The Stony Creek Trestle Bridge

There's a turn-off to the left just before Nowa Nowa, that says old Trestle Bridge 3 kms. I'm glad we decided to turn down here because we met John, an interesting old pensioner who has just bought a second hand three wheel bicycle, a present from Kevy, he said. For those who don't know, our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave all Australian pensioners, carers and parents on low incomes, a Christmas gift of around $1200 each in the hope they would spend the money and stimulate the economy. John says he's happy to be doing his bit for the country.

He's only had it 6 days and actually did 72 kms in one day and that's a long way for anyone, let alone a man well into his sixties, he said in a few months time when he works off all his excess fat, the young ladies will be queueing up for his attention. I'm not sure about the safety factor, coming around a corner on this narrow dirt track and meeting John head on might be a bit disconcerting, and when I think of him out on the highway with all those trucks the mind boggles, he's a sitting duck.

The bridge I thought was rather photographable (is that a word), the last train came across here in 1988.

We also got to watch a harmless goanna slowly amble across the road.

The fish are biting at Nowa Nowa

Are you wondering where this young fella's boat is? He doesn't have one, he caught these bream off the bank here at Nowa Nowa today, New Year's Eve, 2008 and with no fancy bait either, just ordinary everyday prawns!

Nowa Nowa is a 15 minute drive north of Lakes Entrance.

Fishing on 90 Mile Beach

90 Mile Beach, Lakes Entrance, Victoria

Lunch at the Metung Pub

Had a nice meal here at the Metung pub yesterday, it's about a 15 minute drive from Lakes Entrance. The food was pretty good, I had duck on a warm pear salad with toasted hazelnuts and Dennis had flathead in beer batter and chips, which seemed to be the most popular dish. Because the weather was overcast and dull, the view from the dining room wasn't as good as it would be on a sunny day.

Lakes Entrance, cruise of the lakes

Just a short walk through the scrub behind where these boats are beached, is 90 mile beach.






Decided to go on a three hour afternoon cruise of the lakes yesterday, the weather was beautiful. But our captain wasn't a happy camper, he was annoyed at the jet skis and ski boats who were hooning around the lakes when there was a 10 knot speed limit, he said it happens every year.








Four days ago this beautiful 18 year old girl pictured here with her father on Christmas Day, died when she was thrown from a speedboat that hit a tree on Lake Eildon at 1 pm in the morning. A 16 year old male who was driving the boat has since been charged with manslaughter. The lake was low and the tree was half submerged and difficult to see in broad daylight - the mind boggles.







The captain and his wife run the local afternoon cruise in peak time at Lakes Entrance. He drives the boat and his wife, a very friendly lady who likes to chat, makes fresh scones every trip and serves them with home made strawberry jam and cream. She cooks them on board and she brought out an enormous tray for everyone, then we were served with tea or coffee.






Molly Campbell, who belongs to Sean, a member of the crew, is a 10 year old bitza this and bitza that, and also a very important crew member.

Christmas Day at Lakes Entrance

Lakes Entrance has a first class Fisherman’s Co-op which made the decision of what to have for a special Christmas lunch very easy. We decided on one dozen Pacific (large) oysters each, followed by Lobster Mornay on a bed of mashed potatoes with finely chopped green onions through it.

Dennis cut the lobster into chunks and put the two empty half shells into the oven to warm. When I made a light mornay sauce, he put the lobster chunks into the sauce to heat through, then took the 2 now warm shells out of the oven, spooned the lobster mixture in and placed the finished product on a bed of mash – divine.

On Christmas night the owner of the Caravan Park invited everyone to another feast in the camp kitchen, he cooked some delicious pork with crackling and chickens for everyone with fried potatoes and lots of different salads. I was so full from lunch, I couldn’t do it justice but enjoyed chatting to the other campers. The weather was perfect - sunny but mild - about 24C.

Lakes Entrance in Victoria, truly is a beautiful place.

Lakes Entrance, Victoria

Double click to enlarge image. I took this photo on 22nd December at 11am, the temperature was 31C

Arrived at Lakes Entrance, Victoria, we’ll be here for two weeks which takes in Christmas and New Year.

The Victorians really love this place, there must be over 20 caravan parks here and almost all the private homes have been turned into flats. It’s expensive - $45 a night in the caravan park, but it is peak season and we are limited to parks that allow dogs. Pip is a French Bulldog and she doesn’t bark at all so she’s no trouble to anyone, she sleeps outside in the day and comes inside at night.

