He's 17, it seems every winter he gets this darn strep throat. One of my other sons would get it frequently when he was in high school too. So many kids are at school sick, they should really be at home.

You OLLDs are so young. My older girl is 42, but she could take care of your boys…surgical nurse at Boston Children's Hosp. When she was young her problem was croup, I remember those nights in the bathroom with the shower on; then into bed with the humidifier. Next day all the wallpaper in her adorable room was peeling off the walls. Now they say the best thing is to go outside and breathe in cold air. Oh, bobbi, her surgical unit is ORL, perfect for your 25 yr old. Send him to Boston.

I don't feel so young. I have a birthday this week, knees are aching and by god I spotted a grey hair on the weekend!!!!! It's gone now, no evidence :)

Olldcan, what did you do with the hair? I have to share that I have no gray hair. My grandmother, at 89, had no gray hair! You just have to grab onto whatever you can. Now, do we want to talk about THE NECK ? I was afraid that around Thanksgiving someone would mistake me for a turkey, shoot me, and stuff me. Aging is not pretty, nor, as they say, "for the faint of heart". P S love my life.

Hmmm, 1 gray?
Does anyone else stay up late? I always seem to miss the thread.

@olldcan, HB2U, HB2U, HBDO,HB2U!
So nice that you can still see well enough to pluck. Must be all the design advice about good lighting. Lmbo

Too funny judgyg. This year when I'm enjoying my roasted turkey neck, guess i'll be thinking of you *L*.
As for the grey hair, I ripped it right out of course!!!!
I can honestly say that If i go grey, even just a bit, I'll have to dye my hair. I know a lot of woman are okay with it but I'm not one of them. My hair is about 4"past my shoulders. I like to wear it down and up, straight or curly.

Hey greengirl, Actually it was the sunshine, shining on my hair when I noticed it. At first I thought it was a blonde, but nope. I did check and as far as I can tell it was a lone soldier. Thanks for the Birthday song, it's not till the 20th and I'll be 46 years young..... Hubby b-day was yesterday.

judyg, 89 and NO GREY HAIR!!!! that's crazeeee. Maybe she was secretly dying it. If need be that's what I'm going to do. Hoping I got the only one that would be so daring.

Nope, she had no gray. A tough old girl who lived in her own home for 89 years. Outlived everyone, two husbands, brothers, sisters, and her only child, my mother. But she persevered, kept going. I think the gray hair was afraid of showing up on her head.

greengirl, I am zzzzing now. Why are you coming in so late?

Roo in very late today, not a lot of time to spare.

Extra bathroom tiles didn't arrive today but not too worried BH has more shopping to do for glass shelving for the shower recess and no time to do it. I don't mind him installing things on walls but definitely not on tiles, he is not going near them. Builder doesn't mind how long we take as while he wants to get it all finished he is now minding his kids for the holidays while his wife works.

Went to fabric shop - fortunately they still have ottoman fabric and the lady confirmed I'm not mad the ottoman is definitely inside out. The lounge shop has to buy from them direct, just hope they don't fiddle around although the fabric shop closes Friday till 1/4. Potted around for dining room curtains while I was there and the grey and white fabric I found had gone but I did find 3 nice yellows Got busy when I got home and forgot to check them out.

Eztia - I want that bedhead!! That is just amazing.

Only thing with putting something on the wall, how do you stop pillows sliding down between the bed and the wall??? I do like to have castors on the bed for easy vacuuming which doesn't help of course.

Hee,hee loving your weather reports - we are around low to mid 80s now - just wish we didn't have the humidity. Your "warm" 60 is a decent winter day here. Low 50s is freezing.

Our news did a report on those twins last night, very sad. Saw some more funerals tonight.

Our media is just as stupid as yours. One time a reporter asked someone how they felt about a tragedy and the person really snapped back "how do you think I feel". Surprised they even aired it.

judy - like everyone, I was really disappointed that real Aussie photos weren't used in that ideabook. I can understand the problem Gabriella had but as people also said, it would have been nice if she had said so. I note they have changed some of them now, especially the beach photo, it could not have been more un-Aussie. Her actual write-up though was very good and true to life.

