alisoncc

And if we really get carried away it's "yeah verily". Lived in FNQ for four years quite recently, and can't say I ever noticed any such quirk. Mind you I was in Cairns, which is very different to the rest of red-neck Qld. FNQ - Far North Queensland.

Not really entrepreneurial. I was an employee who needed the money, so accepted whatever was on offer. Can't say I didn't enjoy it though.

Bonny night? I thought for a moment you were referring to Robbie Burns NIght but that's in January. Recently there was one year when Burns night fell on the same weekend as Chinese New Year, so there were lots of people eating sweet and sour haggis with chop sticks.

I now claim to be an Ozzie, but don't think I do any "up-speak". of which you comment. Read anything I have posted and tell me if I do.

I seem to have hijacked this thread, hope no one minds if I continue. Bank holidays I used to push a trolley up and down the Midland Station platforms selling newspapers and magazines. The trolley had two racks tilted together joined at the top. I always knew when a holiday makers, day at the seaside, train was coming through, and when they were playing cricket at Trent Bridge I would stock up with extra cricket magazines and books. If it was an important match like a Test, then they would take my barrow down to the ground and I would sell papers, magazines and books there. Times were pretty t

Never thought to mention it. That's how I got in, and when management came to chat, which didn't happen often, they would knock on the door, which I always kept locked. First thing of a morning I would collect the keys from the main shop on the concourse. Let myself in and then unlock the roller blind and push it up. And I was open for business, often to a small queue of regulars at 6:00am already already. In the two and half years I never missed a single day or was late opening. My customers depended upon it. Note: I only sold newspapers and magazines. No ciggies, lollies or such. Did have a

Thanks for that Cliff Ton. That was my shop an aaawwwfully long time ago. If I remember correctly there was only room for one person behind the counter with the door shut. So on the odd occasion when the management came to visit thay had to stand outside and chat. Between Jan 1958 and July 1960, the only times it was open was between 6:00am and 8:30am weekdays when Alison was in attendance. It really was MY shop. A school teacher at Mundella seemed quite surprised to hear that I ran it all on my own at 14. Must have been quite at good at counting the pennies, as W.H.Smiths were quite keen on m

Down around where the traffic lights are in front of the Midland Station there was a small kiosk. Between early 1958 and July 1960, said kiosk was inhabited by yours truly every weekday morning - early (6.00am to 8:30). I had progressed from delivering newspapers to selling them - working for W.H Smith and Sons. This was all before racing off to school. When I turned up at 6 it was already stocked with the days papers and magazines, with a small float in the cash drawer. At 8:30 I would pull down the rollerblind at the front, cash up, lock the door on leaving, and take the proceeds back to th

They didn't have postcodes in the 1940's.

Thought I would resurrect this thread because some thoughts have come to mind that relate. Have distinct memories of us fumigating our house with straight sulphur. My Dad would put a heaped tablespoon of yellow sulphur on a tin lid, place the lid on top of a saucer and then light the sulphur having made sure that we were all out of the house. He would do this in a few different places around the house, before exiting himself. The sulphure dioxide given off was more than sufficient to kill off all sorts of bugs, particularly bed bugs, which were prevalent. Mind you the house itself used to sm

Someone mentioned listening on a short wave radio. Bought one of these from the Army and Navy Store on Carrington Street. My Dad helped me rig up a power supply and an aerial. This is what got me hooked on 'leccie stuff, and still playing nearly sixty years later. Did get to play with lots of aeroplanes in between - Avionics LAME and then Com Pilot. Much of that thanks to Aunty Betty's flying circus (RAF).

Started serious reading with Worzel Gummidge books from the public library on Wilford Grove - age11. When I say "serious" it was entirely of my own volition. Wasn't being told to read them by a Teach..

Now you're getting personal. My Subbie:

Still need to store the 'lecky. Solar isn't the best when the sun goes out. Probably the same reason that solar powered torches never took off.

My dad brought a very swishy radio back from Germany post WWII. Plugged it in and switched it on and fireworks. One can only assume that Germany was using AC power.

They were planning on staying there a long time.

Still got my School Certificate Chemistry book with this stamp inside the front cover. Do you think they want it back?

Remember the changeover, but not sure of the date. It would have been in the mid-late 1950's as I had left the Medders by September 1960 to join the RAF. Have memories of someone from the council?? coming around to check what electrical appliances we had, as they were going to 'upgrade' them. Also remember my Dad being dead chuffed because he was then able to fit an electric motor to the treadle Singer sewing machine for me Mum. Mind you our house still had fittings on the wall for gaslights. I vaguely recollect my Dad feeding electrical wires down the gas tube and fitting bulb sockets to use

Sorry to upstage everyone, but.... Seven years ago when I lived in Meadowbank, a suburb of Sydney, for the concession travel cost of UKP1.25 return I could catch a Rivercat (catamaran) from the Meadowbank Wharf along the Paramatta River to CIrcular Quay in the city. Changing there for a ferry through the harbour to Manly. Manly has a short mall/promenade that takes you from the harbour side to the ocean side, with some gorgeous beaches. There also used to be a good fish and chip shop in Manly. The trip each way was in the order of 90 mins. So all up three hours of boat trip for UKP1.25. Magic

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems are used to manage power substations. There has been some drama in a few countries when it was realised that the vast proportion of systems installed have been provided by Chinese companies. Companies with links to their government. The Chinese can switch off most power grids as and when it suits them, as no one knows what hidden routines there are in the software. And all are connected to the Internet. UPS's (Uninterruptable Power Supply) have limited duration as they are battery powered - a few hours only. And diesel generators are de

Oz has huge tracts of national parks inland, which are wholly devoid of human habitation. Unless you can protect your own stockpiles, reckon the best bet is to head for one and get as far away as possible from the ravenous hordes. So our plan was to head inland within a couple of hours of any catastrophy, and well before fuel runs out. Just drive in as straight a line as possible away from any city or town. This does necessitate being able to get together everything you might need in less than half an hour. You won't have time to look for things. Amongst the things we had ready to go were our

Over thirty five years ago I was attending a conference whilst staying at a hotel in Beaverton, just outside Portland Oregon. With nothing to do of an evening I wandered into a function room where there was a meeting and presentation taking place unconnected with my conference. These people were planning on how they would survive the impending end of civilisation. Must admit it was quite an interesting evening. Got talking to one guy who asked me a question "How was I planning to survive when the West coast of the US fell into the sea, and the tsunami that would follow". On returning to Oz, I

Don't think it was connected with our blackout last night. Reckon half the city of Melbourne went out. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/09/09/22/48/mass-blackout-across-eastern-melbourne

When I was but a little ankle biter, living in the Medders, our house had a coal cellar underneath accessable through a door at the back of the kitchen. When my Dad was in my Mam's good books she would buy him some gorgonzola cheese. This cheese never ever made it to the pantry. It was kept on a shelf at the top of the stairs going down into the coal cellar, behind the firmly closed cellar door. All us kids used to refer to it as "Dad's pooey cheese". Hunting around the supermarket cheese display shelves yesterday I found a newy here - gorgonzola. Just the mere name brought back memories, so

Reckon there were two reasons for going fishing 1) to catch fish and 2) for therapy. They were mutually exclusive, could do one or the other, but not both.