rgbstock
4 Letter Words
1. krayker16 July 2010, 13:45 GMT +02:00
You can only change ONE letter, AND/OR rearrange the letters currently available. The first word is:
WINS
8546. xymonau31 August 2013, 1:13 GMT +02:00
Well, Ed and Willem are stars now so they can dictate the terms. :o)
I need to qualify "fast". It's only ADSL2, and the rest of the world has much faster internet. I also pay $99 per month, but it's packaged with the phone.
It's the best I can get here. I think I posted a video on FB re the electoral campaign that was about our internet speeds, but I'll see if I can find it and post it here as well. It's funny.
Okay, here it is:
http://abbottsinternet.com.au/
I want to post a link to a news story that happens every year. The magpie is native all over Australia, with some colour variations. It's a fairly big bird, and can take an eye out or stab and cut you very easily in its relentless dive bombs to protect its young. They nest in winter, and the babies are out in spring - tomorrow is our first day of spring - so they are on the warpath. Only some attack, unless provoked. And if you feed them, they will leave you alone. They are really smart and nice birds generally - also very tame, eating out of your hand after a short time to build trust. But I have been chased by them in the past, and it was no fun! LOL
http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/18732208/spring-prompts-warning-to-beware-of-swooping-magpies/
I already have a friendly one that visits my yard, so I don't think I'm at risk this year. :o)
rain
8547. gesinek31 August 2013, 9:55 GMT +02:00
May be Mr. Abbott has still a phone with a dial and thinks he very progressiv.
ruin
8548. xymonau31 August 2013, 10:42 GMT +02:00
He just couldn't give a toss. We are merely units of work to pay taxes. He also is insulting to women. But he will be elected, and we will be stuck with him. *sigh*
As they say, the problem with elections is you have to vote for a politician.
rind
8549. gesinek31 August 2013, 15:24 GMT +02:00
My chancelor Angie is also not my choice. But I fear she 'll be reelected at Sept. 22.
but not with my vote.
dirt
But first -girls evening today. Imeet with some girlfriends for BBQ also sky is covered with clouds and it's getting a little bit colder today. And we had some rain. Flowers enjoys it although it was too less for them.
8550. xymonau1 September 2013, 1:24 GMT +02:00
Yes, you're getting into Autumn and we are moving into Spring. In fact, it's the first day of Spring today. I don't like the heat, but I need the longer days now I have so far to drive. It's funny. I drove much farther in Brisbane to get to work, but here it seems a long way because of the highway and isolation. I enjoy the few minutes of open highway, but my eyesight is so bad at night that I have to get straight home from work and I generally just make it before last light. I look forward to having time to shop before I go home.
Our Spring is usually rainy and summer is the wet season. However, this year winter was the wet season. It hardly ever stopped raining until the last few weeks. Very annoying. Still, now with tankwater, I'm going to appreciate the rain much more than I once did.
How was your girls night out, Gesine? It's nice to get together with only girlfriends for a change, isn't it? Was the BBQ at someone's home? What did you have?
I just read about your Chancellor and the Christian Democratic Party on Wikipedia. Fascinating history of the role. But I would definitely not vote for any party that had even a vague religious connotation - even though I believe in God - because of what always happens when religion gains control of people. Remember the dark ages when the church had total control - the worst time in the history of the planet, with millions tortured and murdered for their beliefs. The party that will be elected here is right wing and conservative with Mr Abbott being a very active Catholic who makes decisions for everyone else based on his personal convictions. That's scary. Your personal convictions should control how you behave towards other people, but government is about roads and schools and hospitals, and for everyone, not just those who will comply with your beliefs. I find the fascist and religio-political tone that is trending in the world very frightening. We only have to look at history to see where we are headed.
I'll get off the soapbox now. :o)
drip
8551. xymonau1 September 2013, 3:53 GMT +02:00
I just saw a news article about a German family whose kids were taken because they aren't allowed to homeschool. Is that correct? What about other European countries? It's allowed here as long as when the children are tested they are up to the standards of other children their age. In fact, with the problem of distance in this country, many children are home schooled. If that's the case in Germany, do you know the reason? I just found this really of interest because I had never heard of this before.