Dennis is very keen to free camp and wanted to check out a place called Paradise Beach which is in the Camps 4 book about a 220kms return trip from here, so off we went to check it out.

There were some very strange looking people camped at this Paradise beach, and it looked a long way from paradise. There were a couple of old battered caravans that looked ready for the scrap yard and some wild looking yobbos with beards sitting on empty oil drums around a campfire in front of a make-shift tarpaulin shelter. There was also an ancient old bus turned into a camper which looks like it wouldn’t make it up the next hill plus a couple of VW Kombis covered in graffiti.

Then I had to use the toilet and it was my favourite type, the dreaded self composting long drop toilet, just a deep hole in he ground. When I lift the lid, I try not to look down into the abyss and when I sit on the seat I can’t help imagining that I’ve just disturbed a sleeping python down there who’s decided to come up and see what’s happening.

Paradise Beach free camp is definitely not for me.

Malacoota, Victoria

Arrived at Malacoota, just over the New South Wales border and into Victoria, a beautiful spot where the lakes join the sea. It’s a small town and rather isolated, being 25 miles from the highway and a long way from the next major town. With a population of only 1000, at Easter and Christmas, the population rises to around 8,000.

Like most seaside country towns, it's deserted in the winter months and I noticed that most businesses were for sale - the bakery, newsagent, coffee lounge, grocery store but not the pub, we had a meal there one night and the place was jumping.

We got talking to a young couple who have been living here in their caravan at the Caravan Park for 5 months, the wife is working in the village coffee shop and her husband is an electrician putting solar panels in a primary school across the bay. They have applied for a Government job in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory and have received an interview date. If accepted they will be trained and then they will manage a general store in a small community. Just as well they are not big drinkers because it’s a grog free area, strictly no alcohol allowed. They are already experienced travelers and have been all around the country and enjoy the gypsy life but have their own home to go home to should the need arise.

Next stop, Lakes Entrance, Victoria

The Big Trip Around Australia

We said goodbye to our home in Sydney on the 3rd December and set off on our big adventure – to travel around Australia - with no set plans and about 12 months to do it.

We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 and are hauling a 24ft Jayco caravan with its own shower, toilet and washing machine. And because we hope to do some 'free camping' (not staying in Caravan Parks) Dennis has a Yamaha 2.6kva generator mounted on the front of the van in it's own sound-proof box. Oh, and I mustn't forget our three year old female French Bulldog Pip.

First stop Batemans Bay, 300 kms south of Sydney, a popular holiday destination for our politicians, most having holidays homes here. It’s only a 2 hour drive from our capital city, Canberra.

Next stop Tathra in southern New South Wales. A terrible tragedy happened here just a few weeks ago. A young father was fishing at night with his two small boys off the Tathra wharf when suddenly the pram with the baby in it toppled into the water, followed by the toddler who was hanging onto it. The father jumped in to save them but his efforts were in vain, the seas were high and the night was very dark and they all drowned. When we went fishing on the wharf, there was a lone bunch of flowers and two drawings by a child pinned to the railing. The small town is still in shock.

Next stop Malacoota.

Paul McCartney upsets his neighbours

The British Government allows farmers to humanely cull deer and boar if they are a threat to the environment, farming or human safety. But Sir Paul is having none of it, he likes his boars and is allowing them to breed like rabbits and wreak havoc on his property and the neighbours are understandably furious.

The neighbours argue that crops, trees and gardens are being ruined by the animals who can weigh as much as a horse.

Sir Paul, a vege and animal rights campaigner will not hear of his boars being shot and is happy to let them overrun his 1500 acre estate in Sussex.

Neighbours say the boars are ruining crops, trees and gardens in the area.

Wild boar can be very dangerous and will attack people to protect their young. They have tusks and teeth like razors and a charging boar could kill someone.

