Winter solstice Downunder

[Airspeed]

Hi All,
Last night was as above.
Neighbour had a celebration. We took a pot of mulled apple juice, which proved very popular. Surprising how many non-alcohol drinkers attended.
Mrs Airspeed and others enjoy the fire:

[emfrat]

Starting to get a bit cool up here, too
http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/gatton.shtml

MikeW

[511Flyer]

Apple Juice???????

[Airspeed]

MikeW Indeed! A couple of those days down here would make a pleasant break. Half the country seems to be in drought, or two metres under water. The federal government needs to do some redistribution.

Now Mr "511Flyer", seeing as you evidently only fly on Guy Fawkes night, you should understand austerity. Us old blokes have to stretch our pension dollars. 2 litres of apple juice is cheaper than a slab(=24 cans) of VB, and let's face it, just one can of VB doesn't even touch the sides.

[nigelb]

Looks like a spendid celebration Mike! Bundle up some of that cooler air and send it here. Oh, wait I complained about the cold last winter but that is because I am an old coot and I have to complain about something and weather is a great object since I know I can't do a bloody thing about it. We hit 36C a few days ago so I bet summer heree will be a scorcher - still this weekend was very pleasent. Back to hot and humd by Tuesday so I can start complaining again.

[dfarrow]

Mike , Celebrating ? I'll bet as your nights are drawing out . Sat. night we walked with a jug of ze Zummerset apple juice up Hambledon Hill , to watch the summer solstice sunset at 9.28 pm local time . Amidst Swifts , Swallows , 'n then Bats . Some of us old guys have earned the right to be grumpy , so here it is ... We toasted the sun and drowned our sorrows , 'cos the nights are now drawing in 'til 22nd Dec ! Bootiful sunset with pastel coloured sky and purpling hills . Dusk was upon the Neolithic hill top fort and as we walked back down in the gloaming towards the gathering night and twinkling lights of cottages and farmsteads ; imaginations could see the '' old people '' , a Roman cohort , or indeed King Arthur passing us by .
Back in the valley , light was still in the sky at 11pm ; 'tho rapidly banished by electric lights and tv . ..... The spell was banished .

Funny how Zummerset apple juice can affect you .

Now to finish on another moan ... it's too hot at 24C and too sunny with no clouds !

P.S. at risk of granny and sucking eggs
Zummerset apple juice = Somerset Scrumpy = Cider = very refreshing , hi in alcohol , cheap when bought at the farm gate , and much less tax than beer .

VBrgds dave f .

[511Flyer]

I'm just a 75yr old OAP who really doesn't understand why it is "evident" that I only fly on bonfire night.

I truly understand that replies are made in jest, and we give and take in the spirit of friendship.

511Flyer AKA Dennis.

[Airspeed]

Gentlemen, Gentlemen,
One at a time now.
Hi Dennis,
Remember, remember the 5th of November....etc.
Your name: 511Flyer.
Don't worry about me, I look at everything from various angles and see what I can make of it; comes from liking cryptic crosswords, I guess. Hope I didn't cause too much pain.
Spot on, all these posts are made in a spirit of friendship. I and others don't set out to upset our friends here. My latest scan also confirmed that there isn't a nasty bone in my body.

Dave,
Lovely story, you should put that in a poem, matey.

"Ohhhh, Coates comes up from Zummerzet,
Where the zider apples growww,
There's nothing like zweet Zummerzet,
Az country folk do knoww......"
Thatz 'ow they advertized it in the 1960z.
We had some scrumpy during our trips down South (I being horribly under age BTW). I recall dad thinking that the locals were wimpy for drinking half pints. He sank a few pints and finished up asleep on the car bonnet at the camping ground - got sunburnt while he was at it. I still love dry cider, it's nearly as good as champagne, and a tenth of the price. Mrs Airspeed doesn't like the smell of me when I drink it, though....still, at the time that doesn't really worry a certain person.


Hello Nigel,
Daleks HATE that weather, the humidity can cause short circuits.
You need to try Perth, WA, my friend. Dry dry dry. 40C over there is easier to take than a humid 35C. MikeW would know a bit about that, as I do from time in Sydney (Saunatown) and even Melbourne, where you can't sleep for the humid nights. Up here in the high country, it's a rarity. As I write,0:20hrs, it's 3.3C and 94% humidity outside, 19.8 and 51% indoors. Those outside conditions are very bad for your tools in the shed!

[dfarrow]

In the spirit of friendship , aand being a whinging pom , able to safely rag an Aussie from 11000 mi away , ........ nasty bone ? ......I should think not they're all arthritic ....
And you're meant to use your tools , not let them rust in 't shed ... , but at our age that's what mine are doing .

Brgds from the Daarset heatwave ,22C and a bit cloudy .

PS , saw '' The Wurzels '' last week in a Bere Regis farmyard . The best of ' Farmyard Rock ' , and of course we were '' Dancing on the Dung Heap '' ! Not to mention '' Drink up ye Cider '' and other classic odes .
Would you believe it's 40 years since 'Adge Cutler died and 42 since I last saw them .

dave f .

[511Flyer]

There used to be a very old cider house in Bath called The Beehive, where they sold wicked brews from all over Somerset. I went there once, only the once, as one of a group of young airmen from RAF Colerne, who thought they could hold their drink. The barman placed half pint tankards on the counter, as that was the only measure they sold it in, and asked what we required. I remember having Green Priddy, and after the second one, I remember very little else about the evening. I remember the hangover lasting two days though!