The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the Virtual Rugby Pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the wedding pictures of Father Christmas, Sean Lamont and Paddy Wallace above the bar!


So pull up a chair....what'll it be?



Old Pub: https://www.606v2.com/t20203-the-dew-drop-inn-virtual-rugby-pub

Throw a few shrimp on the barbie for all us here in the NH, Linebreaker..... Or some other Aussie stereotype.

Hi Cari... Merry Christmas to you too. Big

I know what you mean about the family gatherings... we've had some epic ones. Was just talking about the 'incidents' we've had over the years... when someone puts their foot in it and starts talking about politics, certain people, etc. A seemingly innocent opinion is misconstrued and disagreement is sparked followed by the rolling of eyes... and "I can't believe you said that!", etc.

However, all in all... those occasions have been few and far between - luckily. Mostly, we all have a great day and it's quality craic. It's best to pace oneself (food and words!) and leave plenty in reserve. The main thing is to 'show the lurve' as Gibbo would do and listen, laugh and give plenty of joy to others. Then those familiy gathering on Christmas Day aren't so bad. Although it's normal to cringe once or twice...

Thom, the Italian mafia families have cornered the market here... it's all one big scam. Tiger prawns $45/kilo now; $20 in a few days time. However, I shall have an early morning swim in your and your sis' honour... balmy weather here right now. Very nice - not too hot either.

I went for a swim on Christmas day 2 years ago. Let's just say it was like those people in the Polar Bear Club who go ice swimming.

It's a kind of ritual here. Pacific Ocean = the Ganges for us.

On Boxing Day and New Year's Day there are also huge crowds at the beaches... however this summer has been strange. Lots of grey skies and rain. Today was nice though.

Need to be careful though because full bellies, alcohol and chronic tiredness does not go well with still water in swimming pools... let alone the relentless ocean. I'm a lot wiser these days but tourists/ rock fishermen can get overconfident and get into trouble in the surf or on the rock shelves... happens every year unfortunately.

In fact there are total alcohol bans all around the harbour... fines apply and it is almost like a police state. (one of the throwbacks from our convict beginnings... we tend be a little heavy-handed on occasion) It's a complete 'mare even trying to go anywhere near there anyway - you can't drive (lots of streets closed), taxis hard to grab... and too many people trying to do the same thing all at once!

I can see the fireworks from my balcony anyway... it's about 3-4km away and sounds like we're being invaded.

There's a mass public swim on the beach in Tenby every Boxing Day too regardless of the weather.

We have the Bondi Icebergs who go for swims in mid winter... all carrying large blocks of ice. Very popular with the Russians I hear... old men & women.

The water temp doesn't go below about 10-12 deg C in mid winter... and it's around 21 now; max 22-23 in Jan/Feb.

Bore da tafarn!

Watch out for the 'rips' if you go swimming breaker. I learned an awful lot about Aus from reading Bill Bryson's book 'Down Under'. Very entertaining read, and probably convinced me that I have to visit the 'lucky country'.

2013 is in my sights


Monster & session yesterday, in three different places. My head is slowly starting to come to life, and the caff will be cooking my brunch today I think.

Did you hear about that baker who drowned in a vat of Christmas pudding? There were strong currents under the surface.

glas... you're raisin hell again. Is Henson back? Good answer!

Yes Hound... I often take a copy of Bill's book when I go swimming. He's pretty much spot on with his candid observations. I've had a few close calls but somehow managed to survive... you can never take the ocean for granted.

Ho, ho ho

Keep 'em coming.

My wife's a magician. The other day she turned our car into a tree!

True story. Guy on his way to Hampshire is sitting in traffic on the M4. He's bored so he winds his window down to ask the guy in the next car "I'm going to a lesbian wedding, which one should I kiss?"

Merry wotsits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyEztz6nY9Q

Afternoon all,

Doubt I'll be on here over the next few days so just want to wish everyone a very happy Christmas wherever you are and whatever you're doing

Afternoon everyone!

Happy Christmas Linebreaker!!

You are the lucky ones who Santa visits first, aren't you?

Mind you, I doubt I'll be getting anything after the way I have been demonised on MrP's "Poll" thread!