Late Night Jokes

"Rod Blagojevich was arrested for trying to sell a seat in the Senate to the highest bidder. Isn't that crazy? Yeah. And folks, if convicted, he could wind up in prison, where his seat will be sold to the highest bidder." --Conan O'Brien

"Illinois Governor Rod Bla-son-of-a-bitch, is that how you say his name? Is it Bla-son-of-a-bitch? I think I'm saying that right. He was arrested for conspiring to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. ... Let me tell you something. You know, you don't buy a Senate seat in this country. You take up donations. You go out. You lie to the American people. You make promises you are never going to keep. That's how you get to be a United States Senator." --Jay Leno

"And I love this story. Congress wants to appoint a government car czar to oversee the auto companies. Today, President Bush said, 'Car czar? Isn't he the president of Afghanistan?'" --Jay Leno

"Don't you love watching congressmen lecture auto executives on how to run their business? I mean, you got people that put us a trillion dollars in debt lecturing people who put us a billion dollars in debt." --Jay Leno

"Barack Obama said that he will not smoke cigarettes while he's in the Oval Office. He's kind of a closet smoker. So, he said he wouldn't smoke. And President Bush actually defended him today. President Bush said he smokes a cigar on rare occasions. He says it helps him think. Apparently it's a very rare occasion." --Jay Leno

"And President Bush talked about his religious believes on ABC's 'Nightline' the other night. When the host asked Bush if he was a literalist when it came to the bible, Bush said, no, no, he's actually a Methodist." --Jay Leno

"And today, in Hollywood, some same-sex marriage supporters urged people to call in gay and not go to work to show how much our country relies on the gay and lesbian people in the workforce. Interesting idea, but it kind of backfired here in Hollywood. When they called in, there was nobody there to answer the phone." --Jay Leno

Almost Homeless

Paul Nawrocki, has been looking for work for 9 months with no luck. So the 59 year old businessman took to the streets of New York with a make-shift sandwich board which reads:

'Almost Homeless.

'Looking for employment.

'Very experienced operations and administration manager.

'Desperately seeking full-time employment with insurance benefits for self and family.
Disabled wife on 15 medications.

'Request a copy of my resume. Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.'

Although several people stopped and took a copy of his CV, he is still without a job.

'I've seen a lot of people look at me and get scared, too. Not of me, but you see it in their eyes.

'They are thinking, "Could it come to this? Could this be me someday?"'

Caterpillar plague drives small town crazy

A small town in Queensland has been suffering from a plague of millions of caterpillars for 18 months. One woman, Dallas Boothey is fed up and has to wear a full body suit every time she leaves the house because of a dangerous allergy.

The species is a processionary caterpillar, which is a sub-species of the bag-shelter moth.

Ms Boothey and friends have set up the Itty Bitty Grub Committee in an effort to get some help from environmental authorities. "The most frustrating part is that it's been so hard just to get somebody to come out here," she said.

"They are very easy to kill, just warm soapy water, but we can't do it by ourselves, because there is so much state forest and crown land."

Ms Boothey said it was in the authorities' best interest to act on the issue as the caterpillars were now only 28km away from the city of Bundaberg.

"And each time they outbreak, they move 8km further, we've measured it," she said.
Itty Bitty Grub Committee spokeswoman Karen Carr said she no longer lets her dogs outside, after one pet died earlier this year.

There will be a meeting held at the Darren Hotel where insect expert and Member of Parliament Rob Messenger will hopefully provide answers to the problem.

"It's like a horror movie, they're just hanging from trees, fence posts, they are everywhere” Ms Boothey said.

The sex life of the Redback Spider

The Australian male redback spider is rather romantic in his courtship - he plucks the female’s web, similar to strumming a guitar which is music to her ears. But after she succumbs to his advances and while he is engrossed in the mating ritual, she begins to eat him. The sex lasts from 6 to 31 minutes and she doesn’t even have the courtesy to wait until it’s all over.

Redbacks are only one of two spiders in the world where the male is eaten during copulation.

Redback bites occur frequently, particularly over the summer months and only the female bite is dangerous. They can cause serious illness and have caused deaths but since they rarely leave their webs, humans are not likely to be bitten unless a body part such as a hand is put directly into the web.

Common early symptoms are pain (which can become severe), sweating (always including local sweating at bite site), muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting. Anti-venom is available. No deaths have occurred since its introduction.

When a man barbecues

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is chatting with his mates with beer in hand.

(4) The man places the meat on the grill

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out, looks at the meat and tells the man discretely that the meat is just about ready. He thanks her and asks if she will bring out another beer while he deals with the situation.

(7) The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it to the woman.

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

(10) Everyone praises the man and thanks him for his cooking efforts.

