af day Tuesday 23 April

[treetops]

Morning here!! Still wet wet wet outside (Kuya I have been back in NZ for a week) but no tears on my front at least! Silent ones - an elderly friend/colleague died yesterday and everywhere I seem to turn people have serious illnesses. So thank goodness for the energy and spontaneity of youth - even when they don't seem to ever get off their bums!!!!

Welcome back Jockster:wd: I am starting the tea and coffee so don't you start another thread - no avocados today -peanut butter and vegemite on offer. Haha!!! I bet that tickles your cockles.
I had my first drinking dream in months last night but it was so boring I didn't even end up drinking. In it, I was at an extended family function and setting the table and 'forgot' that I am sober. Except when I went to get some AL there was only crap stuff and no one else was drinking. So I didn't too. No worries - no family functions on the horizon but a warning to me to be vigilent (given my recent emotional turmoil of sorts).

YahYah - OK thanks about Stella info. And great to have your positive upbeat input these past few days. Much needed by many of us!

PPQP - dentist phobia! Eeeekk. I must be a bit of a masochist - I don't mind them and when I was younger I went to a dentist who never ever used painkillers - supposed to toughen us up. I reckon its the old Scots miserliness, ay Mick???
Just think PPQP - a dentist is preferable to some of the work meetings we have to endure!!

Lav - but yes, painkillers for a Wisdom tooth much needed. Same dentist as above did use them when he pulled one of my wisdom teeth years ago - but did not give me any warning that he was going to do this!

LTLW - you OK? We genuinely care about you as one of our comparatively new long term Abbers. Do you need any support?

Kuya - you are doing a lot of self analysis and now looking for a counsellor. There should be a good choice in Auckland and I sense you have a strong bullshit detector.

Mick (and others) - impressed by the generosity you have towards those who f__k up during their time on MWO as in the Hippyman drama. Deceit, intentional or not - is one of the Horsemen of the Alcoholic Apocalypse but then Support and Forgiveness are charging in behind to conquer Deceit.

Pauly - can I splash in your new pool? Water outside here is too cold.

Nurdl - hi there!

OK - must away - and get that toast seen to. You guys all have a terrific Tuesday and be good!!!:l

[learningtolovewinter]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Heya TT I am happy to report I am doing pretty ok! Busy long weekend visiting friends & looking at houses. Yuck for the house hunting & coming home late tired. I had a pretty good art day today though. Am back to the gym (took weekend off), eating lots of chocolate but will slowly loosing weight. Thank you for remembering me- I am going to have more AF days in April than March & feeling great about that. I am also a little cranky though, learning Dutch is really getting to me. I am too old for this folks - I talk like a 3 year old- stupid. gotta focus on the positive!

[learningtolovewinter]

af day Tuesday 23 April

TT- any suggestions for the sugar cravings?
Just ate a Twix bar for breakfast! Well, it really isn't such a big deal, but... might be nice to try and counteract it a bit!!

[Mick]

af day Tuesday 23 April

morning all ..and how are you today? look TT...followed your thread,so I ll have a brew off your good self today......think I will forget the vegemite, sounds too much like marmite and no ta to that one!!Any bovril? love hot bovril.Thanks for the welcome back.Yes it did cheese me off that point but hey cest la vie.Interesting about the horseman of the apocalypse.....one well placed cannon ball would see them all off :H.As for dentists..hate them with a passion..when I was a kid had to have so many visits to the Orthodontic hospital in Edinburgh it was unreal!!!so no thanks.So how are things now that you are back in NZ? got into the routine yet?As for drinking dreams...they ll fade in time...its like looking in a shop window and seeing things ..no harm in looking..its when you start shoplifting the problems start!:H
Have a great day

Morning ltlw..how are you today?Nah you are never too old to learn ,keep at the Dutch language.You got your head round being af yet? hope so .. you seem to be doing really well..good for you

Evening Kuya..and how are you today mate?had a wee look about yesterday re what we discussed..keep you in the picture.And hows you ? have you made any inroads into your issues that you are going to deal with?Good luck with that mate

Morning Lav.....quick quiz..whats 56 +73.5-26.234x16.86=? You dont know? yep can see that wisdom tooth has gone! how are you?Glad your grandson is up and running, good news.Im sure the Amish farmer will be happy for your custom...how do his prices compare in relaation to other shops?similar?Im having another coffee ..want one?Intent on redesigning the right hand border in the garden...not happy with it....so will get on with that..you any plans for today?

