All Good Things Come to an End

[I/O]

A warm Saturday afternoon left little choice but to visit the "BassIn"...   Seems a good time was had by the boys of this family.

I/O

[I/O]

Chasing 'Roos seems to be the order of the month. Slightly more success was had after accepting some experienced advice from I/O on the best techniques for catching the quarry.

I/O

[Jazzyclassy]

Great pictures post more if possible

am enjoying them so much

[KenC]

Great pictures post more if possible

am enjoying them so much

Same here!  Good looking family (and I don't mean the roos)
Ken

[jb]

Awwwww,,, I liked the roos.  Please send some to TX, I think they'd like it here.

[I/O]

KenC: Yeah...my brain was working faster then my eyes this morning when I started to read your comment... 'Twas thinking..yeah right...

JB: Can assure you any genuine Aussie likes it in Texas. 5 trips to USA now and too little time in Texas. Nothwithstanding, there is not much of the USA I don't like.

I/O

[jb]

Austrailia has so many interesting critters.  "bout the only oddity we have here is the Jackalope

[I/O]

"bout the only oddity we have here is the Jackalope

That is an oddity...!!! Fortunately we have many oddities, thus I don't feel so out of place.

I/O

[I/O]

The wedding looms, has anyone got any clues on how to go about herding cats? 

I/O

PS: The kid seems to have the new grandfather fairly well sorted.

[Jazzyclassy]

these photos are brilliant , especially this touchy one where the grandpa is with little sweet boy , it is trully a pleasure to observe

According to everybodies faces -everyone is very happy :)especailly the young little kid

[luda]

Keep Protecting your treasure and share wonderful memories of happy moments with us. Thank you 

[KenC]

I/O,
I cannot help but to sit back and marvel about how well things are fitting together for you and your family.  Such a breath of fresh air instead of the all too typical dramas we usually hear of here.  It just goes to show that with the proper planning and proper preperation, this process can be a most wonderful journey.  We are all very happy for you and your family!
KenC

[catzenmouse]

I/O,
I cannot help but to sit back and marvel about how well things are fitting together for you and your family.  Such a breath of fresh air instead of the all too typical dramas we usually hear of here.  It just goes to show that with the proper planning and proper preperation, this process can be a most wonderful journey.  We are all very happy for you and your family!
KenC

I'll mirror KenC's comments. It truly is a welcome sight to see someone use the resources available here and squeeze them for every bit of information instead of popping off with an attitude when they get a taste of reality from the OMBs.

Good Luck with the Cat herding!

And, thank you for taking the time to share the thoughts, observations, and images of your life!

Ken

[Gator]

Hi I/O,

Everything looks wonderful.  Makes a statement about taking one's time and building a solid realtionship.  "Peepaw" seems very happy with his new "hand" for cutting the lower 40.

[I/O]

"Peepaw" seems very happy with his new "hand" for cutting the lower 40.

Yeah...The ol' bastard never had that much patience with us when we were kids.

Ken and Ken: Believe me, as you guys very well know, it ain't all plain sailing and I don't expect it to be that way for a long time, but a little planning has helped a good deal. Who knows what the future holds other than our hopes and dreams, but what I do know is this, if I / we had tried to shortcut this exercise, it would have gone arse over head in the first 5 minutes.

I've taken some incredible risks from very early on, but they have been carefully calculated risks with, what I believe to be sensible use of resources and there is a big difference between doing that and gambling. Also, I have not taken a risk on something I can not afford to lose.

JB's words ring very loudly to me every day. (Something along these lines) Nothing is certain including the future, but what I/we can do is remain committed to doing our best to make it work.

The sober note I would advise anyone that if you discount factors such as cross culture, language and age difference you are a fool.  These things require a lot of time and a LOT of work to deal with. I suspect they always will.

I/O 

[I/O]

Thought I might give a slight update showing the complete "Board of Management" in my home. See below for details. BTW the "Managers" chair is about 40 odd years old, go figure who the last person to use it was.

I/O

[Simoni]

The sober note I would advise anyone that if you discount factors such as cross culture, language and age difference you are a fool.  These things require a lot of time and a LOT of work to deal with. I suspect they always will.

Very wise words.  It is extremely difficult, but worth it.

 the "Managers" chair is about 40 odd years old, go figure who the last person to use it was.

You mean you were that tiny once?  Wow!

[Jumper]

I/O

great thread and photos!
thanks!

[I/O]

You mean you were that tiny once?  Wow!

He thinks much like I did at the same age.  That is he is ten feet tall and bullet proof.

