Music for the Soul

Being struck down by a rotten cold/flu/virus thingy, I called the doctor who made a home visit - several hours later mind. It being a Sunday and all. I have what the Medicos call URTI - Upper Respitrory Tract Infection. You know, the fancy name given to an infection which doctors don't know what to call! The usual, it's viral, take panadol, get plenty of rest, take it easy, take Vitamin C, put Vicks in a bowl, pour on boiling water, place head over bowl covered with tea towel and inhale.

Actually, URTI's is are the illnesses caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract: nose, sinuses, pharynx or larynx. Did you know with this you could have
Rhinitis
Rhinosinusitis
Sinusitis
Nasopharyngitis
Pharyngitis
Epiglottitis
Laryngitis
Laryngotracheitis
Supraglottitis
Tracheitis

Not to mention a touch of the flu! Now I think I feel worse reading all that lot.

I've been listening to some music - well there's only so much time you can spend watching movies in the lounge with the heater on. Not to mention the gas bill. I've been alternating between hot and horrible and cold and shivery. At the moment it's the hot/horrible stage.

Anyway, getting back to music, Youtube comes in very handy doesn't it? Here's what I'm listening to right now -


He always wrote such happy music and this is one of my favourites.

Happy New Year

Well now, to everybody everywhere, may the coming year bring you whatever your heart's desire and a pocketful of coinage.

And so it is the last day of the year and time to make our New Year resolutions - do you make resolutions? I'm thinking of some that I know I'll be able to keep - I mean it's pretty silly making all those grandiose reso thingies and just knowing you ain't gonna keep 'em!

So... better to make ones you know you'll be able to keep without too much difficulty. Like...um...let's see now...
1. I promise I will eat all my hot chips and food that's bad for me
2. I will not give up smoking for 2010
3. I will make sure there's petrol in the car
4. I will eat chocolate when and where I feel like it
5. I will not go on a diet
6. I will wear daggy clothes and sloppy t-shirts
7. I will keep the house messy
8. I will not vacuum unless I really, really have to
9. I will not give up stuff for Lent
10. I will annoy my grown-up kiddies and embarrass them.

Reckon I'll have a pretty easy job of keeping those resolutions. See, no point in making stuff you won't keep - you're just fooling yourself.

Christmas Day

Today is Christmas Day.

Adeste Fideles sung by Bing Crosby.

May your Christmas be filled with happiness and joy.
God bless.

The Six White Boomers

As you know, Christmas "Downunder" is in summer and the poor old reindeer (Rudolph, et al) couldn't stand the heat. And would probably suffer terrible sunburn!

And so, apart from a rusty Holden Ute, if Father Christmas/Santa did use his sleigh, it would of course be pulled by six white boomers. For the uninitiated, a boomer is a kangaroo. Why, we even have a song about them.



The Six White Boomers

Well, yesterday was certainly a "stinker" - 37º with a hot northerly. Junior and I went to the fruit shop and did all the shopping for fruit and vegies. He's been very good and has been a marvelous help - I did my back in and am unable to do very much and he's been a tower of strength. He picked out and carried all the stuff, while I waited near the car. I saw one very hot "Santa" walking along the street, ringing his bell, in full Christmas regalia - red suit, hat, and beard. He must have been terribly hot and I'm sure he would have like nothing better than to be down at the beach, (trying to) cooling off.

Best thing for hot summer days.

I may not be able to post for a bit, so I wish you all a merry Christmas. And for all those who are unhappy or troubled, may the Spirit of Christmas bring you joy and peace. And above all, be happy.☺
God bless.

Christmas Downunder

Christmas in Australia - IN the red roofed homes of Australia across this wide brown land, hundreds of people sit down on Christmas Day to a piping hot Christmas lunch (usually) at one o'clock in the afternoon. And there will be a selection of hot meats - roast pork (complete with crackling), or roast beef or lamb,or a couple of roast chooks, roast turkey and ham - the ham is often cold.

And it will be accompanied with all the trimmings - baked spuds, pumpkin and carrot, and green vegies. This of course will be followed by piping hot Chrissie pud with hot custard and/or cream and maybe ice-cream. Very nice on a cold winters day I'm sure. Only thing is - Christmas Day in Australia is in summer and here we are sitting down to a hot meal that would warm the cockles of your heart - and it'll be Forty degrees in the shade! - that's 40ºC - 104ºF!

Christmas Fashions

And you'll find many will be dressed in their Christmas shorts...

and thongs.

With a t-shirt instead of the usual singlet. (A tshirt is dressier)

We've even had to change the words of some of the Christmas songs - like Jingle Bells - To reflect the Aussie landscape of course! I mean, could you imagine singing about sleighs and snowmen? In Australia? There wouldn't be any reindeer (they couldn't take the heat), the sleighs would wear out crossing the Nullarbor, and the snowmen would melt! Here's our version of Jingle Bells -

Oh Christmas Tree...

Christmas Angel

One of our "Angels".

The Tree

Junior bought me a new Christmas Tree -the biggest he could find. I would have preferred the next size down but he was having none of it. So - he had his way (well he was paying for it so what else could I do?)

He decorated it. And had to bend the top of the tree down to get the angel to sit there, otherwise she kept falling off! I put the gold beads on though.

Oh Christmas Tree

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. It was a toss-up between the Vienna boy's choir and Nana Mouskouri. The Vienna boys won.

Rooftops - Little Boxes on the Hillside

When I saw these rooftops all snugged together, they reminded me of little boxes, and the words of the song "Little Boxes" came to mind, and I started singing -
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.


People did look at me a little strangely!
The words are true of many of us, even though we may not realise. How many of us lead rather set lives - Mum bought X cereal, we buy X cereal. DAd went to the footy, we go to the footy. How often do we mirror our parents? We may like to think we are different, or original, but really - have a think about it. Just how different are we - if we're honest, not much at all really. (See the video below.)

I've always loved this video version mainly, I think, because of the pictures - they capture the words so beautifully.

Dig Those Crazy Actions...

One of my favourite songs -



She's pretty good with the hand movement, try it and see if you stuff up - it's not as easy as it looks.

I also like this -



At least with this song, you only have to remember one word, so it's easy to sing-along.

Love In The Supermarket.

Love in the supermarket? Hmmm.... difficult but not impossible. Bit hard in the freezer aisle though - too damn cold. Brrr..which made me remember this