2012 in Review by the Makers of this Blogging Programme
Heres the official listing for my Blog ,lots of people read it,but are a little shy when commenting ! Jill & Annette were the biggest read of 2012 (rightly so too!)
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys have prepared a 2012 annual report for Geoffs (Luxxielugs) blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 7,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 12 years to get that many views.
Goodbye 2012 (twas a GREAT Year) Hello 2013
On the last weekend of 2012 we invited all our new neighbours in this new area ( which is NOT listed on Google maps yet!)for a come together and get to know your neighbour,was supposed to last 3-6 pm But went until 9pm and after drinking alcohol solidly for 6 hours the day ended on a high ! Neighbours from all walks of life were in attendance including, electrician,printer,fitter,teacher,social trainers,dentist,steel shed erector,painter,lawyer ex pugilist made the party a very interesting one.Annie did a splendid job of preparing and organising the event.We are blessed to have such friendly people around us. Food was supplied by some of the neighbours and an excellent choice was there for all to sample ! Problem is with such varied company and flowing conversation the party went all too quickly. Annie and I are very comfortable when on our travels this great group of people will keep an eye on our home while we are away and pleased most of our neighbours have a idea who lives in the area SO to this terrific bunch of people have a great 2013 as I hope all who view this Blog also have Heres to 2013 and hope it can better 2012 (a hard feat !)
2012 in review and the world hasn,t ended !
On January 1st we arrived in Tasmania and toured the island extensively for 6 weeks in our bus,returning home via the home of the late Don Bradman and the childrens nursery commonly known as Parliament in Canberra! March and April we spent at home afore setting off to our overseas trip which included Hong Kong,Norwegian Cruise,Germany,Singapore and the UK (we travelled from Lands end to John O Groats in Scotland,a fantastic trip) My son Michael spent a week in London with us and we took in a couple of brilliant musicals.My lovely remaining brother put us up at his home and at times we probably drove them mad !! His 65 th turned out to be a great night (so people tell me !!) and I spent it in Hospital with a bloody nose run! Weddings,Christenings,Parties have all featured tremendously in this past year and a BIG thanks to all those who made our stay very enjoyable (you all know who you are) During 2012 we had work done on our house including patio extension,Solar Panels,Garage doors ( to my MAN cave!) glazed and Annie has finished our huge garden and it looks very good. The bus and car have had towing hitches installed so we can take the 4 wheel drive with us on our next adventure beginning in February 2013 So to all the people we know,new friends found,family we hope you have a great Christmas and a Brilliant New Year.Visiting us from Perth is a workmate of mine from the 80s and her husband who are spending a few days in Paradise with us !
Holiday Graphics – Comments
New Year Greetings
More Orkut Scraps
New Year Scraps
More Orkut Scraps at GoodLightscraps.com
Geoff n Annie x
Visitors from Perth on the Day the world was supposed to end !!
We had friends over for a few days who are in this area for the wedding of their daughter Kaye.I first met Maureen in 1983 when I started as a Social Trainer working with handicapped adults in a group home situation.Maureen was part of my ongoing training in a small hostel known as Fairholme.Those days were great with majority of staff getting along and making the job “fun” I came across her husband all but briefly in those far off days and encountered him a couple of times at Union meetings .I was Eastern regions delegate in the those days and also vice President for a while in our sub association which was attached to the Civil Service (now disbanded and a full member of the CA) I worked with Maureen for around a year before she moved on to other work areas BUT in 2007 we started going to the local RSL club and met up with Maureen and Terry , they frequent the club every Friday,and kept the friendship up ever since,hence their visit to us whilst in the area ! Their son and his wife along with their 2 lovely daughters met up with us for a meal and they also came over for a BBQ at our house (lovely family) I hope they enjoyed their stay and we will catch up with them at their club in Perth next March
Solar Panels and Garage Rollers converted Its the way Forward !
