lake Mulwala Continued

While on the lake theme I went through my albums to find these old photo's taken when the lake was empty

The lake has been drained 13 times over the years to varying extents, to allow for maintenance of the weir structure, the latest draining took place between May and August 2002. The reason for this particular draining was to earthquake-proof the weir. After the Newcastle earthquake some years ago, it was discovered that many weirs in that region became unstable due to that devastating earthquake to ensure that the Yarrawonga Weir remains stable under such circumstances.

The weirThe Paradise Queen high and dry

The traffic bridge looking from Mulwala towards Yarrawonga

The dangers of diving into or skiing on the lake.

You dont see when the lake is full

LAKE MULWALA

A short walk down to the end off my street

This picturesque piece of regional Victoria and New South Wales is an "Inland Aquatic Paradise" for visitors to take some time to enjoy some stunning scenery, , Lake Mulwala and of course the mighty Murray River.

In 1937 the first suggestions were made concerning the clearing of the red gum forest to be submerged in the creation of Lake Mulwala. The River Murray Commission refused to undertake the tree clearing program proposed by the citizens of Yarrawonga-Mulwala, who obviously had a vision of not just an irrigation storage, but a picturesque lake. With considerable community spirit a band of local men took up the challenge and in 1938 began the enormous task of felling the trees by axe at the cost of 10/- per acre. The River Murray Commission gave no financial assistance to the project and were concerned that if timber were felled and not burnt or removed it would prove a menace to the Yarrawonga Weir and other structures downstream. The bands of local volunteers worked long hours to clear the area, and the felled trees were never removed. The tree felling was completed in June 1939, and the first filling of the lake was started on August 12th, 1939.

If you love life by the water you’ll love Yarrawonga/Mulwala. There’s plenty here for water sport enthusiasts,Skiing, anglers searching for the famous Murray Cod, or take a leisurely lake cruise.

Area of Lake Mulwala - 4450 hectares

At the end of my street the two cruise boats, Paradise Queen and Lady Murray partly hidden

The Paradise Queen

A nice stroll along here leads to the traffic bridge

The traffic bridge that Separates Victoria from New South Wales

A view of the lake

A very small portion off Red gums in the lake

MEN!

Men! For all those men who say, Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free.

Here's an update for you: Now days, 80% of women are against marriage, WHY Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage.

1. Men are like ...Laxatives ...... They irritate the crap out of you older they get, the less firmthey get less firm they

2. Men are like.Bananas ....... The older they get, the less firm they are.

3. Men are like ...... Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.

4. Men are like .......Blenders You need One, but you're not quite sure why.

5. Men are like .....Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.

6. Men are like .Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they say.

7. Men are like Department Stores ..... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.

8. Men are like ......Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long to mature.

9. Men are like .....Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of emotion.

10. Men are like .Popcorn . They satisfy you, but only for a little while.

11. Men are like Snowstorms .... You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

12. Men are like . Lava Lamps .... Fun to look at, but not very bright.

13. Men are like Parking Spots .......... All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped., . Everyone can use some fun

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`

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The day after Halloween,

Little Johnny sat on the park picnic table, gorging on his candy with sinful abandon.

An old lady saw what was happening and said, "That cannot be good for you when you are young.

You need to have more concern for your personal health," to which he replied,

"My granddaddy lived to be to 100!" "I bet he never had that much sugar in one sitting!"

"My granddaddy always minded his own freakin business!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 new supermarket opened near my house and has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh.
Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain.
When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the scent of fresh hay. When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.
The veggie department features the smell of fresh buttered corn.
I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE AFFAIR

A married woman is having an affair.
Whenever her lover comes over, she puts her nine year old son in the closet.
One day the woman hears a car in the driveway and puts her lover in the closet, as well.
Inside the closet, the little boy says, "It's dark in here, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," the man replies.
"You wanna buy a baseball?" the little boy asks.
"No thanks," the man replies.
"I think you do want to buy a baseball," the little extortionist continues.
"OK. How much?" the man replies after considering the position he is in.
"Twenty-five dollars," the little boy replies.
"TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?!" the man repeats incredulously, but complies
to protect his hidden position.
The following week, the lover is visiting the woman again when she hears a car
in the driveway and, again, places her lover in the closet with her little boy.
"It's dark in here, isn't it?" the boy starts off.
"Yes it is," replies the man.
"Wanna buy a baseball glove?" the little boy asks.
"OK. How much?" the hiding lover responds, acknowledging his disadvantage.
"Fifty dollars," the boy replies and the transaction is completed.
The next weekend, the little boy's father says "Hey, son.
Go get your ball and glove and we'll play some catch."
"I can't. I sold them," replies the little boy.
"How much did you get for them?" asks the father, expecting to hear the
profit in terms of lizards and candy.
"Seventy-five dollars," the little boy says.
"SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?! That's thievery! I'm taking you to the church right now.
You must confess your sin and ask for forgiveness," the father explains as
he hauls the child away.
At the church, the little boy goes into the confessional, draws the curtain, sits down,
and says "It's dark in here, isn't it?"
"Don't you start that in here now," the priest says