Happy Christmas Mrs P

Yes, he's just been.

Bad news guys... forget the reindeer. With the global economic woes it looks like the sled was being pulled by only half a dozen poorly trained poodle-schnauzers.

mrs P

Whereas I am

Poopie, breaker, will have to get a can of Chum in! And there's me thinking I'd finished my shopping for this year!

Linebreaker,

You didn't get a chance to ask him where he stands on the whole "2 Christmases in the same year" thing, did you?

At the rate they're travelling they'll be in Ammanford around 07:10 on Christmas Day... someone just threw a ball.

Didn't get a chance Mrs P. He was muttering something about Hanukkah complicating things more than usual this year...

I guess the little Ps will just have to wait till tomorrow morning and see!

Glas,

That really was my 10 year old that posted on the poll thread!

She saw me vote yes!

Just had a re-read Mrs P.

So no Christmas in 2010 then... and 2 this year (2010 + 2011)

That's a tough one.

The little P's deserve a second course of turkey - but maybe cancel the planned Bank Holiday visit across the ditch to the Edinburgh Zoo next year - they can see those pandas on youtube surely?

Trust me I'm a Doctor

Mrs P

Don't you just love that I am getting Ho Ho Ho advice from Glas!!!!!

Yes. I'm not about denying festive cheer, just about getting the timing of it right.

I prepared the stuffing this morning and have just put salted bacon to soak overnight. Mrs G is making a meringue roulade as we speak. I have the woodburner going and the fairy lights are on.

I'm at work!

Awhhh Ozzy!



All the little Ps have gone to visit their Grandparents for the afternoon so we can... ...eh..."prepare". You know, just in case!

It's gone awfully quiet here...

True story: we had a little visitor last year. A tiny bush mouse.

I was sitting in the near-darkness with the tree all lit up when I saw what looked like a miniature 'Disney-like' character appear at the sliding door threshold in the glow of the christmas lights. It gave me a serious stare for a few seconds. It looked so comical. But before I could do anything... it just confidently bounded up into the living room; using the Christmas tree as cover - and exiting out on the other side of the presents. Then along the bottom of this long bookcase.... and straight into the kitchen. Took me a while but eventually I coaxed it out from behind the frig and it dashed back out again. It was obviously good at climbing - straight up/down 5 storeys of bricks (rough textured) and through a 1 inch gap at the end of the balustrade.

This happened about three times. Then we never saw it again. It was so cute though. It would have made a nice pet.

Linebreaker,

Our dog dug out a nest of fieldmice from the roots af a tree in our garden in summer 2010. There were 3 little babies in there with their eyes still closed, so about 10 days old. Mummy mouse understandably scarppered.

Middle P brought the babies inside in a bucket and cried so hard she persuaded me to hand rear them.

They needed fed 6 times a day from an insulin syringe filled with "puppy milk".

We were the first thing that any of them saw when they opened their eyes for the first time.

On checking online it seems they were very unlikely to have any chance on their own in the wild after we had weaned them so they are in Hamster cages in the kids rooms with toys and wheels etc.

There should be pictures on FB somewhere!

Just out of work now. I feel abominable. Christmas starts now though!

LB 2 years ago we had a rat on our house. Now it never got into our 'living areas' but it was pretty much everywhere else. Eaves where all the Xmas stuff is kept, attic where it chewed through our alarm wire and shorted it out and then into the crawl space between upstairs and down. Bloody thing was nocturnal as well so we'd just be drifting off and he'd be getting up. No idea how it got in.

It looked a bit like this...

Bush Mouse

We used to get all sorts of mice and bigger European rats? where I used to live not far from where I am now. We lived next to a large tract of bushland so they obviously used to cross the road and try their luck.

Our cats used to catch quite a few of them. I remember one time "Tiger" wiped out a whole clan of them... about 5 or 6 in a few days. It was awful making the discoveries every new day.

Then again this cat also used to bring in small birds and wood pigeons... but she was scared of kookaburra and cockatoos. Too big to challenge and cockatoos can hold their own until the flock arrives - and they have strength in numbers. They can make a hell of a noise though!