8552. gesinek1 September 2013, 15:30 GMT +02:00
We have compulsory schooling in most european countries. It's from the age of 6 to 16 years and the parents are responsible for the children to go to school. To bunk of school causes a remark in your school papers and can leed (extrem cases) to the fact that you have an remark in your police clearance certificate.
Most kids in Germany go to public schools but there are also private schools (expensive) or schools from catholic and protestant church. The non public schools have to achieve the same demands as public schools. Here parents are not allowed to home school their children.
Even the few children on the Halligen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halligen) have a school but not always a physical teacher. Some education contents are teached by a teacher from onshore over video conference.
The religious connotaion is one fact. They are a conservative party and their attitude and goals don't fit my understanding of social togetherness of public.
Girls evening is a very fine event. Everytime. Everyone has to fulfill a part of the meal and you can talk, talk, talk all night long.
As drink we had something with rum and ananas very tasty but really strong. So we had only a little glass of it and changed quickly to prosecco.
Yesterday the one who was responsible for the starter was ill so we take my snacks for that We had little tomatoes with mozzarella,and basil spiced with olive oil and balsamico vinegar, rolls from pankcakes filled with cream cheese, turkey and rocket. and sticks from puff pastry filled with feta, spiced with pepper...and spiced white cheese as dip.
Afterwards we had fish (dorade and salmon trout filled with citron and a lot of herbs) for bbq with potatosalat and some dips. My girlfriend made that after a recipe from a famous cook from here, Steffen Hensler. He acts as tv cook and has a famous fish restaurant in the harbour.
Do you have also so much cooking series on TV? A forgot, you don't have one right?
And Christine: Is Netherlands tv also full of cooking series?
And do you watch them?
What's about you Christa and Michael? Do you like those series?
I love to watch a few of them. Everything lookes so simple but when you try it yourself things changes...
For dessert we warmed marshmallows on the rest heat of the grill. Than made a "burger", putting a cake under the marshmallow on it a little piece of chocolate which melted and on top another cake. Sounds scary but is was delicious.
Everybody has to make something she never cooked before and we test the results. So we search in cooking books or on recipe sites in internet for something new, doesn'matter how funny the recipe sounds.
drop
8553. Groningen1 September 2013, 18:55 GMT +02:00
I don't have a tv anymore, I stopped watching some 5 years ago but yes Dutch television is a lot of cooking programs, dance- and singing- contests and other "reality" rubbish
I fill my days with YT, MFZ, FB, rgb and Ravelry ;-)
very useful :P
and I have found another use for knitting socks and feel good about that
I can donate them to a society that cares for the homeless in Groningen
http://www.openhof.org
and I have found I think a nice neutral colored sock wool suitable for men
http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq256/Groningen-photos/Ravelry/Ravelry-september-blokjessok.jpg
and to motivate me and finish the socks, I have become a member of the "Samen Sokken Breien" (Together Knitting Socks) group on Ravelry
every month a different pair of socks with photos as prove ;-)
mmmm lekker drop
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop
crop
8554. xymonau2 September 2013, 10:26 GMT +02:00
Licorice is popular here, and although I like it, it can be bad for the heart, so I rarely eat it. One of my workers loves the stuff and eats a lot of it.
I think what you're doing is great, Christine. I looked at your links. Openhof is like some of our major city drop-in centres for help and referral. It reminds me of the 139 Club in Brisbane - http://www.139club.com.au/139_Club_Inc/Welcome.html
That wool looks excellent, and I imagine thick woollen socks are needed in your winter. They are one thing that are hard to get here - well, socks of any kind, really - because people usually wear theirs until they are beyond repair. Homeless people often have problems with their feet from living 24/7 in shoes and socks and never changing them. I once encountered a man in a shelter in Brisbane. He was using crutches to get around, with great difficulty. He told me his feet were "sore". I asked what was wrong and he said he didn't know, so I asked him to take off his shoes for me to have a look. As he took off his socks, he peeled off most of the skin on his feet with them. It fell all over the floor, and his feet were raw. I called an ambulance and he was admitted to hospital for quite a while until his feet began to heal. I can still picture my (then) boss vacuuming up the pieces of flesh from the office carpet. The client must have been in agony.