All our State capital cities are on the coast, we are only about 15 min drive to our nearest beach so many do have Christmas on the beach. Along the whole coast of NSW pretty much all the towns are 'holiday spots', depending on how far people want to drive. Our schools here have all finished this week for the summer holidays and don't resume till the end of January, so as well as Christmas, this is peak holiday time. Over the years people have travelled up or down the coast according to preference of area either to camping sites, caravan parks or holiday homes either owned or leased. Those camping or caravanning frequently stay the whole holidays, mini cities suddenly appear of vans and tents so it is a lovely laid back atmosphere.

Over time people have retired to their favourite towns and some of the towns within commuting distance of Sydney have become populated by young people seeking cheaper housing, businesses have diversified and so the whole coast has gradually become more populated on a permanent basis, but the holiday aspect is still there and the tourist aspect is what supports many towns.

Resorts as such are slowly creeping into the larger towns but the cost of them is prohibitive for the average family and those who use them only stay a week or two.

Of course many people living in inland Cities also come across to the coast for holidays. This is pretty much the way in all States. Many people head to Queensland and places like the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast have developed purely for holidays, although of course many people live there too and they are very popular for retirees. The only problem is that there is still a dividing line between City and the Country and many born and bred in country towns are not readily accepting of the retirees moving in. Many people return to Sydney because of the loneliness of being rejected although sadly because of Sydney real estate prices, once the family home is sold many can't afford to return and buy back into the market after a year or two and they just have to stick it out. Also of course, particularly where the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast is concerned, places that are great while on holidays often don't live up to expectations for permanent living.

Many years ago we took the the joeys on a caravanning holiday (it was all we could afford in those days) to quite a big park on a very popular beach just out from another major coastal city. We met up with some regulars there who had a huge van and annexe set up with TV, lounge and a huge freezer - it was like they took half their house with them. They owned a truck and only lived in the city 1/2 hour away so they took the van out the week before the holidays, set it and the annexe up, and the following week they moved out with furniture and freezer totally full of precooked meals. In these holiday places, there were no big markets so food prices were at an absolute premium and they refused to pay the prices so the mother spent the whole month beforehand cooking and freezing meals so they didn't have to buy a thing. At the end of the holidays it then took them two weekends to get everything back home again. WAY too much work for me!!!! We kept food very basic on holidays, just BBQ and salad, no one eats as much in the heat and although things were dearer it didn't work out that much more expensive overall because we ate less.

Hope that helps.

I've come to the conclusion you guys eat too much. All that cooking!!!!! Of course it is hard to eat biscuits and cake in the heat I can read all your recipes and be quite turned off because it is just too heavy. I was very old school with my fruit cake cooking, always had it made by the end of September and had a good dose of rum or brandy in it. Fruitcakes should always be made at least a month before eating so the fruit matures and the flavours really blend. I will tell you my grandmother's secret ingredient too for a really moist cake - 1 dessertspoon of liquid glycerine.

Grey hair - I tried to fight it but just got too lazy. Also as your hair greys, your complexion also changes and the colour your hair originally was just doesn't work anymore. I was a dark brunette but ended up using golden blonde colours which after a time went orange, so I really had to keep on top of it. The joeys were always at me to go to my original colour and I did one time to keep them happy - honestly I looked scarrier that R's Halloween lady friend. Hair dye is also supposed to contribute to dementia too - supposed.

I guess I have been lucky though, my hair has gone to a nice salt and pepper colour that I am really happy with - actually people have asked me what colour I use and are very surprised when I say au natural.

My grey hair... Our family goes white early. By the time I was in my late twenties, all of my bangs were snow white and I had a skunk stripe. I got really tired of people saying.. "Oh but you have such a young face" that I started dying my hair. The first of this year, I finally decided to go 'au natural' as roo says, and let the dye job grow out. A long and ugly process. Underneath all that dye was the snow queen! I'm still shocked at the white haired woman staring back at me in the mirror.

A skunk stripe!!! Good one. I reckon you look pretty good. I call it growing old gracefully.

See, we ollds are always teaching people something.