Today we indulged in a wee bit if indulgence and has glass doors fitted to our Garage that has been nicely converted into a Games room !The room is now very open with good Panoramic views of our Cul de Sac,giving Annie the chance to sit in the window and watch the world go by !! We also had Solar Panels installed and can run our air conditioners during the day with a very minimum cost !! Any surplus power is put into the national Grid and any “extra” power we are paid in cash SO hopefully our next Bill will be reasonable (for obvious reasons the Solar Panels cannot be used at night!) These new additions are in place in that we might settle down in our old age with a little bit of comfort !! After just one day the house is considerably cooler thanks to the new units and time will tell IF it is a well worth investment (also adds value to the house)
Annie,Sister & Nieces goes to Eumundi markets near Gympie
Annie,her sister and two nieces did a round trip to visit these unique Australian markets ( I had to stay home watching horror movies on my own !!)These markets are about 120 kms from our home and they are situated near Gympie,central Queensland By 1985, The Original Eumundi Markets had 97 stalls, with an estimated attendance of 143,000 people for the year.By 1990, it had grown to 203 stalls, with some 260,000 visitors for the year.From the outset, the markets were popular with locals, but as the market community grew and grew, so did the interest from tourists visiting the Sunshine Coast.By the early 90’s, Eumundi Markets had became a ‘must do’ for interstate and overseas visitors holidaying in the region. It also proved the perfect distance for day trippers from Brisbane after some quality retail therapy.By the year 2000, the market had grown to 350 stalls, and in 2002, the Original Eumundi Markets expanded to include Wednesday as well. Over the years, several independent organisations, including the Eumundi and District Community Association, have also set up other market operations adjacent to The Original Eumundi Markets, making the overall Eumundi Markets now the biggest art and craft market in Australia.The market community has now grown to more than 600 stalls and boasts an annual visitation of 1.6 million people! The Original Eumundi Markets continue to focus on handmade products, with the ethos of “make it, bake it, grow it, sew it”. (courtesy http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/About/history All these stalls and Annie hardly bought a thing !!!
PRE Christmas Rush ! and jobs well done !
This has been a very busy week for us,firstly we had to take the bus and car to Bundaberg (home of rum making !) for towing bars to be fitted in readiness for the BIG trip in Feb when we can now tow (free wheel) our 4 wheel drive in order we can reach in accessible areas ! On the way there we passed a house that has a railing (straight bars ) around the house containing what seemed to be live animals ! On further inspection they are all plastic BUT unbelievably realistic !! I towed the car home and considering it was the first time I have ever done this it worked out extremely well without incident (110 kms !) We next encountered a building in the shape of a HUGE barrel and of course? they make barrels!! We also had the opening of our new community centre showing life around Hervey bay and some of the BEST mural type panoramic photo s I have ever seen ( sadly,to buy? around $5000 each !) featuring Whales,insects,sea life,all of which are also displayed in the HUGE cinema room. Annie attended the Xmas lunch run by her her PROBUS group of ladies and she has also landed a job in St Vinnies and best of all she gets job seeker allowance that doesn’t impact on my pension !! Mid week we went to the Boat Club for the annual Toy Raffle attended by Father Xmas,sadly NO win for us BUT the table next to us won FOUR prizes !! Our number plates,sadly, have also had to be changed over from Western Australian plates to Queensland plates and I no longer bear my personalized LUXXIE plates ,however, the rego numbers are 243 exactly the same as my old house in Perth ! I dont understand the rationale of each State over here having different licence plates,Maybe one day Australia will do just that !!!n The plan is coming together nicely (2013 trip)and I think we are expecting visitors next week
Annie takes me Walking
We are lucky enough to live a few minutes from the Coast.Strolling around the Boat Harbour we were fortunate enough to take good photo’s. I don’t take for granted what this Planet can offer. Hervey Bay is a really pleasant place and walking around I realise more and more how I am blessed ! My suburb is called Urangan with the Harbour and beaches in the same area.Boats a re a plenty and the wild life (as usual) is fantastic ! Eagles,jelly fish,kookaburras and even a lovely bug were on display today.Father Christmas was about doing a charity run in order for those people who are struggling may just have a better Xmas ( If you see him? donate !) Flowers and a variety of roadway signs are also very evident.The boat Club holds 3 massive raffles a week offering mostly Xmas Turkeys and Hams ( beer,dinner tickets and other prizes also on offer) We were lucky enough to win a HUGE Turkey on the very first raffle !! This time last year we were on our way to Melbourne and the ferry to Tasmania (see blogs from mid Nov 2011) This year will be spent at home with family (resting before the BIG one in Feb 2013) A Crocodile was spotted in the harbour (Tis a statue !!) Whales hang in side shopping centres and a Harpoon from well bygone days is on show ( Hervey Bay is world renown for travelling whales and the spectacle is a huge revenue raiser for some local business,s)
NOT to forget the GIANT Koala,s on display in the Market entrance !!!
