Oops...

I do it all the time, stressing about the possible problem and just how big it might be... and then it cracks me up that I was initially too scared to even look.  It takes a while of procrastinating before I pluck up the courage to investigate the issue, and once I've fixed it I usually have a good belly laugh at my unnecessary trepidation.

I felt the same way. My internet connection was down I thought the modem went bad. So I was ready to call my provider and have them come out to check. I figured before I make a call I'll check the cable line and sure enough it was just a bad connection. I cleaned it and had my internet back.

Wow, "trepidation" that's a big word for an Aussie.

I had issues with my provider's modem, constantly resetting itself. Turns out the modem had somehow been corrupted. And not only mine. That prompted my provider to upgrade that particular model. I thought it was my wifi connection and spent hours trying to fix it. Tech checked the system out and found a faulty connection outside my building. Go figure.

Who's an Aussie?  I came from England but have been here 46 years, married an Aboriginal girl, plus I had convict ancestors who settled here in the early 1800's after their sentences were complete. 

That makes me a Pomoriginal.

Fancy that, eh!  One distant relative stole a hat in England, and for his crime he was sent to the best country in the world.  'Tis hardly a punishment, really.  True, the first 5 years wouldn't have been easy, but after that he was a free man who did alright for himself in business.

So if you broke the law in England they would send you to Australia as punishment? I guess that would be better than going to jail, especially in the 1800's.

Yeah, but back then Australia was one huge penal colony with some fairly tough conditions.... and the trip out here, in the hold with 200 - 300 other prisoners, was no 14 day cruise, either.  For many, being hereded ashore in Botany Bay was the first time they saw daylight in 3 - 4 months or more.

So no, being sent to Australia wasn't necessarily better than jail.  However, those who survived those rigours went on to have better lives than many of those prisoners/former prisoners left behind in England.

And to think, Jafo may well be descended from a loaf of bread stealer.

If you're interested in the penal colony history of Australia, I recommend "The Fatal Shore" by Robert Hughes.

Always soooo relevant...