15 December VOL 07 Issue 29

Green Christmas

Welcome to the 15 December @boutSeniors enewsletter.

Rather than making this year another milestone in retail spending, we urge you instead to follow the Australian Conservation Foundation's tips for a low consumption Christmas and make less more!

Our gift to registered @boutSeniors subscribers is a free copy of the latest issue of Your Life magazine with the wonderful Hugh Mackay our cover hero. Registered? Email us your mailing address to receive a copy. Not registered? Click here to join – it's free.

Registered subscribers can also enter to win the $20,000 trip to Canada for two – but you need to enter before 20 December. You can also enter to win a DVD of The Human Mind or the chance to win one of five sets of the fabulous Pocket Peepers – a simple solution to lost glasses syndrome. It's all on the competitions page.

Read on for a one-minute turkey carving lesson, ways to avoid online scams, reviews of great books to read over the holiday break, and the very latest travel discounts.

We thank the fabulous @boutSeniors team and contributors for another year of fun and hard work – take a bow Drew Patchell, Myriam Camilleri, Debbie McTaggart, Rob Kirk, Jesse Steinfort, Shane Scanlan, Greg Lawrence, Perry Morcombe, Richard Sheargold, Teena Crawford and Hazel Edwards.

And a special thank you and sad farewell to the immensely lovable and talented Kate Johnston who leaves us to seek fresher fields. Good luck Kate, travel happily…

A peaceful Christmas to all
David and Kaye Fallick

Comfort Food

How to carve a turkey in 1min 9 secs
Whether you relish the task or always let someone else do the honours, the turkey has to be carved this Christmas, and here's a video showing you the quickest way to do it!

Kaye's mince seasoning
Most of us have our favourite family recipe for stuffing and the @boutSeniors team is no exception. This year Kaye is sharing her family recipe for mince seasoning.

 

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Taking care of the pennies

Safe shopping online
 Long gone are the days of trailing round shops for your Christmas shopping. For many of us the ease of shopping online is very tempting but are we doing it safely?

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Technology

CDMA closure
 The CDMA network is closing on 28 January 2008, but what does this mean to you? If you're still using a mobile phone connected to the CDMA network, it will no longer work from this date. What should you do?

ASCCA Q&A
Computer viruses are scary to us all. This issue, Tony Lenn of ASCCA answers @boutSeniors subscriber Bill H's question about Trojan Horse Virus.

Stop the spam
 At @boutSeniors we want to give you the best service we can, so when a couple of our subscribers let us know they were receiving spam emails after placing personal ads on our site, we knew we had to do something to stop the spam.

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Wellbeing

Low haemoglobin
Sometimes we feel a little off-colour, not quite as mobile as we should be and can't quite put our finger on it. As @boutSeniors subscriber, Bill L, found out on a recent trip to the blood bank, the reason could be low haemoglobin.

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Retirement living

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Retirement living made easy
Looking for your ideal retirement home? Well you can now find it with the help of the new Retire section on Australia's largest real estate website, realestate.com.au.

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Survey shows baby boomers 'rewiring' retirement
 At Primelife, we've just completed an online survey to see how people over 55 define themselves and how they plan to spend their future years.

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Getting out there

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Singles - alone, never lonely
For some, Christmas can seem a time just made for families and couples, but unkind to singles. Those feeling in need of company can take advantage of RSVP's free stamp for @boutSeniors visitors.

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VCA Summer Short Courses
Now and again we all need a little mental stimulation, something to get the brain working again and pass the time. Over January and February 2008, the Victorian College of Arts (VCA) is offering a program of short courses.

Minding the mail
As you head off on holiday, unload one less worry and let Australia Post collect your mail for you.

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For a good cause

Helping those in need
What do you give the person in your life that has everything? A cauliflower, a sheep or a cow? Probably not, but you could help turn things around for some of the world's poorest families this year, just by putting a little thought into your Christmas gifts.

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Travel express

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Danish history in India
India is well known for its links to the British Raj but very few people are aware of a piece of forgotten Danish heritage tucked away on the Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu.

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Deluxe NZ upgrade
Exclusive New Zealand Offer – free deluxe upgrade. Receive a free two-night deluxe upgrade in Queenstown when you book a FreeSpirit Holiday of eight days or more. This offer is exclusive to @boutSeniors subscribers. FreeSpirit Touring combines the best of small group touring, with the freedom and choice of independent travel.

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Travel messenger
Keeping up-to-date with travel news, tips and advice is priceless, or so you thought. For a fee you can now receive information relevant to your destination by SMS.

Kangaroo Island update
In the wake of recent bushfires on Kangaroo Island, the good news is that all fires have been contained – and tourism operators are waiting to welcome you there.

Travel deals

Other great deals in our Holiday ideas section...

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Bookshelf online

The Christmas break is an excellent time to read and reflect. These three books will encourage just that.

Life-changing books
 Editors, Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks, asked 55 friends and colleagues to tell the story of the book that changed their life. The result is You have to read this book, a collection of wonderful books and the magic they have woven.

England's greatest
One of America's best writers, Bill Bryson, has tackled the subject of another Bill - England's greatest Man of Letters, William Shakespeare.

 Australia now – and tomorrow
Hugh Mackay has been listening to the opinions of Australians for 30 or more years – the responses he has heard have encouraged him to analyse the forces shaping contemporary Australia in Advance Australia …Where?

These titles and many more can be purchased in the @boutSeniors online discount bookstore. Go there now

 

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Movie junction

Cate's golden role
Shekhar Kapur directs another visual masterpiece in this follow up to Elizabeth. Cate Blanchett, resurrecting her role as the virgin Queen, is again joined by Geoffrey Rush as her trusted advisor, Walsingham and, as expected, neither fails to impress.

 

 

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Here to help

And don't forget the staff at @boutSeniors are here to help with all your queries, whatever the topic, on help@aboutseniors.com.au

To subscribe to the free fortnightly @boutSeniors enewsletter, put your email address into the subscribe here box on the left hand side of our homepage. Go there now.

To unsubscribe from this email list please click this link and then click send in your email program.

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