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her day off' and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

Replacing Quasimodo

After Quasimodo's death, the bishop of the Cathedral of Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new bell ringer was needed. The bishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally and went up into the belfry toegin the screening process.

After observing several applicants demonstrate their skills, he had decided to call it a day. Just then, an armless man approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bell ringer's job.

The bishop was incredulous."You have no arms!" "No matter," said the man. "Observe!" And he began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the carillon. The bishop listened in astonishment; convinced he had finally found a replacement for Quasimodo.

But suddenly, rushing forward to strike a bell, the armless man tripped and plunged headlong out of the belfry window to his death in the street below. The stunned bishop rushed to his side.

When he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moments before.

As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked, "Bishop, who was this man?""I don't know his name," the bishop sadly replied "but his face rings a bell.

"WAIT! WAIT! There's more …

The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist, the bishop continued his interviews for the bell ringer of Notre Dame.

The first man to approach him said, "Your excellency, I am the brother of the poor armless wretch that fell to his death from this very belfry yesterday. I pray that you honor his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty."

The bishop agreed to give the man an audition, and, as the armless man's brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike the first bell, he groaned, clutched at his chest, twirled around, and died on the spot.

Two monks, hearing the bishop's cries of grief at this second tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side. "What has happened? Who is this man?" the first monk asked breathlessly."I don't know his name," sighed the distraught bishop, "but....

(Wait for it …)… He's a dead ringer for his brother."

Diary of a Repossession

Elizabeth, 54, a clerical officer, has been married to Paul, 50, a businessman, for 24 years, and they have two children, Daniel, 23, and Adam, 21, who live with them.

Their luxury £400,000 four-bedroom house in North Frodingham, East Yorkshire, was repossessed by HBOS in September. Now, saddled with tens of thousands in debts, they are living in a rented two-bedroom holiday cottage. This is Elizabeth's diary of despair. . .

MARCH 2006
We're throwing a party to celebrate the completion of our new £20,000 bespoke wooden kitchen and my father's 90th birthday. As I prepare food for 35 guests on our range cooker and sunshine floods in through the French doors, I can't help feeling proud.

It's been seven years since we moved to Richmond House, and since then we've completely redecorated. Now, with its four double bedrooms, two bathrooms (complete with roll-top baths with claw feet), large conservatory, utility room, office, and garaging for two cars, it is our perfect family home.

I'll never forget the day in 1999 that Paul came home and said he'd seen the house advertised for sale. He was so excited he wanted me to see it straight away - and as we peered over the fence into the acre of formal gardens with two ponds, we both fell in love with it.

Two days later, our offer of £159,500 was accepted, and within a week we'd found a buyer for our old house. A couple of months later, we moved in.

APRIL 2006
House prices are rising fast and both Paul and I think investing in a buy-to-let property is a good idea. Paul wants to retire at 60 and believes we need to make the next ten years really work for us in terms of earning money. He's always worked hard.

Until 2004, he had a senior position in a printing company, earning £65,000 a year. Then two years ago, in 2004, he set up a successful business supplying pre-paid phone cards. Now, that company is running itself and, to add to our savings, he wants to take on a new challenge.

We remortgage Richmond House to raise the £60,000 deposit and secure a low-rate mortgage on a £110,000 two-bedroom terrace. We're in it for the long term, planning to sell in ten years when the price will have gone up even more. There's a tenant already in it, and the rent easily covers the mortgage.

Meanwhile, to add to his business, Paul is on the lookout for a new company to buy.

MAY 2006
Exciting news. Paul and a business partner have found a printing company to buy. It's on the market for £700,000. It sounds a lot of money, but the turnover is £1.3million a year and it already employs 22 staff.

Together with some other investors, some savings and a loan guaranteed on our family home, he and his partner raise a £350,000 deposit to put down. The rest of the £350,000 business loan will be paid off monthly from the company profits.

I'm not worried, as I trust Paul's judgment completely - after all, he's been a high earner paying 40 per cent tax since he was 27, and he's never let us down.

Paul buys a new BMW Z4 plus a small Rover for our younger son Adam, who's joining him in the new business. That weekend we take both the boys out to a restaurant for a celebratory dinner.

AUGUST 2006
PAUL has been coming home very stressed. The reality is starting to emerge that the business simply isn't what we thought it was. Bills have been arriving - some for tens of thousands of pounds.