Morning ppqp...and hows you today? strange hearing you talking about snow etc!Ive got 2 friends who live out there that I was in the army with (one joined the prison service with me too when he came out of the army) thay both live in Calgary..one is a truck driver and he isnt impressed with the weather at the mo..oh well if yore struggling will send you some plants!Yes you are right ..tis an annual event in this hoose!!as for the typing...well I have just typed this with my right hand..certainly takes longer!What are you up to then today?Is that you vented out now?brill job on not going for booze ..now you are on day 252...take a deep breath..they are only words..remember YOU are number one..let it ride..says he who always does that :H

Hiya Nurdl..how are you long time no "see" one of us has been missing..me or you? what have you been up to? as they say up here...owt or nowt?have a great day

Mornig YAH......and how are you? thanks for those words on your post..you are right...but it did sour my outlook a bit...Well now what are you doing now that the house is done and dusted?//your next task is?Strangely enough I was thinking the other day about all the ones who used to be here..Cantoo ,Shue Lilly E etc..wonder what happened

Hiya Cat..and how are you today?again thank you...as for friendship and advice ...yep you will get that here..as for the 6 months wow that has gone quick !well done you :goodjob:bet you never thought you would get here did you? its a great feeling to have your life back isnt it? lets keep going

Hiya Det.........well done mate..you watch the drunks ..dont join them!!!better from the outside looking in ,rather than the other way around ..keep it up my friend you are doing well

hiya blondie ..and how are you?nope the rabbits dont eat the toms..they dont have a chance...I love em!!!!last year ended up making some chutneys with them..we eat most of the veg thats grown...at the moment eating early cabbages planted in November..and yes have to watch the rabbits with those!!

Hiya Pauly hows you? by the time you read this your..blah mood should have pased ..see you worked your way through it without getting shedded on booze ..well done

right peeps time marches on so will say au revoir take care be safe n sober

A redneck father confronted his daughter one night. "I don't like that new boyfriend, he's rough and common and bloody stupid with it."

"Oh no, Daddy," the daughter replied, "Fred's ever so clever, we've only been going out nine weeks and he's cured me of that illness I used to get once a month."

wife:what u will give me if i climb mt.everest successfully! Husband:a gentle push!

A lawyer got married to a woman who had previously been married 12 times.

On their wedding night, they settled into the bridal suite at their hotel and the bride said to her new room, "Please, promise to be gentle. I am still a virgin."

This puzzled the groom, since after 12 marriages, he thought that at least one of her husbands would have been able to perform. He asked his new bride to explain the phenomenon.

She responded:

My first husband was an IBM Sales Representative who spent the entire marriage telling me, in grandiose terms, how great it was going to be, but never delivered.

My second husband was from Software Services; he was never quite sure how it was supposed to function, but he promised he would send me documentation.

My third husband was from Field Services and repeatedly said that everything was diagnostically OK, but couldn't get the system up.

My fourth husband was from Educational Services, and you know the old saying - 'Those who CAN, DO; those who can't, teach.'

My fifth husband was from the Telemarketing Department. He knew he had the order, but he wasn't quite sure when he was going to be able to deliver.

My sixth husband was an Engineer. He told me that he understood the basic process but needed three years to research, implement, and design a new state-of-the-art method.

My seventh husband was from Finance and administration. He knew how, but he just wasn't sure whether it was his job or not.

My eighth husband was from Standards and Regulations, and he told me that he met the minimum standards but regulations weren't clear on how to do it.

My ninth husband was a Marketing Manager. Even though he had the product, he just wasn't sure how to position it.

My tenth husband was a psychiatrist. All he ever wanted to do was talk about it.

My eleventh husband was a gynecologist, and all he ever wanted to do was look at it.

My twelfth husband was a stamp collector, and all he ever wanted to do was collect stamps."

- God I miss him!

So now I've married you, and I'm really excited."