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The teacher asks everyone in the class to demonstrate something exciting. When Johnny's turn came, he walked to the blackboard and drew a small dot. "What's that?" the teacher asked, puzzled. "It's a period." – "Well, I see that, but what's exciting about a period?" – "Darned if I know, but this morning my sister said she missed one... Dad had a heart attack, mom fainted, and the guy next door shot himself."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May you always have Love to Share

Health to Spare

And Friends that Care

AFEW Of MY ORCHIDS

Hi all,

At last a few of my orchids are in bloom so out with the camera

so I could share a few photo's of my Orchids with you all tonight

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

"A SCOTTISH COUPLE"

A young Scottish lad and lass were sitting on a low stone wall, holding hands gazing out over the loch. For several minutes they sat silently, then finally the girl looked at the boy and said,
"A penny for your thoughts, Angus."
"Well, uh, I was thinkin'...perhaps it's aboot time for a wee kiss."
The girl blushed, then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then he blushed.
The two turned once again to gaze out over the loch. Minutes passed, then the girl spoke again. "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus."
"Well, uh I was thinkin'...perhaps its noo aboot time for a wee cuddle."
The girl blushed, then leaned over and cuddled him for a few seconds. Then he blushed.
Then the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch. After a while, she again said, "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus."
"Well, uh I was thinkin'...perhaps its aboot time you let me pewt ma hand on yer leg.
" The girl blushed, then took his hand and put it on her knee. Then he blushed.
Then the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch before the girl spoke again.
"Another penny for your thoughts, Angus."
The young man glanced down with a furled brow. "Well, noo," he said, "My thoughts are a wee bit more serious this time."
"Really?" said the girl in a whisper, filled with anticipation.
"Aye," said the lad, nodding. The girl looked away in shyness, began to blush, and bit her lip in anticipation of the ultimate request.
And he said, "Din'na ye think it's aboot time ye paid me the first three pennies?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with
a gorgeous young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later the doctor spoke to Morris and said,
"You're really doing great, aren't you?"
Morris replied, "Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma
and be cheerful.'"
The doctor said, "I didn't say that.

I said, 'You've got a heart murmur

" Be careful.'"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and
pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool. After catching
his breath he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly,
"Crushed nuts?"
"No," he replied, "Arthritis"

BLOG JOKE DAY

A blind man and his guide elephant enter a bar and find their way to astool. After ordering a drink and sitting there for a while, the man yellsto the bartender; “Hey , you wanna hear a blond joke?”
The bar falls quiet. In a deep husky voice the woman next to him says;“Before you tell that joke, you should know something. The bartenderis blonde, the bouncer is blonde and I’m a 1.82 tall, 90kg blonde with ablack belt in karate. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and she’sa weight lifter. The lady to your right is blonde and she’s apro-wrestler. Think about it seriously, mister; You still wanna tell thatjoke?”
The man says;

“Nah, not if I’m gonna have to explain it five times.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```````

