Queensland Floods Jan 2012 (Pictures/Videos)

Reblogged from Magsx2's Blog:

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Well here we go again, there has been very heavy rain in Brisbane where I live which is the Capitol of Queensland, for the last couple of days, and flash flooding has started. Thank goodness it doesn't seem as bad as last years January floods. This of course is our wet season.

So far there have been evacuations in Burpengary just north of Brisbane, and also some evacuations in Narangba, again just north of Brisbane, and also on the Gold Coast south of Brisbane.

Read more… 330 more words, 1 more video

 

I've re-blogged this post from Magsx2's blog as we both live in the areas affected by the current rising flood waters. 

Click here for original post

Barb

My A-Z of Australia-Australia Day

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, celebrated on 26^th January annually, and as it is only days away, I thought it would be appropriate to tell you how it came to be.

On 26^th January in 1788, the First Fleet of eleven ships arrived from Great Britain at Port Jackson, which now forms Sydney Harbour. By 1808, the 26^th January was being celebrated as ‘First Landing Day’ or ‘Foundation Day’. This day became a public holiday in 1838, being the first public celebrations of the founding of Australia.
Over the years, 26^th January has been known by many names – First Landing Day, Foundation Day and Anniversary Day. It wasn’t until 1935 when it became Australia Day in all states except New South Wales, where it was still called Anniversary Day. However, by 1946, it was known in all states as Australia Day.

It took them a long time to sort that one out!

 

However, Indigenous Australians – the Aboriginal people, felt that the celebrations on Australia Day excluded them and their culture – a culture that had been thriving for thousands of years before the arrival of the First Fleet from Britain. Proposals have been made to change the date, but without much public support. You can read the whole story here www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Day

On this day Australia also celebrates the achievement and contribution of notable Australians through the Australian of the Year Awards, by profiling leading citizens who are role models for us all.

Australia Day is a public holiday which means a welcome day off work for most, and all schools are closed. It’s a day for BBQ’s, the beach and back-yard cricket!
Community events are held in most city parks for the public to enjoy the fun, food, music and entertainment to suit everyone. The entertainment could include a Circus, Wood-chopping, camel/pony rides, face-painting, animal nursery, sheep shearing, blacksmith, snake shows – and of course, some tasty Aussie tucker (food)!  Something for everyone!

For those who want to celebrate on a smaller scale, there will be lots of bar-b-queues in back yards that day!

Prawns on the barbie!

We live out of town, so our street is having its own celebrations – the obligatory Aussie BBQ – and good food. Seafood is a must for most Aussies that day, so I’ll be picking up some lovely fresh Tiger Prawns to throw on the barbie! It’s also a good way to meet new neighbours who might be new to our area.

Sydney Harbour Regatta (the oldest continuous regatta in the world) where millions of boats and vessels race together in celebration – a fantastic spectacle!

The beach is a popular place on Australia Day to beat the heat. January is very hot. Sounds like a good idea to me!

You can bet that whatever Aussies choose to do on the day, it will be FUN!

Anyone coming? Just bring your own drinks and you’ll be right, mate!

My One Year Blogiversary

My Blog is One Year Old!

 

 

I have been blogging for a whole year now and want to share my 1st Year Blogiversary with you !

It has gone so fast, but it feels like only yesterday that I hopped onto this roller coaster journey into the world of blogging . . . that has become such a big part of my life.

My thanks go to Classy Rose (I know some of you will remember her), for getting me started on my blogging journey back in January 2011. She not only encouraged me to start blogging, but persuaded me to join the Postaday 2011 or Postaweek 2011 Challenge. I opted for the latter – mainly because I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with posting daily – and for those of you who did, you have my utter admiration for your stamina in keeping it up!

So, my first year is under my belt and I’m still here, churning out posts, continually connecting with new and exciting blogs, and taking on more Challenges as time permits. I have discovered that I have a voice and that I have something worthwhile to say – and I like it! The more I write, the more I discover the real me!

 

For me, the best part about blogging has been making so many friends here – friends whom I feel I have come to know quite well, because we all reveal little bits of ourselves in our posts!

We have a great blogging community here, and I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my posts, for all your comments, and for all your selfless support over the past year –

                        I couldn’t have done it without you – you rock! 

 

 

My A-Z of Australia – A is for Australia

Welcome to my A – Z of Australia

A is for Australia

Australia, (fondly known as the Land Down Under), is a multi-cultural society of people who share a dream of making a better life in this great land of opportunity. I am one of those people. I emigrated to Australia from the UK many years ago, and found sun, sand, beautiful beaches, amazing rainforests, unique flora and fauna – and a life that I had previously only dreamed about!

This country was only settled 223 years ago by the British in 1788, so we are still a very young country.