I think it's a great idea to join a group doing the same thing. That gives you a lot of incentive. Having fun with your craft and being able to use it like that is really excellent.
I stopped watching television because I had no aerial in my last unit, and the landlord refused to provide one. But I hardly watched it much before. I find most programming insipid and unintelligent. I can get hooked on junk TV like anyone else - especially when I just want to zone out - but I prefer to choose my junk online. I would like to be able to kick back and watch some things sometimes instead of sitting in an office chair at a desk, but you can't have everything. :o)
Gesine, the Halligen are interesting. Australia had the School of the Air (by radio) for many years, with a teacher in a major centre talking to kids via short wave radio for several hours per week, and they completed the rest by correspondence. Many children were educated that way, and I personally know one who went to university and has lots of degrees now. The correspondence school is available to children for various reasons - illness, isolation, etc - so home schooling, whether for religious or other reasons - is common here, and of a good standard. I imagine computer contact is the primary source of alternative education these days, but not everywhere has good computer connections (e.g., isolated cattle properties and townships). Satellite connections have improved a lot, though.
Do children have to go to school on Saturdays there? I know it's mandatory in some countries.
Your BBQ food sounds delicious. What a great idea to make new dishes. It sounds like a lot of fun. Are any of those friends also nurses?
cork
8555. Ayla872 September 2013, 12:24 GMT +02:00
Yes, three months bond money mean that the poor people can't easily decide to move from one unit to another, that's true. In some areas there are already many candidates for every free unit and it is hard to find something with an affordable rent. With high numbers of divorces and the resulting single households each occupying whole units there is a constant need to build more houses.
With ADSL2 you now have the same internet speed we are happy to have here, too. That is a really nice speed...
I think the saturdays are mostly free for school kids, but on the other hand there is a trend for whole-day-school from 08.00 to 16.00, which is quite a long time for kids. I have the impression that many parents use that as an opportunity to store their kids away while they are at
work.
8556. xymonau2 September 2013, 12:54 GMT +02:00
Those are long hours. Poor kids. They should be allowed to be kids until their little bodies can cope with the stress of it all. And sitting in class should only be a part of their education. If they were taught practical skills from a young age - mechanics, building furniture, etc - both sexes - then their minds would be better stimulated, and they would grow up a lot more useful. Maybe some schools are more progressive, but it seems tiny kids are doing homework these days. It's unrealistic and bad for them. Most adults don't have to take work home to do in our leisure time.
We seem to have housing shortages in places, too - particularly the cities, where rents are really high. Poor people get pushed to the outskirts or smaller towns, and often social problems go with them. That doesn't mean all poor people have social problems, but social problems can be a base cause of some poverty, and those people look for cheaper rentals in smaller towns, too. Fifty families mean nothing in the city, but fifty difficult families in a town where the population is low can really drag a place down. I think my town is one of those.
rook
8557. gesinek2 September 2013, 16:45 GMT +02:00
We also have whole-day-school ab from 5th class. Elementary school ends every day at 13.00 h. For the parents can go to work both.
And up from 5th class the offers for afternoon are creative courses, painting, music, or sport, or a lot of other thins incl. tutoring in most all school objects. I think for a lot children it isn't bad. And at the Moment afternoon school is voluntarily.
room
8558. xymonau3 September 2013, 10:25 GMT +02:00
We have out of school hours care conducted at a lot of schools. Our little kids go to school from 9am (or 9:30 - can't remember) until about 2pm. The older kids - from about age 7 - finish at 3pm. Not a huge difference. And I still think 7year olds are a bit young for the longer day. I know they cope, but I think kids should be more free at that age. There's plenty of time for hard work as they get older. Still, that's only one opinion. And I hated school, so I'm prejudiced. :o)
moor
8559. Ayla874 September 2013, 13:05 GMT +02:00
Dez, how was that visit of all the celebritys, were they pleased with what they saw?
mono
8560. xymonau4 September 2013, 14:39 GMT +02:00
They didn't see much, Michael. They had a dinner one evening and we were all invited. I didn't go because I can't drive at night. I went to the official launch the next day, held in the local theatre complex. It was nicely done. The mayor, a couple of members of State parliament were there, the CEO and the Chair of the board were there, and our CEO (now not a CEO any more). They all gave speeches, after an Aboriginal man gave the traditional "welcome to country", which is done at most meetings these days.