I/O

[I/O]

I/O,
Good luck with this as Lena and I still have not got on the same page here.  I grew up during the "Cold War" where everyone stocked up on canned goods and nonperishables.  My parents would can peppers and tomatoes for the winter.  When I shop, I always buy 2 of everything except for fresh bread or fresh veggies/fruit.  Lena will buy (1) and the smallest (1) offered.KenC

Get this one into ya brother.....we were doing the grocery shopping this evening and without my prompting, she put two, yes 2 bricks of butter in the trolley. :hairraising: :hairraising: Maybe there is hope yet.

I/O

[KenC]

Get this one into ya brother.....we were doing the grocery shopping this evening and without my prompting, she put two, yes 2 bricks of butter in the trolley. :hairraising: :hairraising: Maybe there is hope yet.

I/O

Nah, she probably is planning some heavy duty baking.  I am sure the butter usage is only projected out a day or two at the most.
KenC

[Jumper]

my best guess is,*buying ahead*, is something that will be a very very gradual progression at best.. 

It's been 4 years,and while she does buy a bit ahead now , at least compared to initially,, (which was just whatever you needed for that afternoon)
 she still isn't going to buy all the stuff for the *week*
but is actually leaning towards that anymore..

Hey , I don't mind at all..we all do things our own way!

just i wouldnt expect your *sweetheart* to change much,on this topic,
and when she does, it will likely be very gradual..lol

[I/O]

Ken and AJ: I might be a complete bastard in this respect, but I have been kinda handing out some tough lessons. "Oh, I/O the juice is finished"......"Too bad, if you'd listened to me and bought 3 instead of 2, we would have enough to last until Monday evening" (The preferred grocery shopping time). "Drink water in the interim". Maybe a bit crude but I can't be bothered pussy footing around an issue that needs to be resolved.

Fortunately she takes me with a grain of salt and all in pretty good humour and there is some flexing on my side, but certain things do have to change on both sides and guys AND girls alike need to learn to deal with it or they ain't going anywhere in this caper.

In all fairness and seriousness, it does highlight to me one reason why Russia has failed to keep pace economically with the west, the sheer waste of time running around to buy 1 thing when the opportunity exists to buy 3 in advance and save an hour or two per week.  Compound that many times over in many aspects and it only reminds me of what I see often in Russia.....people beggerising around and getting nothing done.

Lovable her though they are, they couldn't organise a F_ _ k in a brothel. LOL.

I/O

[wiz]

I might be a complete bastard in this respect, but I have been kinda handing out some tough lessons.

Fortunately she takes me with a grain of salt and all in pretty good humour and there is some flexing on my side, but certain things do have to change on both sides and guys AND girls alike need to learn to deal with it or they ain't going anywhere in this caper.

In all fairness and seriousness, it does highlight to me one reason why Russia has failed to keep pace economically with the west, the sheer waste of time running around to buy 1 thing when the opportunity exists to buy 3 in advance and save an hour or two per week.  Compound that many times over in many aspects and it only reminds me of what I see often in Russia.....people beggerising around and getting nothing done.

Lovable her though they are, they couldn't organise a F_ _ k in a brothel. LOL.

I/O

I don't think is hard what you doing trying to help her adjust in your new life style......and I certainly agree with your comments in the first paragraph and it is true that both parties have to make adjustments in their lives to make any relationship to work and of course it is necessary to apply pressure for changes to take place.

I don’t think is fair to compare correctly your life style in Aus and the life style conditions in Russia, even if they have the money to spend for their shopping. May I remind you that Russians don’t have a car to load everything and take to their front door, as we do!

Do not forget it is now that big supermarkets started to appear and all over Russia mostly have tiny food stores round the corner and the open markets where you have to go around to different stools to get what you want.

Going shopping daily in Russia, I only had two arms to carry several plastic bags on the Trolley buses and then to the 5th floor without a lift….and of course not enough room in their apartments and kitchen’s to store too much extra shopping.

It’s true that they cannot organise a “piss up in a Brewery”……. 

Because they have been conditioned from early ages to follow their inefficient systems, which helps to provide cheap labor and full employment and of course nobody cares to take the initiative to do something different. I have the impression that they don’t understand the rule that TIME IS MONEY.

Have you ever counted how many stamps (everybody has a stamp) you had to have for just doing something very simple, like registering your Visa?


PS: Great pictures......

[catzenmouse]

Just as an FYI I found the grain of salt that I/O gave to (soon to be) Mrs. I/O. Might be a touch small but they'll work it out...