Aussies are a laid back and friendly lot, they take you as they find you, and that is so refreshing! You can be who you really are without putting on any airs and graces. Heck, most people call their doctor by their first name!
I live in the South East corner of Queensland, which is very casual and laid back because of the hot weather – it’s too hot to rush around and too hot to wear tights and ties! Shorts and T-shirts is the the way to go for normal every day wear – the fewer clothes the better!

Just a few facts ~

Australia has six States:-

• Queensland (Qld) Capital city Brisbane
• New South Wales (NSW) Capital city Sydney
• Victoria (Vic) Capital city Melbourne
• South Australia (SA) Capital city Adelaide
• Western Australia (WA) Capital city Perth
• Tasmania (Tas) Capital city Hobart

And two Mainland Territories:-

• Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Capital city Canberra
• Northern Territory (NT) Capital city is Darwin

Many people think Sydney is the capital of Australia, but it’s actually Canberra in the ACT.

Because of it’s size, Australia experience a variety of climates from stinking hot to freezing cold!  It can be below zero in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, to suffocating heat in the north-west. The temperate south has cool, wet winters and dry, warm summers, whereas the tropical north has a warm, dry season and a hot, wet season. Because we are in the Southern Hemisphere, our seasons are in reverse to the Northern Hemisphere like Europe and America, so, for instance, our summers are from December to February, our winters are June to August.

Enough facts for now; I just wanted to familiarize you with a few things so you can get a better picture of my country when you are reading my future posts on Australia.

 ”G’Day Mate”!

My A-Z of Australia

 

Global “My A – Z” Country Challenge

 

My friend PiP has created the Global “My A-Z “ country challenge, to encourage blogging buddies all over the world to to share information about their own or their adopted country. using every letter of the alphabet. What a brilliant idea!

PiP is going to discuss the different aspects of living in Portugal, which I’m sure will be really interesting. This is going to be fun, and I imagine we will all learn a lot about each other and our respective countries in the process!

 

I live in Australia, so I’ll be talking about our way of life in the Land Down Under, the people, culture, food, places, the beaches, some history – and of course, our unique animals!

There is so much to share with you about this beautiful and diverse land of ours.

 

 

Sami of Colourful World (who also lives in Australia),  is doing A-Z of Australia too, but don’t worry – we will have different views on things, and you will get to know even more about Australia! I’m sure we are going to have more than one person talking about their own country – the more the merrier!

Look out for my first letter – A – coming soon, and good luck to everyone who joins the challenge!

 

Related articles

http://mycountryatoz.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/global-a-to-z

• My A ~ Z of Portugal (pigletinportugal.wordpress.com)
• Personal A-Z of Portugal. A is for Anniversary! (handsinportugal.wordpress.com)
• Our A – Z of Australia (teamoyeniyi.com)

Weekly Photo Challenge-Peaceful

This week’s Photo Challenge is

“Peaceful”

A new day dawns in Burum Heads, Queensland, Australia

Peace reigns supreme after a storm,  just as dusk arrives

Do Not Mess With Seniors

 

If you are a senior you will understand this one,

if you deal with seniors this should help you

understand them a little better,

and if you are not a senior yet……..

God willing, someday you will be. . . . .

My wife and I went to breakfast at a restaurant where the “Seniors’ Special” was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99.

‘Sounds good,’ my wife said. ‘But I don’t want the eggs.’  

‘Then, I’ll have to charge you $3.49 because you’re ordering a la carte,’ the waitress warned her. 

‘You mean I’d have to pay for not taking the eggs?’ my wife asked incredulously.  

‘YES!’ stated the waitress. 

 ’I'll take the “Special” then,’ my wife said. 

‘How do you want your eggs?’ the waitress asked. 

‘Raw and in the shell,’ my wife replied.

 

She took the two eggs home and baked a cake! 

 

DON’T MESS WITH SENIORS!!! 

They’ve been around the block more than once!  

Don’t you just love old people?

                                                         

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

 

I decided not to do the postaday challenge, choosing the postaweek challenge instead, so my stats are a lot

lower than many of you who opted for the daily challenge – and I take my hat off to you!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2011.

 (WP short-changed me there, because in actual fact, it was 11,104).

If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

The following details are in the report, but I want to make a special mention of my five most active commenters just incase some of you don’t click through to the report. 

These were your 5 most active commenters:

• 1 nrhatch 65 comments
• 2 eof737 63 comments
• 3 frizztext 52 comments
• 4 raisingdaisy 51 comments
• 5 Tilly Bud 44 comments

Thank you Nancy, Elizabeth, Frizz, Raising Daisy and Tilly – you are awesome!

 

My thanks to all my blogging buddies for your support and friendship throughout the past year.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Because you my blog has thrived!