An Irish woman of advanced age, visited her physician to ask his help in
reviving her husband's libido.
"What about trying Viagra?" asks the doctor.
"Not a chance", she said he won't even take an aspirin".
"Not a problem," replied the doctor.
Drop it into his coffee, He won't even taste it.
Give it a try and call me in a week to let me know how things went."
It wasn't a week later that she called the doctor, who directly
inquired as to the progress.
The poor dear exclaimed, "Oh, faith, bejaysus and begorra! T'was horrid.
Just terrible, doctor!""Really? What happened?" asked the doctor.
"Well, I did as you advised and slipped it in his coffee and the
effect was almost immediate.
He jumped hisself straight up, with a twinkle in his eye,
and with his pants a-bulging fiercely!
With one swoop of his arm, he sent the cups and tablecloth flying,
ripped me clothes to tatters and took me then and there, making wild, mad,
passionate love to me on the tabletop!
It was a nightmare, I tell you, an absolute nightmare!"
"Why so terrible?" asked the doctor, "Do you mean the sex your husband
provided was not good"?
"Oh, no, no, no, doctor, the sex was fine indeed!
'Twas the best sex I've had in 25 years!
But sure as I'm sittin' here,
I'll never be able to show me face in McDonalds again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twelve Inch PianistThis guy walks into a bar, pulls out a tiny piano and stool, and a tiny little man. The tiny man sits down, and starts to play the piano. This other guy notices it.
“Hey, what's that?”
“A twelve-inch pianist. Ya see, I found this magic lamp, rubbed it, made a wish, I got a twelve inch pianist.”
“Can I try?” The man with the piano agrees and a minute later, a million ducks fill the room.
“Ducks? I didn't wish for a million ducks, I wished for a million bucks!”
“Ya think I really wished for a twelve inch pianist?"

A few more jokes (barber shop

A man enters a barber shop for a shave.

While the barber is foaming him up, he mentions the problems

he has getting a close shave around the cheeks.

"I have just the thing," says the barber taking a small

wooden ball from a nearby drawer.

"Place this between your cheek and gum."

The client places the ball in his mouth and the barber proceeds with the

closest shave the man has ever experienced.

After a few strokes the client asks in garbled speech.

"And what if I swallow it?"

No problem!.

That happens from time to time.

" says the barber".

"Just bring it back tomorrow like everyone else "

<><><><><><><><>><><>

Doctor Dave had slept with one of his patients and felt guilty all Day long.
No matter how much he tried to forget about it, he couldn't. The guilt
and sense of betrayal was overwhelming. But every once in a while he'd
hear an internal, reassuring voice that said: "Dave, don't worry about
it. You aren't the first doctor to sleep with one of their patients
and you won't be the last. And you're single. Just let it go".
But invariably the other voice would bring him back to reality,
whispering.......
v

v

v

v
Dave, you're a vet".

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Thought For The Day"