I didn't get a skunk look, feel like I missed out on something.

roo, that's how I feel, but making the transition from brunette to white in months instead of years is difficult. Colors in clothing that used to look good with dark hair makes me look washed out now. I went to put on some makeup the other day... something I seldom do... and the eye color I used before looked horrible on me now. The graceful part hasn't kicked in yet for me..*L*

feeny, at 28, I didn't like it. At 51, I'm doing my best to rock the white..*L* Funny you mention people asking you how got the "highlights". One of my many sister-in-laws lives out of state and we only see her a few times a year. We saw her the end of summer which is the first time she had seen me with gray hair. Her hubby commented on how much he liked it and she said "That's natural? I thought you had bleached or colored it to get it that way!" *L*

feeny, I'm that way. Enough hair for 3 people. Come to think of it, I guess I take after my pomeranian.. a white furball. *L*

You were in a hurry, weren't you.

The good thing about it for me is that I can now wear red. Never could before, despite my dark hair, my complexion was all wrong. Can't wear purples or mauves, I immediately look dead.

Now I wear glasses all the time, I've given up on the eye makeup, usually end up with more IN my eye, but since I have retired I rarely wear makeup at all and I have so much of it. Hard to wear in our heat anyway, I no sooner get it on and it just drips off. I have to find graceful anyway I can, nothing about me is, no matter how hard I try.

I can see how 28 felt too young for white stripes. I am totally loving the direction my hair is going, but NOT the direction of my face. No way to embrace the aging there.

feeny, tell me about it. We went on a cruise to Alaska 7 years ago. I remember getting home and looking at the photos and noticed I had basset hound jowls. I went and looked in the mirror and sure enough. There they were! When did THAT happen? Probably the same time the naughty elves slipped in the house and snipped the elastic in my garters and everything on my body sagged south.

roo, I've worn glasses since I was 13. I bought some a couple of years ago that are practically invisible on my face. They are incredibly lightweight. I had a pair made recently though, with sturdy plastic frames. I like hiding behind them. Plus, they stand up better when Boo Baby snatches them off my face and disposes of them. She seems to think it's ridiculous for Grandma to put 'stuff' on her face like that.

Yeah, feeny - unfortunately the whole body follows the same direction as the face!!!

BH always had a mop of hair but as it started thinning he started getting it cut shorter. Now it is white and 1/4" long it is hard to tell what he has. I just love guys with thick fluffy white mops - better not visit you at any time. Teehee.

Touch wood, thick hair runs in our family so I am quite the envy of many of my friends who are thinning. Hairdresser always threatens to charge me an extra cleaning fee. DDs at least thank me for their chunky manes - about the only thing they are grateful for.

feeny, same here! My mother hates gray, but when I held up 2 sweaters and asked her which looked better, the pale gray or the yellow, she said as much as she loved yellow and hated gray, the gray looked better on me. Since then, it's been gray, black, white and bright blue. I put on a green sweater I've had for years and I looked like mud in it.

I would guess that about 50% of my hair has gone gray, but being a natural blonde, the gray blends in to the dishwater hair color. I think the gray actually adds a little silvery shine.

roo, neither of my children inherited my hair. Both have fine, thin hair like their dad. My son is the spitting image of my husband and every time he teases his dad about being bald on top, I tell him he's looking in a mirror, so be careful what he says. *L*
Now my brother is like me with a head full of thick, snow white hair. If you decide to dump your man, roo, let me know and I'll fix you up. Brother is single! *L*

MM, you're like my best bud from high school. She's a blonde and her gray is so gorgeous in her hair. It looks like highlights.

feeny, totally agree about the heavier frames drawing the attention away. My issue is that I've gotten so spoiled with my weightless glasses, when I put on my new thicker frames, they aren't as comfortable. I know.. I'm spoiled and I whine. *L*

You are going to have me racing for the mirror. Haven't considered jowls, but I really don't look too hard, that way I can still pretend. I have to be careful in photos how I smile or I get double chins. Hate having photos taken, but I have never photoed well. I was once asked to do modelling ......... until they saw the photos.