Paul's hardly drawing any salary at all. Even our savings are going into the business to pay the staff and these unexpected bills.

With a decreased income - we have only my £500-a-month salary - and our own outgoings to pay (the £1,900-a-month mortgage on Richmond House and the domestic bills such as food), we are dipping deeply into savings. We can only hope that these are teething problems and they won't last long.

I am economising as much as possible, but our overdraft is increasing. Gone are the days of food shopping in M&S; now I am bargain-hunting in Morrisons. But even if I go full time, my salary just isn't enough to stretch to paying all our bills, which are spiralling out of control.

SEPTEMBER 2006 I have come to dread opening the post. Today a gas and electricity bill for £700 arrived.

Our son Daniel, who manages a garden centre, has paid off some of it. Paul rang the utility company and it has said we can pay the rest off at £50 a month. But without any money coming in, it is a struggle to pay even that.

OCTOBER 2006
Every morning, I wake up feeling sick that for the first time in our lives we are struggling financially.

Paul and I find talking about the situation so upsetting that some nights we just sit in the lounge in a strained silence. Adam and Daniel are both withdrawn: they know how bad the situation is and constantly offer us money, even paying for the weekly food shop.

I can't help worrying that soon we won't be able to pay the mortgage and we could lose our home.

Every time I look out of the French doors at our beautiful garden, I can feel tears welling up at our situation. I remember how the boys loved this garden when we first moved here (we filled it with badminton and football nets, a trampoline and climbing frames). The thought that, ultimately, we could end up losing it is unthinkable.

NOVEMBER 2006 Paul seeks advice from the Bankruptcy Advisory Service Limited (BAS). Bankruptcy seems such a drastic step and we really hope it won't come to that, but the phone is constantly ringing with people asking us for money and we can't carry on on our own any longer.
The ray of hope is that they discuss with our creditors at the business paying bills in instalments. Only we won't know until January if this is acceptable.

DECEMBER 2006 A subdued Christmas. We gave our sons their usual present of a £150 cheque each, but they haven't cashed them.

Hanging over our heads is the worry that we could still be facing ruin. If we can convince the creditors to agree to our arrangements to pay in January, then we can continue trading, and Paul is convinced he can still turn things around. If not, we don't know what we'll do.

We hear the news we've longed for: the business can continue trading. Paul and I are so relieved that we go out for a meal - paid for on a credit card. It's the first time we've been out for months.

FEBRUARY 2007
Orders are slowly coming in, but not fast enough - Paul and I are still scratching around for money. Our credit card debt alone is approaching £50,000 and we are falling behind on those repayments.

I can't help thinking how just a year ago we were going out for meals, having people over for dinner and I would think nothing of buying a bottle of wine. Now I can barely afford a haircut.

MARCH 2007
I wake in the middle of the night to find Paul poring over bank statements, and I'm knotted inside with worry.

Despite the rent coming in, we're finding it hard to pay for the upkeep on our buy-to-let. We will have to sell it. Fortunately, the boys decide to buy it from us and manage to secure a joint mortgage.

I'm relieved and pleased for them as we still feel property is a good investment.

JUNE 2007
Disaster. Just as we think we are finally climbing out of the nightmare and the business is beginning to turn around, floods sweep through Hull.

It even makes the national news. Our business isn't flooded, but lots of our customers have been and the order book takes a massive tumble as they cancel jobs.

The property also has a large garden, but Halifax has reduced its asking price from £400,000 to just £260,000

JULY 2007
The newspapers are full of the American credit crunch and saying that banks here are facing liquidity problems. Houses aren't selling so well, either.

I am wondering how thinly I can slice a small chicken to share between all four of us when Paul comes home to tell me the company's finished and he's been advised to take bankruptcy. This means he also has to relinquish his holding in the pre-pay phone card business.

I sink down in a kitchen chair, head in my hands, shattered at the news.

AUGUST 2007
Paul comes home white-faced after making all the staff redundant, including our son Adam. Our BMW and Adam's car are returned. Paul has tried so hard and I don't want him to see how desperately upset I am, but I can't help but cry at the news.

SEPTEMBER 2007
Paul is talking of getting another job, but just as we are discussing it, news of the Northern Rock crash fills the papers.

With no money coming in, Paul and I agree we have to sell the house. An estate agent values it at £400,000 and, heartbreakingly, it goes on the market.