Good looks catch the eye but a GOOD personality catches the heart.

~~~~~~~~~

The happiest people aren't the ones that have the most;

they're the ones that make the most of what they have."

My Week - Cazz 06.10.06

G'day everyone,

Well, we had a bit of a busy and fun filled weekend. Friday arvo it was off to Albury, NSW, for a HIA (Housing Industry Australia) awards night, where the Company I work for 'Diverse Builders Pty Ltd" won the award for Best Custom Built Home under $250,000 in Northern Regional Victoria, which was a great effort by all concerned... so needless to say, my work collegues and I really had something to celebrate, and with free food, beer & wine I dont think I need say more !!!!

Saturday was spent shopping, and browsing the city centre, exploring local sites and then over to the Commercial Club to watch the Eagles beat the Swans in the AFL Grand Final. We decided on a quiet night, I had a little flutter on the "Pokies" (slot machines) and come out a winner, which was great, it helped recoup the cost of the new shoes, and top that I had bought earlier !!!

Albury War Memorial

Located on Monument Hill at the western end of Dean Street, the Albury War Memorial is the most visible landmark in the city.
The site was chosen by city town planner Charles Reade, and the monument, designed by Architect Louis Harrison, was opened on Anzac Day 1925 by General Paine.
The monument is a white ferro concrete tower, in the form of a tapered lighthouse painted stark white and surmounted by a 'torch of liberty'. This torch is 1.8 meters high and faced with 40 panes of prismatic glasss.
During the day sunlight plays through this glazing giving the torch the illusion that it is lit. The tower provides a striking terminus to the vista down the street.
The tower was originally lit by ground lights however electric lighting was not supplied to the torch until 1995. In the same year a number of individual plaques were set in the gardens around the monument to recall those who had died in both World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

View from the memorial looking down over Albury.

Albury Food & Wine Festival

With the sun shining on a glorious spring morning, we booked out of the motel, and decided to check out the food & wine festival. We were among the first to arrive.

There were over 65 local food & wine growers promoting, & selling there wares. The hardest part of the day for me, was deciding which wines, after sampling, to buy, they were all good and as the day got on, even the "mouth puckering" variety were starting to taste all right !!!!.

For Ian, it was "Oh boy, food, beer, food, beer". I think he sampled most of the food, and DEFINITELY all the beer.

They also had some great Jazz bands playing through out the day, also events organised for the kids - sack races, face painting, finger painting, petting zoo (baby animals). The admittance cost was $5 adults or $12 for family. We had a great day, and looking around us, so did many others.






My son Michael, turned 23 on 4th October. I havent really spoken about Michael previously... let me explain.

Michael was diagnosed in 1997, aged 14yrs, as a paranoid psychotic schizophrenic. He spent alot of time in and out of adolescent mental institutions, which was a very hard & trying time for all. As an adult, Michael has done his fair share of hospitalisations also. I wont go into all the trials and tribulations of trying to raise, protect, and shelter someone you love so endlessly, let alone the frustrations. But I will say this ' without the love and support of my family, I would have been lying in the bed next to him!" Michael is not able to co-exist, so he has his own place, and is doing extremely well at this present time, but I am always aware that this can change quicker than you can blink an eye. Due to his paranoia I refrain from posting things that relate to or involve Michael, but as this is a special day, I asked him for his permission before writing this blog.

Here he is pictured below with my brother Gary, his best mate.

Well thats about it for me this week, hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and the sun is shinning down upon you.

Cazz

Thank You

From all of us,
Jen, Carol, Gary, Donna & Joanne,
to everyone who have left their kind words and well wishes.

In Memory of Alan

4 July 1936 - 7 October 2004

My darling Alan

My life changed forever
When you were taken from me two years ago today
And I still ask why you were taken away so soon.

Alan you were the love of my life
The hardest part is living life without you
I sense your presence at times,
Which gives me the strength to go on

Thinking of you every minute of every day
You are always in my heart.
Thank you for the precious memories
That are mine to hold onto forever and a day

Carol, Gary, Donna & Joanne would like to share with you all the following reading that they wrote & Carol read at Alans funeral service.

Dad, you were our teacher
From you we learned the rules of right and wrong
You gave us strength, hope and courage
You taught us to stand up, be ourselves,
You encouraged us to strive and achieve.
But most of all you showed us how to love each other,
Be there for each other, to stick together, be a united front.

There were times when we rebelled,
You would just look at us with “the look”
Arguments would follow, but stubborn we would remain.
You would just shake your head,
and eventually accepted that we just had to do, and learn for ourselves.
How lucky we were to have been loved so well.

You were proud of us all,
In so many different ways.
You were our rock,
The person we turned to, looked up to and respected
You saw us through the good times
and guided us through the hard times.
Your were not one to express “mush” and sentiment
You didn’t need to, we knew, we were your life, and you knew, you were ours.

We will miss you though we know you are here beside us
We will miss your arguments, laughter, and fun,
We will miss so much, we cant even express
But most of all, we will miss your love, though ours for you remains

You were, are and will be, just as ever, In many minds and hearts, not only ours.
Dad lives in those he left behind, His loved ones and his mates
And so Dad, goodbye does not mean you are gone, so long as we still love you, you live on.

REST IN PEACE

MARTHA and MURIEL

I 'm with Muriel !!!! Which are you Martha or Muriel

*Martha's Way* Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

*Muriel's Way* Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!
*Martha's Way* To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
*Muriel's Way* Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix , keep it in the pantry for up to a year.
*Martha's Way* When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
*Muriel's Way*Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.
*Martha's Way* If you accidentally oversalt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."
*Muriel's Way*If you oversalt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad.
Please recite with me the real woman's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!"
*Martha's Way* Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
*Muriel's Way* Celery? Never heard of it!
*Martha's Way* Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
*Muriel's Way* The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.
*Martha's Way* Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
*Muriel's Way* Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!
*Martha's Way* If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
*Muriel's Way* Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.
*Martha's Way* Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
*Muriel's Way* Leftover wine???????????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

A little Quote

The more you learn, the more you know,

The more you know, the more you forget

The more you forget, the less you know

So ...

Why learn.

A BUSH WALK 5 MINUTES FROM HOME

Hi everyone too nice too be indoors

I had Just dropped off Kayne and Hayden (Grandsons)to have a game

of golf ,As I had Maddison ( granddaughter) with me and camera

in hand, we set off on a lovely walk along a bush track leading to the

Murray river.

Australian Corellas on the path Corella's take flight as we get closer
couldnt resist taking a photo of this lovely Redgum

Maddison pointing to were two Corellas flew out from there nest

rusted piece of old machinary

Little Corellas feed in large noisy flocks. The birds feed mainly on the ground, and have to drink on a daily basis. The most common foods are grains and grass seeds,

A fallen Redgum on the edge of Murray River