Celebrating Positives (offset of the Gripes Thread)

[facthunter]

"Stress" is not conducive to a healthy state.   Nev

[onetrack]

Keep moving, and keep active, and keep up the social interaction, they're all proven to have major benefits in keeping away the Grim Reaper.

 

SWMBO went to see her brother yesterday for a coffee, they keep in touch fairly regularly. There's 5 in her family, 2 older girls and 2 younger brothers.

Her brother reported the oldest sister (I think she's 79 now), is in poor shape. She's been grossly obese for years and doesn't move enough.

She sits and reads all the time, so she's not getting any movement benefit. Apparently she had a fall in recent times and that knocked her about as well.

Her brothers opinion was that she was becoming quite decrepit.

 

Meantimes, we're getting on with a major bathroom renovation, and house improvements, and we're only 4 and 5 years younger than her.

Mind you, we're getting tilers and plumbers for the backbreaking stuff, I'm getting past that, anyway!

The tilers had to rip out the 1950's cast iron bath and basin yesterday, I gave them a couple of sets of my 12 tonne machinery skates to roll the bath out of the house, and they were pretty appreciative of the loan of them! I took off to the wheatbelt yesterday for the day, and left them to wreck the bathroom by themselves! They sure made a mess!

On with the revamped plumbing this Tuesday, then the tilers will come back to start working their magic with the new tiles, bath and handbasin we bought.

The tiler is a little Iraqi bloke, he's working like a Trojan, trying to extract the rest of his family from the Middle East cesspit. He says life in Iraq isn't pleasureable any more.

[old man emu]

The other day I cleared my Youtube viewing history. Now I don't get any videos relating the Trump or the US Election. Winner!

[Marty_d]

How about those Idaho farm girls, are they still appearing?

[old man emu]

16 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

How about those Idaho farm girls, are they still appearing?

I'm keeping a breast of them.

[onetrack]

It's the Lumber Capital Log Yard babes that make my day! They'd give any man, wood! 😄

 

Edited September 24 by onetrack

[Jerry_Atrick]

Tim Tams on sale this week.. £2 per packet.. 5 packs for the price of 4...

 

More waist.. no waste.

[old man emu]

8 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Tim Tams on sale this week

Will you take a look at where they were made and tell us?

[nomadpete]

Arnotts are owned by KKR headquarterd in New York), a mob with similar credentials to Black Rock.

 

All hail globalisation. I'm still waiting for the trickle down of wealth.

 

 

Edited September 29 by nomadpete

[old man emu]

Remember when you were a kid and your birthday was coming up? You made sure your parents knew what you had your heart set on Then there was the emotional tenseness of waiting for your birthday to arrive. When it did, and you were given your gift, you could tell by the size of the package that it must contained the very thing that you wished for. Tearing open the package your heart skipped a beat as what you would have sold your soul for emerged from the gayley coloured paper.

 

Its was much the same for me today as I carefully pulled off the masking tape I had applied to the walls for the boot room to make the delineation between the colour of the walls and the faux cornice I painted. The edge of of the tape had sealed securely so that there was no seepage of white paint onto the colour of the walls. I had a nice, crisp line that needed no touching up. 

 

I'm one very happy Vegemite.

[Jerry_Atrick]

9 hours ago, old man emu said:

Will you take a look at where they were made and tell us?

Sydney. As I recall when I was a kid, there were 11 biscuits per pack. There are 9 here. Not sure if it is the same in Aus.

 

6 hours ago, nomadpete said:

Arnotts are owned by KKR headquarterd in New York), a mob with similar credentials to Black Rock.

 

All hail globalisation. I'm still waiting for the trickle down of wealth.

 

 

Yes, sadly this is the case.  And, yes, KKR are an investment firm, they are worried about growth and returns, just like any other firm. The reality is most large companies are owned in a large part by institutional investors (albeit not wholly owned). And you can buy shares in their holding company: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=kkr+group+share+price

 

Other brands that have gove that way (and even these days, companies like Nestle are really just large specialist investment firms. When I worked at Coles Myer, each business operated in its own right - I worked for Kmart and it was an entirely separate business to Coles in all of its operations; which was entirely separate to Myer; to Target, to Fosseys, to Sussan, and a feww others I can't remember. There was no sharing of any operational services. When I worked at Toronga, it was only the home to Coles, Kmart and Fosseys; Fosseys moved to Blackburn because they couldn't afford the rent at Toronga. In the middle of it was a separate entity known as "Corporate", and they basically were an investment management firm, looking at the numbers on their businesses, but no direct influence, except who they hired to run (or ruin) them.

 

 

 

In 2022, Patties Foods (Four n Twenty, Herbet Adams, Boscastle, Nannas, Leader) and Vesco Foods (On the Menu, Super Nature, Lean Cuisine, Annabel, Karmel, Jarrabali) was sold to an alternate investment group, Pacific Alliance Group, based in Hong Kong or Singapore - can't remember. Most of Aussie mainstream beer is owned by overseas companies. I remember those ads with the famous Aussie femal olympian (ironically, who's name I can't recall), "Australian made is good; Australian owned is better." They are onwed by Nestle, who have less than a stellar reputation as a corporate citizen. Sanitarium is, I guess still Aussie owned, but it is owned by the 7th Day Adventist church.. So, I gues is is god-owned.