NOVEMBER 2007
Another blow. Paul has been to see if he qualifies for any benefits, but despite the fact that he has paid so much in tax for all these years, as he was self-employed he hardly qualifies for any help at all. It seems that to get benefits in this country you need to have never worked.

He's been sending off job application forms, but nothing has come in. Mortgage rates are rising and our mortgage payments are £2,400 per month, but we can hardly afford to eat.

We write to the bank saying we cannot afford to pay it this month, offering them £500 a month instead and telling them the house is up for sale. A year ago defaulting would have been unthinkable, but we have no choice.

DECEMBER 2007
We rely on handouts from friends and family and go through the motions of Christmas: I prepare a turkey dinner as usual, but there are no presents this year.

The estate agent rings to say can we drop our asking price by £20,000? We refuse. We need every penny.

JANUARY 2008
On January 14, Paul is officially declared bankrupt and our original company goes into liquidation, too. Although we knew it was coming, and friends know the reality of it, the shame of it is still terrible.

We have heard nothing from the bank. We hope this is good news, as it knows we are trying to sell our home.

MARCH 2008
I am shaking as I read the letter from the bank saying it is seeking repossession in June.
We are now desperate to sell, but with the onset of the credit crunch there are no viewings. Our estate agent says it isn't only us, the whole housing market is grinding to a halt.

Meanwhile, Paul has been to see East Riding Council to see if we would be eligible for council housing but, shockingly, it has only bed and breakfast available.

APRIL 2008
The BAS writes to the bank on our behalf with the offer from a friend to pay £500 a month on the mortgage until the house is sold. But the bank says the only way to stop the repossession is to pay off all the arrears in a lump sum - a staggering £50,000 (the amount that's built up ever since we have not been able to pay the monthly payment in full), including fees and accrued interest.

We phone to discuss it, but the bank asks us to hand over the keys. We refuse because we still hope to sell.

MAY 2008
Paul goes to court to get an extension of time to enable us to find somewhere to live, staving off the eviction until September. Hope rises that there is still a way out of this.

JUNE 2008
Misery everywhere with talk of the credit crunch. No viewings, no offers. And no job offers for Paul, either. A friend has offered to pay for us to rent a nearby two-bedroom holiday cottage and to put our furniture into storage. It's so kind that I am close to tears again.

AUGUST 2008
We can't face the bailiffs. The weekend before the eviction, we post the keys back to the bank.
Our sons will have to share a room in the holiday cottage, but they make the best of it, joking that it's like a childhood adventure.

Clearing out my hand-made kitchen cupboards as we prepare to leave, I am suddenly overwhelmed by tears. We try to keep things in perspective - worse things could happen - but the truth is we have lost everything.

Looking around the cottage, it seems so cramped in comparison to what we have just left. It's the end of an era and the future looms ahead, terrifyingly uncertain.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
'Our' house is officially repossessed. When we leave, I can't look back because I feel so sad and lonely.

OCTOBER 2008
Incredibly, the nightmare isn't over. The amount we now owe on our mortgage has leapt from £250,000 to £330,000 because of repossession fees.

Worse, for a quick sale HBOS has reduced the asking price to just £260,000.

Devastatingly, this would leave a shortfall of around £70,000 to pay back. We thought having our house repossessed was the end of it, but we were terribly wrong.

The only good news is that as Paul did nothing illegal, his bankruptcy has been lifted early. But he'll find getting credit almost impossible.

NOVEMBER 2008
We are reeling with anger. HBOS has accepted an offer of just £255,000 for Richmond House. We can't believe how uncaring it is to sell the house for such a ridiculous price.

The revelation that after all this we still owe £80,000 to the bank in the run-up to Christmas - and they can bankrupt me, too, to get it - sends us back into despair.

It has been a truly hellish year - though thousands of other families have been living through the same ordeal - and there is no doubt this Christmas will be the bleakest of our lives.

Comments (361)
Here's what readers have had to say so far.

