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Sophie_M Welcome to the BB Social Zone - guidelines for posting in this section
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, This section of the forum is a little different to the others, as you may have noticed in looking around the threads. Elsewhere on the forums, we discuss some pretty heavy topics: mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, trauma, abuse,... View more

Hi everyone, This section of the forum is a little different to the others, as you may have noticed in looking around the threads. Elsewhere on the forums, we discuss some pretty heavy topics: mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, trauma, abuse, relationship breakdowns. Here is the place to come to get away from that and have a bit of fun. Distraction can be an important tool to draw on if you're finding yourself overwhelmed by distressing thoughts and feelings. As this is a section for respite from difficult topics, we will remove posts made in this section that attempt to discuss personal issues. Please use a support thread in the appropriate section for these discussions. Happy posting!

Kazzl The BB cafe
  • replies: 20575

The BB cafe is open for business! Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum. The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a ... View more

The BB cafe is open for business! Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum. The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a pool outside, a bbq area, an annexe with comfy beds for a quiet sleep, tv, dvd, books and whatever else you would like to have here. Most of all, it's a place to meet friends and fellow travellers for a bit of company. Talk over problems, tell jokes, share your day, escape into a world of your making. Grab a coffee and pull up a chair ... So, with a nod to the wonderful Carole King (Hard Rock Cafe) ... Now if you're feeling just a little bit lonely Don't sit at home just mopin' Come on down to where the friendship flows freely You know the door is always open At the BB cafe Come to the BB cafe They will help keep your blues at bay At the BB cafe Important Message from ModSupport: The main intention of the BB Cafe is to encourage light conversation. Please look after your fellow community members by nuturing the BB Cafe as a place to escape some of the more pressing issues in life and save those conversations for personal threads.

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BlueEternity Leaving Australia!
  • replies: 2

Depression cured! Leave australia! Under 30's have a read. So a few months ago we went to a home open. My wife and I really loved the place. It was a TINY tiny cottage on about 300m2 with no backyard and 2 rooms. Barely enough space for a couple. We ... View more

Depression cured! Leave australia! Under 30's have a read. So a few months ago we went to a home open. My wife and I really loved the place. It was a TINY tiny cottage on about 300m2 with no backyard and 2 rooms. Barely enough space for a couple. We really loved it even though it was probably worth half what they wanted.We put in an offer. 700k. Which was extreme. We had saved just over 200k over the years. It was 10x our income.We were told later the place was sold to a couple in their 60's then about 2 weeks later we got a call from the agent saying 'I'm pleased to announce the house is for rent would you like to put an application in' That night was horrible. For 3 hours my wife sat on the couch crying. Watching TV crying. Reading a book tears rolling down her face. It was because we knew we would never have a chance at 'living in australia' despite being 4th generation Australians. We didn't talk the whole night.In bed we lay in the dark for about an hour. Then my wife finally spoke'I HATE Australia...'That was it till the next morning. My wife never swears and is always syper postive. Im the opposite. After a couple of weeks we discussed how why where etc of owning a home and raising a family in australia. The prospect of our kids living in a dog box. US having 40k uni debts our kids having 100k debts. How we have the lowest populatiom density in the world but somehow the highest land prices. How morally wrong it was that those who didn't have to pay anything for land and education can now extort us into being slaves for them. The more we thought about it the more we realized we both hate Australia and it was the cause of all our depression. Fast forward 6 months and we have successfully gotten jobs overseas and move in 3 months. Ok pay but 1/4 the housing cost and 100x the variety. But with our saving we are buying a house out right and we're not even 30. 4x the size of what we could ever dream of owning in Australia.I would suggest to anyone who's depressed have a good look at your life. Throw away your comfort blanket and realize Australia is a paradise, for anyone over 40. For the rest of us opportunity and lifestyle await all you have to do is walk out the door.

geoff my computer won't let me reply to anybody
  • replies: 1

I have had so much trouble to get to this point because for the past 5 hours all I have got is SYSTEM ERROR, because the first reply was back to Mary Life is not Good but it didn't go through, sorry Mary, so I really hope that this does get posted, s... View more

I have had so much trouble to get to this point because for the past 5 hours all I have got is SYSTEM ERROR, because the first reply was back to Mary Life is not Good but it didn't go through, sorry Mary, so I really hope that this does get posted, so to all the other people as well I'm sorry. Geoff.

Filee Something I have written I want to share
  • replies: 6

You don't see my hurt, It hides behind a smile!, you don't feel my fear, it's hidden by a joke I tell,! you don't see my tears, because I choak them back and swallow them! You don't see me cry, because I cry in the shower and no one can hear! My hear... View more

You don't see my hurt, It hides behind a smile!, you don't feel my fear, it's hidden by a joke I tell,! you don't see my tears, because I choak them back and swallow them! You don't see me cry, because I cry in the shower and no one can hear! My heart races but you can't feel it! My palms they sweat but you don't feel it! My body gets hot but you wouldn't know as it's cold as ice outside! I feel sick, I continue to smile Do you really know what I feel ? Probably not because I'm good at hiding the pain hurt anxiety I feel! I don't want to feel this way, so I push through each day, hoping those feelings will one day fade away!!!!

