The Christmas Gift

[Terry]

Hi Glenny, sorry to hear about Croc,

I actually got to exchange a few words with him via your mobile at Tamworth last year if you remember.

Here's hoping the new year brings some improvement and a little more joy for you somehow.

Terry

[Glenny Palmer]

Many thanks Terry...yes I do recall, what a bonza time we all had.

[Catherine Lee]

I haven't been online for a while Terry but thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful poem this evening. It's excellent, and all the better for being true! Happy New Year 2013!

[Terry]

Thanks Catherine,

Where have you been hiding?

Hope you have had a excellent festive season.

Regards Terry

[Catherine Lee]

I know, I'm sorry - haven't been on the Forum for ages. Time just gets away from me sometimes. Very glad I had the chance to sit down to it tonight though! Yes I had a great time over the festive season, thank you. Hope yours was wonderful too!

[Zondrae]

G'day Terry,

I knew you prospect for gold but I didn't know you had dabbled in Opal too. Having done a little scratching in the dirt myself I can really appreciate this one. Very well done. However, we won't shatter the ideal by telling everyone that not all that glistens in the candlelight is 'cuttable' opal. I have hauled ice cream containers full of 'possibles' to the cutter - only to have about two or three pieces actually cut into good stones. It's a heart breaking game.
However it makes a good story.
Happy New Year.

[Terry]

G/day Zondrae,
I mined for a few years at Coober Pedy as a young bloke and left to get married.

Unlike the Ridge and its nobbies, all the opal there was in seams, apart opalized shells and pipes, often with very beautiful colour.

But like you say there was also plenty of potch & colour as well as just plain potch. In this case we got a nice parcel of pretty good opal.

I must try ad write a few more poems about that era of my life, they were exciting times with only a relative small population there in those days.

I ran an opal cutting business in Perth for some time before the lure of the goldfields got the better of me.

Cheers and thanks,

Terry