Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 17 January 2021

aquilareen said:

AQ: Earlier in the thread you said: "DIANE – I enjoyed your info on homesteading. It seems similar to SA’s credit selection scheme from 1869. 640 acres could be bought with 20% paid and rest over 4 years. Selector had to live on property & make improvements (fences, dams or wells, house) and they had to grow crops. Regulations did change as 640 acres were too small. Several twigs on our family trees were credit selectors. Other states had similar. Good luck with your novel. Our libraries have few books, fiction or non-fiction, of the farmlands of US. I can only think of James Michener but he was culled years ago."

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AQ: Thank you for that description! I found it very interesting. 640 acres is a lot of land. If I recall correctly, a lot of Aussies raised sheep, and those animals require a lot of land. I could be wrong, Some farms here in my region have sheep, but mostly cattle, pigs, and chickens, so I don't know much about sheep. I did see goats being born once. I'm crazy about goats!

I think Australians and people in the U.S. have a lot in common. We're both settler cultures, as opposed to Old World cultures, and I think those traits--good and bad--still affect us profoundly even in these modern days. 

I have to tell you that Tuesday night I dreamed about you. I dreamt that a violent insurrection occurred in the U.S., and our government fell. Annette and I fled the country together. Most nations immediately closed their borders to Americans, but we were able to get into Australia under sketchy circumstances. In the dream, we were riding a bus with you at twilight in stark, rural hills. You no longer lived in the city and were residing there. Before finding you, Annette and I had arranged for a cabin where we could hide out for a while, but we were excited to talk to you and we missed our bus stop. Suddenly, I panicked because I didn't want to ask if we could stay with you for a night. I was afraid we'd put you at risk. I woke up in terror wondering how I was going to survive being a refugee!

Lindy: I've just read your poem, which Loch Garten asked to use. It's wonderful! You are a very, very talented poet. I hope the LG modernization can be completed soon. Congratulations. Well done!

Lindybird said:

.

Thought you might like this (edited a little by me as ingredients may offend!) 

He remains a figure of fun in spite of leaving office!

I bet it makes you fart, as well.

Heather B said:

PAT - you've just reminded me - when I was young, in the Methodist church, it wasn't just abstinence from alcohol. Dancing was frowned upon as well. So when I married a Catholic lad ( also disapproved of) I was quite discombobulated when at a Parish function the priest was joining in with the dancing !!!

Blimey.  They sound like Puritans!  Glad you managed to outgrow such an awful church.

There are not many Methodists these days who 'sign the pledge'. But alcohol is not allowed on Methodist premises, hence we use grape juice instead of wine for Communion services. Some churches use non-alcoholic wine. I remember one New Year's Eve when we had a sort of community evening for locals, with games and snacks. Everything closed down at 11.30pm and all the helpers (including me) rushed round to a local member's home - and by midnight we were well supplied with glasses of something we wouldn't have been allowed on Methodist premises! There are still some strict parts of Methodism where you can't drink alcohol or dance - but certainly not my branch!

Heather - Catholic priests have always known how to party. I'm sure the one you mention was dancing with a glass of something warming in his hand!

Diane:  What a hoot - so very glad you stopped by to pick me up en route to OZ and AQ!    I still have my British citizenship; wonder if that would have sorted the refugee problem......   :-)

Just got a text from my niece in the UK.   Her SiL (my nephew's wife) works at niece's doc's clinic dispensing Covid shots. Fifty people failed to show up for their vaccinations today and at 5:30 the clinic staff was frantically calling people to come and in get them so they wouldn't be wasted  (I'm assuming they were the Pfizer version)!.  Niece has two nasty underlying conditions plus a real proclivity to chest infections so she got a call and was able to go get her first shot.  Who ARE these people who thoughtlessly waste time and such a valuable resource.  Arghhhh.

Diane:  I'd read about the Mar-a-Lago problem. I can't imagine he'd be a draw at this point. Though you know what they say:  You Can Fool Some of the People All of the TIme, etc....    Meanwhile, I'm waiting for the criminal charges.....

I find myself smiling every time I hear someone say "President Biden..."

Here's something else about epidemics.....

Just picked up on HeatherB and the Methodist Church. I was brought up a Methodist and one of the things I remember vividly was asking if I would sign a pledge to avoid alcohol. Showed it my mum and she said its up to you. I didn't of course sign it but my grandfather was a strict Methodist and mum respected this and she too refrained from alcohol for years. It was only after grandfather died that she allowed herself to partake in the odd drink. Needless to say I was a bit of a rebel and my first love and I would go to a local after Youth Club, naughty , naughty at the time. I now am a member of a local Baptist church as there are no Methodist ones close by and they too do not have alcohol on the premises, non alcoholic communion wine for Communion.

Lindybird - thanks for reminding us of Spike Milligan's poem.