easy
to do -- I come from St George!

Much too useful to society. :-)) I guess you don't want to hear the story
of the photo of a Eastern suburbs dwelling brother in law (not my sister's
husband) with his arm around Pamela Anderson?


Of course I do -- dish the dirt!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
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Old 25-07-2008, 07:00 AM posted to aus.gardens
SG1 SG1 is offline
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"Chookie" wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-52C8A1.14253825072008@news...
In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.


Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.


Sorry -- forgot about that little southern outpost of the North Shore.
Easy
to do -- I come from St George!



Is that the real St George (Qld) or the NSW immitation??????



Much too useful to society. :-)) I guess you don't want to hear the
story
of the photo of a Eastern suburbs dwelling brother in law (not my
sister's
husband) with his arm around Pamela Anderson?


Of course I do -- dish the dirt!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/




-- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to --
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Old 26-07-2008, 12:19 AM posted to aus.gardens
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"Chookie" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.


Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.


Sorry -- forgot about that little southern outpost of the North Shore.
Easy
to do -- I come from St George!


Actually I like the Sutherland Shire bods better than the North Shore types.
Still well heeled, but not quite as vacuous.

My husband's family were North Shore types and he spent his formative
decades there before he escaped (and his leaving Sydney was definitely an
'escape' tactic) so we used to see them in action a lot. I always used to
complain about their vacuous lives.

Much too useful to society. :-)) I guess you don't want to hear the
story
of the photo of a Eastern suburbs dwelling brother in law (not my
sister's
husband) with his arm around Pamela Anderson?


Of course I do -- dish the dirt!


Well I was so gobbsmacked by the photo at the time that I can't really tell
you how he managed to get it. He has a background in Health campaigns so
has contact with lots of media people so presume he was at a 'do' that she
was also at. One thing is clear though, they are both obviously posing for
the camera. Smiling at it with their arms around each other in a crowd of
less well dressed, obviously adoring and envious males who don't look like
they'd have a hope of getting her to put her arm around them.

But I'll tell you the background so you'll know why I was so gobbsmacked and
had the wind taken out of my sails to such an extent that I forgot to ask
for the gory details (which you've now reminded me that I must do before I
die - it's a good story to put into the family history).

As you know, my husband's career was in IT. One day I was thinking about
what I'd write about him to put into the family history. Given the range of
work he'd done and the amount of money his organisation had spent with
various US companies and the trips he'd done to the US for his work, I
wondered if he'd ever come across Bill Gates in his travels so I asked him.

Response; 'Yes'. (Monsyllabic male). I pushed; 'Have you ever been
introduced to him?'. 'Yes'. 'Really introduced? Shook his hand. Weren't just
in the same room as him'. 'Yes'. 'How many times?' '3 or 4'. 'Why didn't
you tell me?' 'It's just work'.

I was so gobbsmacked by husband's reply that he also stopped me in my
tracks. I can think of hundreds of people I know (me included) who would
love to brag about having met Bill Gates, but not my bloody husband. He
thinks it's 'just work' and therefore not really important in his real life!
And he knows I love to have snippets to include in the family history! Yet
another story about him though that HAS gone into the family history because
it reveals so much about him. He isn't a blow hard by any stretch of the
imagination (I am or would be if I had access to some of the people he has
had).

Anyway, shortly after this incident, we were going to Sydney to a sit down
family 'do' with the Pamela Anderson brother in laws' family.

They have 2 teenage boys who are totally and utterly computer mad but like
all young males are monosyllabic and disinterested and I can never figure
out what to say to them to engage them.

I finally thought I had something of interest and that they might be
interested to know that their Uncle had met Bill Gates so told them the
story at the dinner table. At this point, the brother in law said I've met
Pamela Anderson and raced off to his study to get the pic of him and Pamela.
Pamela Anderson trumps Bill Gates in any male mind. I still couldn't engage
the youngsters as all attention then turned to the photo.





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Old 26-07-2008, 12:25 AM posted to aus.gardens
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"SG1" wrote in message
"Chookie" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.

Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.


Sorry -- forgot about that little southern outpost of the North Shore.
Easy
to do -- I come from St George!



Is that the real St George (Qld) or the NSW immitation??????


It's the St George where they can spell ;-))




I simply couldn't resist that opening.


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Old 26-07-2008, 02:40 AM posted to aus.gardens
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On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:19:53 +1000, FarmI wrote:

I still couldn't engage
the youngsters as all attention then turned to the photo.


Ask them if they play any mmmorpg games?
See if it has a free trial and play it.

The trouble with IT is that it covers a very wide area, but they are
probably wintel PC area.

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Old 26-07-2008, 03:10 AM posted to aus.gardens
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"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"SG1" wrote in message
"Chookie" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

I am guessing that your sister
lives Mosman way or Vaucluse way, or possibly Northern Beaches.

Nah, she's in Sutherland Shire.

Sorry -- forgot about that little southern outpost of the North Shore.
Easy
to do -- I come from St George!



Is that the real St George (Qld) or the NSW immitation??????


It's the St George where they can spell ;-))




I simply couldn't resist that opening.

Thats ok I went to a Very private school south of the Murray.
Never cud spel & never claimed I could????



-- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to --
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Old 27-07-2008, 12:05 AM posted to aus.gardens
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In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

Is that the real St George (Qld) or the NSW immitation??????


It's the St George where they can spell ;-))


Correct!

And, of course, deadly enemies of our neighbours in the Shire, especially
during footy season.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
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Old 27-07-2008, 02:28 AM posted to aus.gardens
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"Chookie" wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-DB72BC.08050127072008@news...
In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:

Is that the real St George (Qld) or the NSW immitation??????


It's the St George where they can spell ;-))


Correct!

And, of course, deadly enemies of our neighbours in the Shire, especially
during footy season.


we have a set of weekender-neighbours (ho hum) who come from "the shire".

to myself, i call them "the donahers" (remember them?) because the
resemblance is just uncanny.
snort
kylie


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