 

Most of the  meat in supermarkets on the eastern seaboard is processed by JBS, a Brazillian owned operation. Despite the amount raised by super funds in Australia, most of the investment in green energy seems to be coming from foreign sources: https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/why-overseas-money-is-pouring-into-australian-green-energy-20240628-p5jpiz

 

I could go on.. The shining light in Aussie owned investment compannies is, as I understand, Macquarie, who also have less than a stellar reputation. They have take investments in infrastructure here, pillaged it, and left it saddled with debt - especially water companies.

 

But, this thread is about celebrating positives.. KKR have not decided to price gouge us opposed to the Australia Shop (when it was around) selling a packet of Tim Tams for £3.60 - in 1997! Could get them at Harrods and Harvey Nic's for the same price.

 

 

 

Edited September 29 by Jerry_Atrick

[onetrack]

This is in the wrong thread - but it's a warning  - you'd better stock up on chocolate and Tim-Tams, because the world is facing a drastic cocoa shortage, that has seen the cocoa price reach a 50 year high.

 

Fortunately for me, I'm not a chocolate aficionado, I never eat Tim-Tams, and I only rarely eat chocolate of any kind. But I can see a chocolate tragedy unfolding as chocolate prices go ballistic and people start wearing T-shirts saying, "Step away from the chocolate and no-one gets hurt!!" 🙂

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/food/chocolate-prices-and-shrinkflation-set-to-soar-with-full-impact-of-global-cocoa-shortage-yet-to-be-felt-c-16186758

[old man emu]

It's funny - odd - but I have lost interest in chocolate as used in confectionery. I still like my evening desert of a chocolate muffin, ice cream and chocolate sauce, but as for buying a block of chocolate or chocolate coated biscuits - not interested, In fact I was looking at the chocolates on special in the supermarket today and there wa not the slightest spark of interest.

 

It's not that I've gone all health nutty. They say that the desire for chocolate is related to one's emotions. Stress can drive the desire for it. Well, since the stress of my wife's illness has, unfortunately, passed and I moved to where I am, I think my emotional status has calmed markedly. I don't need whatever the "feel good" chemical is in chocolate anymore. So, even looking at blocks of chocolate reduced in price doesn't move me anymore.

[Jerry_Atrick]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

This is in the wrong thread - but it's a warning  - you'd better stock up on chocolate and Tim-Tams, because the world is facing a drastic cocoa shortage, that has seen the cocoa price reach a 50 year high.

 

Fortunately for me, I'm not a chocolate aficionado, I never eat Tim-Tams, and I only rarely eat chocolate of any kind. But I can see a chocolate tragedy unfolding as chocolate prices go ballistic and people start wearing T-shirts saying, "Step away from the chocolate and no-one gets hurt!!" 🙂

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/food/chocolate-prices-and-shrinkflation-set-to-soar-with-full-impact-of-global-cocoa-shortage-yet-to-be-felt-c-16186758

Mods.. Quickly.. Move this to the gripes thread.. saves me writing it myself if Tim Tams price explodes...

🙂

 

[nomadpete]

I came over to this thread because the other one got me depressed. Constant Arab wars, Russia starting ww3, and now chocolate prices going up.....

 

C'mon guys. Find me a glimmer of hope in the world.

 

Now, where did I leave my last block of chocolate....

[red750]

I've got my 6 month supply of chocolate - my daughter bought me a Bertie Beetle showbag at the Melbourne Show.

 

I hope the shortages are sorted out before I'm due any more - Easter bunnies.

[old man emu]

Bertie Beetle must be a Victorian thing. I don't think I've seen them in NSW, and only know of them through the bloke, Russell, who was on Hey Hey. I think the NSW equivalent is the Freddo Frog.

[red750]

Vic had Freddo as well. Bertie has chips of honeycomb in him.

[old man emu]

As I stepped out of my car in the supermarket carpark, I spied a twenty cent coin on the ground. The old rhyme came to mind.

 

But it was a twenty cent coin. That's inflation for you.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Whenb I first arrived in the UK.. there were no Freddo Frogs.. But after a couple of years they started supplying them in the shops. However, I think they are made locally as they do not taste the same.

 

Usually, I find the chocolate here better than Aus (Global suppliers use the US recipes in Aus rather than the European ones). But the Freddos here are positive rubbish; the ones in Aus, at least last time I tried one, are much better.

 

[pmccarthy]

Aussie choc has more anti- melting stuff in it.

[willedoo]

I make my own dark chocolate but haven't done it for a while. You can buy cheap latex chocolate moulds on ebay. Two cups of cocoa powder to one cup of coconut oil. Heat the oil up until it's hot but not boiling. Stir in the cocoa powder and anything else you want. I don't use sugar so usually add raisins and a bit of desiccated coconut. Pour it in the moulds then put them in the fridge. It can be a very messy job.

[spacesailor]

willedoo

You can make a living,  creating speciality chocolates. 

Had a sister inlaw who did just that for many years.

Her ( buyer ) sent all the paraernalier to create her

" speciality boxed chocolates confectionery " .

spacesailor

[old man emu]

10 hours ago, spacesailor said:

Her ( buyer ) sent all the paraernalier to create her

So he Lindt her the gear?

[spacesailor]

Paraphernalia .

oops , ' poor proof reading ' .

Yes, ' anything ' needed (  asked for  ) was supplied. 

The same as a local family ' knits ' woollen jumper's for a high-end Sydney shops . Was getting $ 80 each .

At the time $3.50 was my hourly rate .

spacesailor

 

Edited October 1 by spacesailor
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