Although i feel for the emotive side for the people involved, these people perhaps should have though a bit more clearly before splashing out on £20k kitchens, bespoke conservatories and bathrooms. They brought the house for £159k yet to state that HBOS is ‘uncaring’ and it is ridiculous that they accepted £255k is a joke and extremely naïve. What did these people expect that the housing market would be some magical Charlie and the Choclate factory of house price increases. They live near Hull! They must have obviously done a monster equity withdrawl on it to fund the businessand extras and gambled massively and were foolhardy to do so. You can blame people’s ignorance when it came to the housing market and their naïve faith in Brown but ultimately it is not an individual’s error it is the error of an entire generation in thinking they can make a mint out of property and use it to fund their unrealistic lifestyles when the money they gamble it all on was not real!
- Austin, Harrogate, 26/11/2008 11:44

Sorry but as much as I feel for these people they are not victims of the credit crunch - they are victims of themselves. The took on way too much leverage. The media has to stop helping people blame the banks - no one forces anyone to borrow. - CB, United States, 26/11/2008 0:19 Totally agree with CB!!!
- Lisa, London, UK., 26/11/2008 11:39

I think you have had loads of bad advice and that has helped to make a bad situation worse. But there is light at the end of the tunnel and you become more compassionate with other people, it is a lesson learnt the hard way and look on the bright side, you have some one who is helping in providing a roof over your head, Our family totally decked us out when we fell on hard times due to two business failures, they even told us to sell our house and they haven't spoken to us since - no loss.
- dunbar, UK, 26/11/2008 11:38

Source: The Daily Mail

Gordon Ramsay Cartoon

Japanese man living in airport terminal

Hiroshi Nohara doesn't know why he's been sleeping rough in Terminal 2 of the Benito Jurarez International Airport in Mexico City for the past 3 months but he doesn't have any plans to leave.

At first he was frightening people and the Japanese embassy was asked to investigate why the smelly man wouldn't move on but his visa is valid and doesn't expire until early March so he has a legal right to be there.

It seems he's enjoying his celebrity status and is happy to give television interviews and pose for photographs with tourists. He sleeps on a chair and survives on food provided by strangers and various stalls holders.

Meanwhile his appearance continues to deteriorate and he smells like a man who hasn't washed for months. An airport janitor said he was a calm person who just sat in the food hall all day and ate.

He said the Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal" was not his inspiration.

Aboriginal Child Crisis

There are now a staggering 4000 Aboriginal children in foster care in New South Wales, compared to 1000 when the Aboriginal Welfare Board was abolished in 1969. Black children are being removed at 10 times the rate of white children.

Amanda Bridge, chairwoman of the Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat, said: "It's more than were taken in the Stolen Generation."

About half the indigenous children in NSW live close by with a grandmother or great-grandmother. These foster parents are known as kinship carers and receive a tax-free allowance which does not affect other commonwealth entitlements. Aboriginal organisations are advertising for more foster carers as the need becomes greater.

The NSW Minister Linda Burney is herself part Aboriginal and was raised in a home without parents. The daughter of a white mother and black father, she wasn't aware of her Aboriginal heritage and didn't meet her father until she was 28. She realizes the need to keep Aboriginal children near their country or the lands of their ancestors and to be placed with their own people.

Gordon Ramsay the dirty love rat

Gordon Ramsay, the foul mouthed Hell’s Kitchen chef who seems proud of his family-man image has been having an affair for seven years with Sarah Symonds, author of the book Having an Affair? A Handbook For The Other Woman.





Jeffrey Archer, a former British politician and famous author was also involved with Symonds and she first made headlines when their affair was discovered in 2001.








This week, Symonds and Ramsay met for sex at a London hotel where they stayed for 75 minutes. Before joining him at the hotel, Symonds went to Soho and bought the legal sex drug amyl nitrate.



Ramsay and his devoted wife Tana have four children. His father-in-law Chris Hutcheson plays a major part in the business operations of Ramsay’s restaurant empire.


On the surface Symonds tries to suggest that her book will empower women and set them free from the sad life of being a mistress but she goes on to give this advice to women who aren’t very good in the kitchen. “Aim to practice some extra special sexual techniques in the bedroom afterwards. He will soon forget the absence of that bouquet garni in your coq au vin. Trust me!”




I think we get the gist. Come on Mrs. Ramsay, let’s see what you’re made of.

When you thought I wasn't looking

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the fridge and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favourite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you close your eyes and say a prayer and I learned about faith.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned about giving.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good so I learned what responsibility means.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt but it's alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared for me and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a decent person when I grow up.

Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

Author Unknown

The Seed

If seeds could think, the one that fell into the builder's yard must have thought itself really unlucky.


