The WARNING has been Issued

We have just received the phone call and was told about the news - a tsunami warning has just been issued. Until I hear the warning alarm, I'm not going anywhere. I have volunteer duties to attend to and the children still need their food.

My family and I reside less than 100 meters from the sea. Where we live, is a high risk area for floods. In the 1900's, Newcastle suffered many natural disasters such as: earthquakes, floods and high-speed winds. The highest ground is inland and/or closer to Sydney, which is approximately 3 hours from Newcastle.

If a tsunami was to hit Newcastle, it would travel quite a distance inland. Nothing has changed and no emergencies are in place. We haven't planned an evacuation and we aren't prepared for one. But as always, we know what we'd have to grab if we had to evacuate. Besides passports, birth certificates, family photos and such, we have always prepared ourselves for any disaster - we know what we need and what to take if we are evacuated.

I will keep updating as often as possible, to let everyone know what is happening and that we are all safe. In the meantime, majority of my posts can be found on Facebook and Twitter - these are the two websites I use, which are always updated in real-time and is more current.

Location:Downie Street,Maryville,Australia

My Thanks

Over the past month, summer has hit New South Wales with a scorcher. Our hottest day reached over 40°c and our air conditioners struggled with each rise in the temperature.
For the past couple of months, I have had a mad craving for DARE Iced Coffee - Espresso. During the heat wave, my cravings became worse and I had to have that coffee fix. One day, I decided to go to Coles supermarket to buy my favourite iced coffee - it was out of stock. I drove through 5 towns to get to the next Coles, where I ended up buying six 2 litre bottles. Placing them inside of my fridge bag, I travelled home and immediately placed them in the refrigerator. Three days later, my coffee started smelling and tasting weird - I kept drinking it, even after many hours of throwing up and being sick. I thought that the weather was affecting me, so my mum decided to try some of my coffee. "This is out of date, it has expired". I checked the date on the bottle, it said 17/01/2013. I then checked my iPhone 4s for the day's date, it was 13/01/2013. I found the receipt which was dated 04/01/2013 and contacted Coles.
I received a reply via email, within 24 - 48 hours. I also received a phone call, from an apologetic manager. I returned the two remaining bottles of Iced Coffee and received a refund for them. My mum had thrown away two other bottles, so I wasn't able to get a refund on those... obviously.
Today is exactly one month since I made the purchase, when I received a letter in the mail. I have attached it to this blog and a link to the photo, in case it didn't appear. The letter explained some of their procedures and where they think the problem may lay. Also in the letter, was a $10 gift card - given as a gesture of good will and as an apology for the incident.
I don't blame Coles for what happened. I understand that dairy products can only last so long and must be refrigerated as soon as possible. Being summer and during a time of the heat wave, I took the incident as: 'food that spoiled due to natural occurrences, which cannot always be stopped'.
I 'Thank' Coles for the duty of care that they have given me, as a customer. And I thank them for making me feel valued, as a customer. Thank you for the card, it will be put to good use - two 2 litre bottles of DARE Iced Coffee Espresso.

NWOTD: New Word Of The Day

Grank

Meaning: Grossly Stank - It was Gross and it Stank.

LOL The things people think of. When I used this word, it was during a conversation and I couldn't find the word that I was looking for at the time. Grank covered it all lol.