AGrace Hospital Admission for Medication Change
  • replies: 17

Hi Everyone, Just wanted to let you know I'm heading into hospital on Tuesday. It's just for a medication change, so I'm hopeful that this will go smoothly. I should only be in for a week. I may have limited time to respond to posts during this perio... View more

Hi Everyone, Just wanted to let you know I'm heading into hospital on Tuesday. It's just for a medication change, so I'm hopeful that this will go smoothly. I should only be in for a week. I may have limited time to respond to posts during this period. On the other hand I may end up bored, and missing you all!! I will try to keep in touch as often as I can. I'll also try to keep you updated on my progress. If nothing else I'm looking forward to a week without housework;) I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. You can certainly tell that Spring is just around the corner. AGrace

Guy40s Very Depressed - Islamic Terrorism
  • replies: 19

I am very depressed and concerned by what is happening in our world thanks to Islamic terror groups and Wahhabism. I am extremely alarmed at what I see happening in Iraq with regards to ISIS.What is occurring in our world today is unacceptable and it... View more

I am very depressed and concerned by what is happening in our world thanks to Islamic terror groups and Wahhabism. I am extremely alarmed at what I see happening in Iraq with regards to ISIS.What is occurring in our world today is unacceptable and it saddens me deeply. Tears in my eyes when I look at my 2 year old daughter. It upsets me to think of what her generation might inherit in her world. It breaks my heart to watch the news.The worlds people must unite and stop this immensely anti-social and in humane belief system which is robbing humanity of freedom and diginity.I am troubled, concerned and worried. Sadness consumes me daily. I keep thinking of the quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." I haven't seen any good men yet.

AGrace Back from holidays
  • replies: 6

Hi Everyone, I know I had mentioned to a number of you that I was going away for a bit, so I thought I'd let you know I'm back. My partner and I spent 9 days in Langkawi (Malaysia). A must see destination if you're thinking of travelling somewhere wh... View more

Hi Everyone, I know I had mentioned to a number of you that I was going away for a bit, so I thought I'd let you know I'm back. My partner and I spent 9 days in Langkawi (Malaysia). A must see destination if you're thinking of travelling somewhere where you can relax and recooperate. The weather was fantastic, around 30deg each day with about 80% humidity. It was good to finally shed those winter clothes for a while. Each day we did something touristic from riding the cable car, to island hopping on a speed boat, shopping, visiting mosques, and enjoying the wonderful wildlife. We spent a lot of time sipping pineapple juice by the pool, and I indulged in plenty of spa treatments. The people on the island, and those who came to visit were extremely friendly, and the food was incredible with so many different influences from all across Asia. I'm glad to be back home, and I'm already planning our next holiday. It's great to see so many new people on the forums, and it's great that so many of the regular community members have been supporting others. I've spent a lot of time over the weekend trying to catch up with some of the posts that have been coming through, and look forward to reading more of your experiences over the coming weeks. Hope you all had a lovely weekend. AGrace

Neil_1 Canada - other highlights (the last one, I promise :)
  • replies: 17

I think I could write forever about this time away, but I might wrap it up here; although another thing that I did that I didn’t think I’d ever do was to go zip-lining and that was FUN! Firstly with my daughter up at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver; and... View more

I think I could write forever about this time away, but I might wrap it up here; although another thing that I did that I didn’t think I’d ever do was to go zip-lining and that was FUN! Firstly with my daughter up at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver; and the 2nd time on the cruise with both son and daughter at a little place called Skagway, in amongst a huge pine forest. That’s pretty much the major tree over there – pines. And zip-lining is awesome fun. Other highlights In Kelowna, we got to hire a speed boat (250 horsepower engine) and boy oh boy, that was some awesome fun. Driving a speed boat out on a massive lake was just AWE-some. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do and is also on a list of things that I’d like to own in my future and to do some fishing, etc. What a buzz that was. And in Ketchikan (Alaska) we took a tour off our cruise ship and boarded a float plane. The float plane business in Alaska and Vancouver is massive and we saw so many of them taking off etc, that we thought, we really should do this. So in the plane there was room for 7, including the pilot and that’s another incredible experience that’s really hard to describe. We flew over some great scenery near Ketchikan, mountains, streams and many lakes. Even landed on a lake and we got to stand out on the float of the plane for a little while, with gigantic mountains rising up all around us. It was peaceful beyond words. In Banff, we also were able to hire a little boat with a small-ish outboard motor and took it out on a lake and the kids were able to operate that one, which was a big thrill for them. Alaska and Canada, over and out. Neil

Filee WRITING HELPS ME SO MUCH< I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE <
  • replies: 2

WHO ARE? You visit without warning, Who are you that visits? You visit in the depths of the night, sending chills throughout my body, Who are you that visits? You visit as day breaks, Who are you that visits? You stay although you are not welcome, Wh... View more