It had drifted down through chain link fencing, perhaps rolling off angle iron struts. Eventually it landed on the rubble and rubbish strewn soil - under two discarded metal gates, each of which would have needed two strong men to put them there.


What chance did it have? What could grow under all that iron and debris? It should have given up.


Instead it tried. It grew. A little shoot not big enough to move any of the rubbish on top of it, so it grew around it. But surely those great heavy gates would stop its efforts coming to anything.


But it grew some more. It found spaces, grew through them, grew around them, and joined up on the other side of them. It kept going.


Now there's a twelve foot tree in that space. Metal struts are trapped inside it's trunk and wires run through its branches but now it's the gates that are stuck. They've been lifted off the ground but they can't be moved, they have become part of the tree.


The gates can only be seen now because it's winter, but in the summer the branches of the tree fill their little corner of the yard and all you can see is swaying greenery.


The little seed kept on trying, even though the soil seemed barren and the obstacles seemed too great. It grew in the most inhospitable place and never gave up until eventually the people who said it would never happen looked at the tree and were amazed.

Who's going to change the tyre?

Canada says obese need two seats on airline

Obese people have won the right to take up two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, thanks to their Supreme Court.

They have ruled that people who are "funcionally disabled by obesity" deserve to have two seats for one fare. Room for an attendant during the flight or access for a wheelchair is considered necessary.

Law Professor Linda McKay-Panos, who is herself clinically obese, has been fighting for the rights of obese travellers since she was charged for one and a half seats on a 1997 Air Canada flight.

I wonder if other airlines will follow Canada's lead, I doubt it.

Holocaust never happened, says Fredrik Toben

Toben with former Ambassador to Australia Tom Schiefer

Australian Fredrik Toben, the man who denies the Holocaust ever happened has won his battle with the German Government to extradite him from Britain.

The Germans appealed against a British court's refusal to exradite him to Germany after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on October 1 for racism. Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany which carries a jail sentence of up to five years. The German lawyers wanted him extradited so he could be put on trial for posting anti-Semitic material on the internet between 2000 and 2004 in Australia, Germany and other countries.

But Westminster Magistrates Court district judge Daphne Wickham ruled there were only "sparse" details about Dr Toben's offences, in other words, there was not enough evidence to support the extradition and agreed with Toben's lawyers that the arrest warrant was fatally flawed.

However, after granting Dr Toben bail, the judge laid down a set of strict conditions. He must pay 100,000 pouds cash as security, he must live at at an address approved by authorities, report daily to the police, not use the internet, speak to the media or attend any public meetings.

Is this sufficient punishment for an insane man spreading hatred at every opportunity, I don't think so.

Depressed Parrot on Prozac

An African Grey parrot called Fred became very depressed after his owner George Dance died nine months ago, he just couldn't figure out where George had gone.

He was so distressed, he bit all his neck feathers off and bobbed his head up and down all day. So a liquid dose of a bird-friendly version of Prozac, called Clomical, twice a day has put him back on his perch.

It seems that tropical birds are very emotional and the number needing anti-depressants is rising.

Kidman and Jackman in Premiere of Australia

The People of Kununurra were disappointed by an apparent snub from the film’s producers to screen the premiere of the new movie Australia in locations where the movie was filmed – Sydney, Darwin and Bowen in Queensland, but not Kununurra, which plays a prominent part in the movie.

But Twentieth Century Fox Film Distributors announced they would hold a special Kununurra invite-only screening of the film in their own open air cinema. It’s the wet season now in Kununurra and the only cinema available was an outdoor one.

People from the town and surrounding areas who played a part in making the film were invited to the screening, as well as local Aboriginal elders and traditional owners of the land. They were among the first people in the world to see the film.

Back in Sydney, Nicole braves the rain on the red carpet.

It seems that an unknown 12 year old boy from Broome, Brandon Walters has stolen the show. He received an enthusiastic welcome and loud applause at a news conference yesterday. When approached about the part, he had never heard of Nicole Kidman. He plays Nullah, a half caste boy living on the cattle property Faraway Downs and was picked from a pool of 1000 boys.

Brandon's mother, Janie Wright, told reporters the family was not worried about his future. "If it does become a problem for him, we'll just go out bush, get away from it all. Now he's at school, he's happy and never stops talking. The film made him confident. He's no longer shy."