We've got a rat in the family home. Turns out one of our drains broke outside and the auld fella forgot to fix it (so it was uncovered). Thing managed to get in that way, crawled up behind the tumbledrier. I can hear it scratching around under the floorboards sometimes at night in my bedroom.

It comes in at night and goes out at dawn. Clever bugger. My sister has just arrived for Christmas with her cat and husband so that should scare it off coming into the living areas at night. I mean the cat might... not the husband. Or the sister for that matter!

Apparently the area is rife with rats; think we need a bigger, more permanent cat. Once they catch a smell of a cat (or it's urine) they are a lot more wary.

Yeah, a cat would help... of the Champion Micer kind.

I've lived through the possum in the roof scenario. You could hear their claws scratching on top of the ceiling and sometimes hear this wheezy breathing sound... possum snoring!

There's a few rustling on the branches outside here at the moment. Also these 'bats' or flying foxes which have this high-pitched gargling sound as they're chatting to each other. Sort of like a watery electronic scale of notes in quick succession. Bloody annoying but kind of refreshing at the same time!

I see the Beeb heard about last night's goings on in Brighton and have issued some advice to avoid a recurrence!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16318663

Most relevant bit even if it is 18 hours too late,

"He said the hazards were greater for older people"

Linebreaker wrote:Yeah, a cat would help... of the Champion Micer kind.

I've lived through the possum in the roof scenario. You could hear their claws scratching on top of the ceiling and sometimes hear this wheezy breathing sound... possum snoring!

There's a few rustling on the branches outside here at the moment. Also these 'bats' or flying foxes which have this high-pitched gargling sound as they're chatting to each other. Sort of like a watery electronic scale of notes in quick succession. Bloody annoying but kind of refreshing at the same time!

Ah possums on the roof. That generally meant it was time to re-bait the traps

For the NHers, possums are an endangered native species in Aus, and a noxious introduced pest in NZ. Rabbits on the other hand are noxious pests in both countries.

I had a mouse infestation in the house about 10 years ago. They got in through a drainpipe that had disconnected and were under the kitchen.

The final toll was 16 before the problem was erased. 13 caught in 'little nipper' traps (they can't resist kidney beans), and the other three I whacked.

Just a quick visit in here for me today.

Christmas Eve is going brilliantly although the mince pies me and my mam have made....there are hardly words to describe them. Let's just say I hope they taste a lot better than they look!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time

Massive, massive to you all, it's been a pleasure to meet so many of you this year, and I hope to meet more next year. You are all amongst the nicest bunch of people I have ever come across and I mean that.

Nadolig Llawen pawb.

Hi everyone. Just popped in to quickly wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. I hope you all have a wonderful time, whether spent at home or elsewhere.

Seeing as this'll be the last time i'll be sober till 27th Happy Christmas all!!

Attaboy prop.

Rava - how's about ye

Took the daughter to the doctor today because she's petrified of Santa. He said she was Claus-trophobic.

prop_lyd wrote:Seeing as this'll be the last time i'll be sober till 27th Happy Christmas all!!

For me that's optimistic. And I'm back in work on boxing day sale.

Nadolig Llawen/Nollaig Shona Duit to all. Hope St Nick empties his sacks down your chimneys and gives you good people want you've wanted all year.

Willy - you get double time for working the bank holiday though yeah? it's not all bad...

Miss G prefers carols from Kings to Cbeebies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drVoJ7bRyg8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Good evening all, Christmas eve, fire lit - Santa will be getting a mine pie and some 74 Armagnac this year, with carrots for the reindeer. I echo Gib's comments from last night - merry Christmas to you and yours from the Clan

Have a wonderful day tomorrow you lot. I really hope you enjoy it wherever you are.

Merry Christmas!

I've met a few pals and an ex (we're still on good terms). Everyone seems full of iChristmas cheer here.

Right, now to tackle the nether reaches of what was once a nice suburban borough.

Can I have a 'batter the bad guys' emoticon please.

No da.

For a bit.

Merry Christmas everyone. House is full and we are going down the pub soon. So thought it prudent to write this in Engerish beforehand.

Love you all long time. Have a guddun.