The speeches were mercifully short and to the point. Everyone was smiling. We got a write up in the paper and two local TV stations did stories. I met all the relevant people and the CEO remembered me - something all good CEOs do is remember the insignificant people, and he has the magic.
The organisation is active in East Timor, India, Chile as well as being the largest housing company in the country, and I think it has a wonderful attitude to staff and clients, so I'm feeling very positive about it. I'm just dreading the hard work of changing over the computer system and procedures. I'm not sure most of my staff will adapt. We'll see, I guess.
I don't know when they will audit us, but I know it will have to happen eventually. I will be nervous about that, as it rests squarely on my shoulders.
How is Mimi?
moon
8561. gesinek7 September 2013, 11:29 GMT +02:00
Our plum tree broke in two halfs yesterday.
We heard it and can't believe it first. One half covered the driveway of our neighbour completely. So we had a little Lumber Jack session. And so many plums.....
I have to make something with the plums. Plumcake ok, plum jam ok, any other suggestions?
noon
8562. xymonau7 September 2013, 14:07 GMT +02:00
Do you have a recipe for plum chutney? There should be one on the net. And if they're ripe enough, could you preserve them in bottles with a sugar syrup to eat later with cake and ice cream? How do they go in pancakes with some sweetening? And maybe a sort of crumble - maybe mixed with some apples to lighten the flavour.
It must have been a big tree, Gesine. Was it the weight of the plums or was there a problem with the trunk? I had a plum tree once in New South Wales. It used to have big red plums, very sweet. We also had a pear tree and a peach tree, but the bees got into the peaches and ate them. I always love having fruit trees.
goon
8563. gesinek7 September 2013, 15:59 GMT +02:00
The tree lost a few smallerbrancher the last years caus there so many plums. And at one place there must be water running in the trunk and there it is scruffily. We have to cut the rest down also.
Good ideas to handle the plums. Our neighbour took two big polyboxes with plum for their daughter, who has a little cafe. But I still have six 10l buckets with plums.
I know what to do this weekend...
gone
8564. Groningen7 September 2013, 18:52 GMT +02:00
@Gesine: good luck with the plums, sorry the tree broke
http://www.chefkoch.de/rs/s0/pflaumenkuchen/Rezepte.html
@Michael: how is Mimi?
and to Dez: condolences on the election of the Mad Monk
nose
8565. xymonau8 September 2013, 5:44 GMT +02:00
Wow! It's a shame you have to cut down a tree that bears so prolifically. Do plum trees spring up from the old rootstock like other trees? I hope you have a great cook-up, Gesine!
Ah, Christine - your condolences are needed. Still, the other side wasn't perfect, either, and, frankly, there are few politicians anywhere with vision and courage to resist pressure from powerful countries or megalithic corporations. The media have been relentless against the left wing in this country for years, and propaganda wins every time.
I'm not wildly left wing, but I do believe governments have some responsibility for providing for those who can't provide for themselves. I also believe in state-sponsored free medical treatment and hospitals.
Never mind. We'll see the fallout shortly.
sine
8566. Ayla878 September 2013, 8:19 GMT +02:00
Mimi enjoys the weekend
http://abload.de/img/img_1630kjs03.jpg
so all is
fine
8567. xymonau8 September 2013, 9:33 GMT +02:00
LOL! She's clearly complaining about the service. :o) Isn't she a pretty cat.
fend
8568. Ayla878 September 2013, 15:37 GMT +02:00
Gesine, how about making some of the plums into prunes to conserve them
http://www.helpster.de/doerrpflaumen-selber-machen-so-klappt-s_70332#anleitung
And you can see that Mimi is a toothless cat, but she copes very well without them.
fond
8569. gesinek8 September 2013, 16:04 GMT +02:00
Dry plums - I thought about that and with the help from your link I'll try it.
Today I cooked stewed plums, and plum relish and I made cake which I will take along to work tomorrow. The hungry caterpillars eat everything.
The picture of MImi is very cute. Don't know she has no teeth.
done