Gimme a Sign !!!
I dont usually advertise and have rejected lots of adverts in over 550 posts BUT a visit to these guys have prompted me to praise their product ! We sent in a simple plan for our new sign (designed to cover a few sins on the back of our much travelled bus having removed the toolbox to make way for our tow bar!) They have sent a slightly different design than one we sent them and we are delighted with the result !! Putting the sign on is because we are about to change our number plates (from WA to Qld) and it will cost too much for the change of personalized plates.However I am keeping my favourite colour (NOT the wifes !) Pink as a back ground and the Recycled Teenager bit was acquired at our very large BOONAH motorhome gathering .SO if around this area and you want a sign of almost any description give these guys a go !
These people even sent me an URL for downloading photo resizers (at NO extra charge ! I think?)
Tis the Season to be Jolly !
December the first and our first Carols by Candle light for the Xmas season is about to commence! The Hervey Bay Historical Museum which is a village designed from days gone by ( which opened in 1974 with one building that was the first Public Hall at Dundowran ) was the venue and the carol singing appropriately named Carols in the Village .Lots of children were dressed in Christmas costumes (as were some adults!) Although we took our chairs we managed to secure a park bench just for the 2 of us..Proceedings began with a lone Scottish Piper..SO..let the night begin !!!Entertainment was of the highest calibre and we were treated pre Carols with songs from a local entertainer by the strange name of Jack Vea Vea. We settled in with our bottle of wine,cheese,biscuits,grapes and enjoyed the warm evening.Local groups Mansong,Fraser Coast Chorus and the Community Centre Kids were all in fine voice.One particular carol had been re written by a 94 yr old local man,who we were fortunate enough to sit next too! and the first verse is (Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)
DASHING THRU THE BUSH IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE
KICKING UP THE DUST,ESKY IN THE BOOT
KELPIE BY MY SIDE,SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS
ITS SUMMER TIME AND I AM IN MY SINGLET AND SHORTS AND THONGS-HEY!
There of course more verses BUT too long for my blog ! (for those outside Australia..Kelpie is a dog,Thongs are sandals,and an Esky is for putting COLD beer in and a Holden is a VERY popular Aussie vehicle) As the skies grew darker with the coming of evening we were treated to seeing hundreds of BATS flying overhead and methinks our singing may have thrown them of their returning to home ritual. The evening ended with the grand entrance of Father Christmas to the delight of lots of kids all fighting for good viewing vantage points ( at this stage I managed to restrain myself!) and he didn’t disappoint ! Thru out the evening drinks/raffles/sausage sizzles were sold at very reasonable prices I sincerley hope in years to come,these events are not over ruled by politically correct zealots. Bring on the next Carol Session (altho I am an atheist, most of the songs I used to sing door knocking at the Xmas run up to make a bit of pocket money AND I do enjoy getting involved in this great tradition …..
He updated Jingle Bells inOzzie slang !
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 