WHO ARE? You visit without warning, Who are you that visits? You visit in the depths of the night, sending chills throughout my body, Who are you that visits? You visit as day breaks, Who are you that visits? You stay although you are not welcome, Who are you that visits? You clutter my mind, you consume my every thought, Who are you that visits? How come you have chosen me, what makes me so special that you want to be with me? Who are you that visits? You trap me in a dark place not wanting to venture out Who are you that visits? You make the light of day seem like the darkness of night! Who are you that visits? You feed off my tears, my fears, my fright, and you push me into darkness, that feels like a deep pit There seems no end to this bottomless pit Try as you might, I won’t let you beat me no I won’t Who are you that visits without an invite? Yes I now know just who you are Well guess what? DEPRESSION IS OUT!!!!! `��f

Neil_1 Canada - holiday experience (whale watching) Part 3
  • replies: 3

We went on a whale watching tour which was one of the best things that I’ve ever done. We got out to see a group of about 10-12 humpback whales and they were feeding at the time on small fish (herring, if I remember rightly) – it’s called Bubble feed... View more

We went on a whale watching tour which was one of the best things that I’ve ever done. We got out to see a group of about 10-12 humpback whales and they were feeding at the time on small fish (herring, if I remember rightly) – it’s called Bubble feeding and the tour guide told us that only a very small amount of people in the world ever get to see this phenomenon. A quick rundown of it: What you see are a stack of seagulls circling around and then when you see the seagulls zoom down to the water that means that the whales are about to explode out of the water. You see, as underneath the water, the whales are creating bubbles (thousands of bubbles) and they create the bubbles in a circle – and the bubbles trap the fish. The whales then move up toward the surface and the fish swim to the surface (seemingly trapped by the bubbles) – and that’s what has the interest of the seagulls because moments before the whales appear, you fleetingly see the fish jumping up out of the water and some of the seagulls are lucky enough to score a fish. It is THEN that the whales appear in a rush out of the water travelling straight up with their mouths open and hundreds of litres (gallons) of water enter their mouths and they come out of the water – how far out of the water is hard to say, but it would have to have been around several metres; they then turn and glide along the top of the water and jet out massive sprays of water out of their blowholes and the sound is something else and they do this for about a minute and just before they dive again to try for another bout of feeding, this is when they kind of arch their back (hence their name of humpback) and you see their enormous tail arch up into the air and then slide back into the water. They are a huge huge mammal and it’s something that I’ll remember forever. On that particular evening, we also saw two Orcas – amazing because our guide told us that it’s not an often thing to see them. Then as we were heading back, we went past a giant water bouy and just lazing in on it, we saw 6 sea lions, just sunning themselves. At that particular time it was 7:30pm. Sunset over there was on average sometime after 9pm, and sunrises (never saw any of them) were around 4:30am. We also saw salmon spawning up some tiny creeks, masses of salmon jumping in the waters of the inside passage, heaps of sea otters, seals.

Neil_1 Canada - my holiday experience (Part 1)
  • replies: 3

Hi all Now, this will be a fair read – and it won’t make the one message, so I’ll try and split it up as appropriately as I can so it flows from one to the other in an ok and readable fashion. Well, we’re now back from a most amazing trip. Still kind... View more

Hi all Now, this will be a fair read – and it won’t make the one message, so I’ll try and split it up as appropriately as I can so it flows from one to the other in an ok and readable fashion. Well, we’re now back from a most amazing trip. Still kinda jet-lagged at the moment, as we flew all night from LA to Brisbane and as a result, we by-passed Tuesday completely. I hope nothing major happened on that day, cause we saw none of it. How very weird really. Firstly as I’d imagine a lot of you are wondering – I had lots of up times which was fantastic, but I also had to deal with some bad down times as well. I won’t go too much into the down times as I want to try and keep this post as ‘up five’ as possible. The parts of Canada we saw - amazing. Calgary – we were there a week before the Stampede hits their city and when I say hits their city, I mean it – it is one massive event. Edmonton – wasn’t too bad either and by now we had our hire vehicle. We had to firstly upgrade from a Dodge Chrysler to a Ford SUV simply because the boot (trunk) space wasn’t big enough for all our bags!! The SUV was a neat little car though and was a breeze to drive and for the most part I did keep on the right hand side of the road. The Rockies (Jasper and Banff) – um, breath-taking. Stunning views every which way you looked and the amount of snow still up high was incredible, as they are well into their summer months. And with summer comes mozzies (or as they know them as, Skeeters) and it’s an unwritten funny fact that the mozzie is Canada’s national bird – as they’re that BIG! Holy smoke, I swear at one stage I was being half carried by the buggas at one stage. Fortunately though, we didn’t encounter too many of them which is a very good thing. Photos – well we took a bit over 4,000 of them. My daughter is an avid photographer and she is simply sensational with taking photos (or as the American/Canadian’s call them, pictures). We scored some very good photos of Black Bears and we even got one of a mum and her cub and oh my, the cub was cute; and as you’re driving along it’s so easy to see if there’s something by the side of the road as you’ll see anything between 4-10 cars parked by the side of the road and you cruise up slowly (and if you don’t see anyone out of their cars, you know it’s a bear). Otherwise, people jump out of their cars and snap off photos of goats, deer or elk.