"Why is that," asked the lawyer.

"Well, it should be obvious! You're a lawyer!! I just know I'm going to really get screwed this time!"


A guy walks into a post office one day to see a middle-aged, balding man standing at the counter methodically placing "Love" stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over them. He then takes out a perfume bottle and starts spraying scent all over them.

His curiosity getting the better of him, he goes up to the balding man and asks him what he is doing.

The man says "I'm sending out 1,000 Valentine cards signed, 'Guess who?'"

"But why?" asks the man.

"I'm a divorce lawyer," the man replies.

A family is at the dinner table. The son asks his father, "Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?" The father, surprised, answers, "Well, son, there's three kinds of breasts. In her twenties, a woman's breasts are like melons, round and firm. In her thirties to forties, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After fifty, they are like onions." "Onions?" asks the boy. "Yes," said the father, "you see them and they make you cry." This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter said, "Mom, how many kinds of willies are there?" The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, "Well dear, a man goes through three phases. In his twenties, his willie is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his thirties and forties, it is a birch, flexible but still reliable. After his fifties, it is like an old Christmas tree." "A Christmas tree?" "Yes, dead from the root up and the balls are for decoration only."

A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse, unassisted, and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slip from the saddle.

In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the side of the horse anyway.

The horse gallops along, seemingly impervious to its slipping rider. Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blonde attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety.

Unfortunately, her foot has become entangled in the stirrup, she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves. As her head is struck against the ground over and over. As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness when to her great fortune... Frank, the Walmart greeter, sees her dilemma and unplugs the horse.

A mother and baby camel are talking one day when the baby camel asks, "Mom why have I got these huge three-toed feet?" The mother replies, "Well son, when we trek across the desert your toes will help you to stay on top of the soft sand". "OK" said the son.

A few minutes later the son asks, "Mom, why have I got these great long eyelashes?" "They are there to keep the sand out of your eyes on the trips through the desert", "Thanks Mom" replies the son. After a short while, the son returns and asks, "Mom, why have I got these great big humps on my back?" The mother, now a little impatient with the boy replies, "They are there to help us store fat for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods."

"That's great mom, so we have huge feet to stop us sinking, and long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes and these humps to store water, but Mom ..." "Yes son?" "Why the heck are we in the San Diego zoo?"

A man walks into a bar with his dog and orders two glasses of whiskey. He proposes a toast and both he and his dog empty their glasses. The girl behind the bar is surprised and asks: 'Can your dog perform other tricks?'.

'But of course', the man answers, 'he can even gratify a woman'. Anxious to know more the girl leads the man and the dog into a little room above the bar. She undresses and full of expectation she lies down on the bed. The dog looks at her and does nothing, and the man then shouts to the dog, 'OK. Just ONE more time, let me show you how it's done".

My husband was just coming out of anesthesia after a series of tests in the hospital, and I was sitting at his bedside. His eyes fluttered open, and he murmured, "You`re beautiful."

Flattered, I continued my vigil while he drifted back to sleep. Later he woke up and said, "You`re cute."

"What happened to `beautiful`?" I asked him.

"The drugs are wearing off," he replied.

A farmer buys several pigs, hoping to breed them for ham and bacon. After several weeks, he notices that none of the pigs are getting pregnant, and calls a vet for help. The vet tells the farmer that he should try artificial insemination.

The farmer doesn't have the slightest idea what this means but, not wanting to display his ignorance, he only asks the vet how he will know when the pigs are pregnant. The vet tells him that when pregnant, they will stop standing around and will, instead, lay down and wallow in the mud. The farmer hangs up and gives it some thought. He comes to the conclusion that artificial insemination means he has to impregnate the pigs.

So, he loads the pigs into his truck, drives them out into the woods, has sex with them all, brings them back and goes to bed. Next morning, he wakes and looks out at the pigs. Seeing that they are all still standing around, he concludes that the first try didn't take, and loads them in the truck again. He drives them out to the woods, banged each pig twice for good measure, brings them back and goes to bed.

Next morning, he wakes to find the pigs still standing around. One more try, he tells himself, and proceeds to load them up and drive them out to the woods. He spends all day shagging the pigs, and, upon returning home, falls listlessly into bed.

