St. Patrick's Day.

Kirsten was staying at her mother's and Cliff and I
planned on going to the Irish pub for a couple of
drinks to celebrate, but when it came down to it at
8.30 p.m. we were just too tired.

This is the first St. Patrick's Day that we have not
had a drink in 5 yeras and it was a Saturday night
too, which is a drinking night!

Of course it is also Andrew's birthday. He was 52
and we rang and wished him all the best and spoke
to Audrey.

Grant is coming down on the 13th April, to visit Audrey
and then coming on down here, he is going to bring Audrey
with him after he visits Mildura so we will see her too.

It is after Easter but before Mother's Day.

Kirsten wanted us to go up there for Easter but Cliff
says it is one of the best times he has in the shop.

Half Term Report

Kirsten got her half term report and she is doing
satisfactory in attitude and behaviour in 6 subjects,
good in 1 and excellent in 1. So very pleasing
overall.

However I was called into the school on Wed 14th over
an incident and it turns out she has been silly again
over things she has been writing on facebook.

So once more I have had to take it away from her.

I think I will wait till her birthday till she gets
it back. The teacher was saying if she could have
her way she would ban it completely. That it is the
number one cause of problems in the school.

I still believe that children should not be allowed
on it till they are at least 18! They are too
immature to be writing the rubbish they do and then
they have to suffer the results of they stupidity.

Meg and Mick's Engagement Party.

This was held on Sat the 3rd March. There were about
90 people there.

Meg said there on Mick's side there were 4 couples who
came and did not bring either a present or a card and 1
single male. On her side there were three people Jessica,
who loves getting presents but does not seem to think
she has to give a card or a present back, at nearly 19
she should now know that she is an adult and expected to
give cards and presents. Of course Sarah, (who still
owes me the $600 from the airplane fare from going to
see her grandfather when he died 4 years ago), did not
bring a present either and 1 single male.

In every relationship it seems that the keeper of what
should and should not be done in social circumstances,
is the female, so when single males do not do the right
thing by not bringing a card and present we tend to let
them off. But this is the first time I have EVER heard
of coulples coming to a do and not bringing presents.

Meg said that all up the party cost about $1,000 more
than what they got in presents.

She said the average gift was about $50, though a some
people like myself, Ida (Mick's mum), Uncle Bill, Debbie
and Tony gave an average of $100.

She also said the Mick and her needed to cull the wedding
list and they are both sick of freeloaders, so the people
who did not bring presents will not be invited to the
wedding as the reception will cost close to $70 a plate.

The general concenus is the a engagement present costs
between $50 and $100 and the wedding presnt double that.

Other than that and the fact the DJ did not have any modern
music, Meg enjoyed herself and Uncle Bill took lots of photos
of the family, though Meg was disappointed that he did not
get any of her and Mick's friends.

March Madness

I complained to the council about the balckberries growing
on the fence line between the shop and my house at Yallourn
North. The inspector came up and looked and agreed with me
that they are on the shop's side of the propewrty line and
thus their responsibility. The mamager did not realize that
the fence line had been altered.

Only trouble was that he also saw that the ppaddock was not
cut, but as I explained on the phone I had organised for it
to be done the week before but the bloke had to go to his
sister's as her husband died.

He gave me two weeks to get it done, and to get rid of all
the rubbish in the back yard and under the house as he said
that was a breeding ground for vermain. Only trouble is it
was 3 weeks on Monday 5th March and in that 22 days it has
rained for 19 days!!

The weather Bureau says that the rain will continue till
Wednesday but should be fine on Thursday and Friday but to
expect more rain on the week end, only trouble with that is
it takes 3 days for the paddock to dry out!!

Memories

March 1st 1975 was a Saturday and the day I married
Donald Gladstone McDougall. It was also the day that
colour T.V. came to Australia.

The T.V. is still in colour and the marriage finished
in the early nineties.

In fact it will be 4 years since Don died on April 2nd.

Also March 2nd would have been Tracey's 49th Birthday,
it is now a year since her death from cancer and her
partner Darren has just been diagnosed with another
tumour.

Not happy memories, but memories still the same.

Hopefully Meg's engagemnet party to Mick on Saturday,
3rd March will add a happier highlight.