My favourite colours are browns, creams and greens - definitely a child of the 70s!!! I do like pinks too. Funny thing is I have changeable eyes, they go blue if I wear green and green if I wear blue.

feeny, have you tried a cobalt blue or coral? I've heard it said those are 'universal' colors that look good on everyone. I'm not sure they meant "everyone" included people over the age of 25.

roo, I look horrible in photos. They may look just like me, but I prefer my time behind the camera. I have, however, made arrangements for a family photo session... us, the kids and Boo...out here at the farm in January. The young woman has a photography business on the side and I've known her since she was 5. I'm going to make sure she has Photoshop and can tighten the jaw line!

I'll open 12/19.

I have taken to steel frame glasses, due to my tendency to sit on them. I've gotten used to them and find them very comfortable now except in the middle of winter when they freeze my face. Would never cope in your neck of the woods.

Gosh this conversation is really waking everyone up, bobbi should be up soon, bet she has some funny stories.

Ok MM. I'll follow.
roo... I've played with the idea of getting Harry Potter glasses. Something about those big round frames appeals to my inner child. *L*

Creeser, your FB photo is gorgeous. BH is dumped - hang on bet bro is too young. EVERYONE is too young these days!!!!!!

Bro is 57 and age makes no difference. Take him to Oz and I'll come visit!
roo, thank you, but it's my Boo that made the picture. My new one is of the Grinch. Just for Christmas!

I got some sunnies like that one time and DDs told me I looked like a fly.

olldroo, come on over to 12/19.

Morning all! Funny stories about gray/white hair! You all are having too much fun.

Funny story? No, but a story. R had to go into a school yesterday to fix some printers and computers, and for the first time ever his tool case was thoroughly searched. I think this is going to be the 'norm' now and not the exception. And, they're talking about allowing teachers to keep guns in the classroom. Soon they will have no time to teach !!! And, how safe is a gun in the classroom???

Ahhh, bobbi, we were waiting for you, going over to 12/19

We went to Disney World after 9/11 and all bags were searched before going into the parks. Being a seasoned DWer, I had nothing but this thin 4x5 wallet. The man at the desk looked at it and said "Thank you for only bringing that in. It sure makes my job easier!"
bobbi, guns should never be in a school. I happen to own a gun and have a concealed weapons permit. One of the things in owning a gun is being responsible. They do NOT mix anywhere near children. With Boo around, mine is now locked up safe and sound.

Creeser, I can't believe you own a gun!!! You are so full of surprises.

Ok, I'm on 12/19 now.

well....i've been reading while sipping coffee and I had a recent experience with the jowl thing...oh bother!
J took a couple of pics of me and boo while building the gingerbread house and of course I was looking down with my reading glasses sliding down my nose...not pleasant, not right! Jowls were hanging shamelessly. I don't usually see that of course. It was pretty horrifying at first, but then I just got over it. I'm old and not much I can do about it. Although I have wanted a necklift for quite a few years now. The turkey thing bugs me a little bit. It's not off the charts, but too wrinkling for the rest of the face...in my opinion! HA!
I have grays, but have dark blonde hair and I highlight it with light blonde. I tried letting the highlights grow out recently, HOPING the gray highlights could take over, but it didn't work. I will gladly say goodbye to the days of highlighting my hair. I do it myself at home and it's a pain in the butt.
olldroo, that's funny about about the photos.....J is the same way. For some reason, he is very UNphotogenic. Very handsome in person, but pictures....very hard to get a good shot of him. I've been trying to figure it out for years. That's always a really odd thing. I used to have a girlfriend that was a model. She looked like a million bucks in pics, but just average in person. My daughter is one of those people that doesn't take a bad pic...it's disgusting! lol!

I love the segue on our threads. We got a lot of mileage off my neck. :>)

Ok judy, I can really take off on your last comment. *L* .... but at the risk of being called a twit, I'll refrain!

Anyone who didn't know us better would come on here and wonder what they had gotten themselves into. I have never experienced a conversation going off on so many different tangents.

Not many models are that great in real life, it is all about bone structure. Strangely, all my DDs photograph beautifully.