The next morning, he was woken up by his wife shaking him and saying "Wake up Dear, the pigs are acting strangely!". "What do you mean?" he asked excitedly, "Are they wallowing in the mud?" "No, " she says, "they're all in the truck and one of them is honking the horn."

A man charged with assault and battery insisted at his trial that he had just pushed his victim "a little bit". When he was pressured by the prosecutor to illustrate just how hard, the defendant approached the lawyer, slapped him in the face, grabbed him firmly and flung him over the table.

He then faced judge and jury and calmly declared, "I would say it was about one-tenth that hard."

Grandpa was showing little Johnny around the farm, and when they came to the corral, he explained, "That's a bull and a cow, and he's serving her." A little later on, they saw horses. The Grandpa said, "That's a stud and a mare, and he's serving her, too."

That night at supper, after everyone was seated and grace was said, Grandma turned to Grandpa and said, "Will you please serve the turkey?"

Little Johnny jumped up and yelled, "If he does, I'm eating a hamburger!"

[treetops]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Mick - was that rabbit chutney you made per chance?

[Mick]

af day Tuesday 23 April

TT..errrr thats a big no no :H

[kuya]

af day Tuesday 23 April

treetops;1495884 wrote: Mick - was that rabbit chutney you made per chance?

Yum......Bunny chutney.....my favorite! :H:H

[Mick]

af day Tuesday 23 April

kuya...I shall treat that remark with the contempt it deserves :H:H

[learningtolovewinter]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Yeah Mick I think I am getting my head around being AF. I am not 100 percent perfect at it, but the more days AF the better I feel & when I slip up I just keep trying because I know I mustn't give up. I will let u know the tally months end but I am happy with my progress this month. I am very new at this & am trying not to have an all or nothing self defeating view of myself.
The Dutch is hard & many expats I meet don't even bother to try. They even laugh at me for starting so soon. I am dyslexic so it takes me longer to get things straight& I do not work well under pressure but I can learn. I learnt French & Italian, I just have to go at my own pace.

[Lavande]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Good morning Abbers!

Sitting with my coffee & my blanket
Slept well last night so I guess that's proof I wasn't too traumatized by yesterday's trip to the oral surgeon - yay!

TT, sorry about the loss of your friend/colleague.
I am also grateful for the youth in my life, they keep you going even when you don't feel going

LTLW, my sister-in-law is Dutch. I accompanied her on a trip home to see her famliy several years ago. I was absolutely amazed to find that everyone speaks English there. There was no problem for me shopping, ordering meals, etc. I know it is nice to learn the language of the land but I think you can take your time & still be OK. I studied German in high school & Dutch sounds like a messed up version of German to me :H I would have a hard time learning it myself :H

Mick, you are a devoted gardener!
When you have yours settled you are welcome to come help me with mine. I feel such pressure living so close to Longwood Gardens & all
My plan for the day is easy ~ do nothing for a change!!!!

Greetings Kuya & everyone. I hope Tuesday is/was a great day for everyone!

Lav

[porqoui]

af day Tuesday 23 April

MAE ALL...

Sorry about the rant last night but better to get it out rather than keeping it in and letting it fester.

Seem to be in a bit of a funk this morning which is very rare for me. Oh well this too shall pass. Just wanted to let you know everything is ok and hopefully I'll be in a more supportive mind state later in the day.

Have a great AF Tuesday all and all to come....PPQP

[kuya]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Quick check in.... Feeling a lot brighter today now a decision has been reached. Action must be taken.
Mick we must keep pushing each other in the latest ventures

Right, quick toddle round the boards then bed.... Lot of ops tomorrow YAY ( I LOVE surgery)

[Lavande]

af day Tuesday 23 April

PQ, kuya & anyone really......
I just saw this & thought it might be of value.
Susan Shumsky, DD?- Instant Healing

[BHOG]

af day Tuesday 23 April

A fly by-trying to get some deatail stuff finished at work...
wishing all well.
Stay Strong!

[porqoui]

af day Tuesday 23 April

Thanks Lav, I'll check it out.

At work and the funk mood has gone.

Got to love a job that puts a smile on your face.....PPQP