Ten Things: Me

1. I like lists.  Number one on all my lists is - 1. write list - that way I can cross it out and feel like I've at least accomplished something in my day.  Without a list I get nothing done.  Nothing.
2. I talk to myself.  A lot.  Out loud.  Both when people are around and on my own.  Apparently it's disconcerting.  Sometimes I'm glad to see my mum's dog in the room cos it makes me feel like I'm talking to him.  But I'm not.  I'm talking to myself.  He usually leaves the room soon after in confusion.  Poor dog.  If I'm not talking to myself, I'm singing.  There's always a themesong on the go in my mind.  Sometimes one line, over and over and over.  Annoying.
3. I'm both a night owl and an early bird.  I can do both.  Ambidextrous and all.  I can't however do them both at the same time.  It's either/or.  The LOML is an out-and-out night owl.  For him, there is only one 9 o'clock in a day.
4. I'm incredibly lazy.  Given half a chance (heck, even 1/8th of a chance) I will be surfing the net or reading a book or eating or watching tv or watering the garden or looking at food porn rather than doing what it is that needs to be done.  Hence the need for lists.  [sigh]
5. I'm very bossy.  Just ask my brother.  Eldest child syndrome I call it.  To quote my good friend Mrs W, "It's not my fault I know what people should be doing."  True.  So very true.
6. I have a tattoo.  Not a very good one.  But it is a testament to my wild, rebellious youth.  Not. I am so far removed from wild and rebellious I'm surprised they even let me into the tattoo parlour.  I'm sure they would have liked me to leave the study books and the rules and regulations at the door (jokes!).  But a tattoo I do have, much to the amusement of my niece and nephew for whom the idea of a permanent picture on your body is soooo cool.
7. I lack willpower.  Actually, to be truthful, I lack won't-power.  I always make deals with myself over what I eat and the exercise I don't do in order to lose weight/ get healthy/ not have to buy a new wardrobe.  The longest I have successfully gone on my own is about two weeks.  I really need someone checking up on me to keep me in line.  A really important function that I want to look good at is also motivation enough.  Unfortunately, they are few on the ground these days.  Hence my pants are getting tighter as the months go on.  [big sigh]
8. Once upon a time I couldn't touch raw meat.  I had to wear gloves when cutting up steak or chicken or mixing rissoles.  It was so hard and time consuming.  I don't know where the aversion came from - it was never a problem before and isn't a problem now but for a good couple of years the mere thought of touching raw meat had me gagging.  Glad that one's over.
9. My favourite food in the whole wide world is sugar and anything with sugar in it.  Unfortunately for me, sugar does not love me which leads to a whole lot of issues re: #7.  Living in a western society sugar is everywhere and in everything and so very hard to resist.  That's why I love travelling to Asian countries.  Sugar is not a big part of their diet (nor bread or pasta) so after a few weeks I come home lighter and more toned.  Bonus.  
10. I have to put my left sock on first (and my left leg in my pants first) or it's all wrong.  I have been known to take my shoes off and do it again if I start with my right foot.  Superstitious what?  I also walk on beat to any music I hear - not just on tempo but also on the left-right beat.  I was a marching girl and find it very hard not to 'march' to whatever I hear.  Very hard when it's a sloooowwwww song on the shopping centre speakers.

Righto, your turn.  Gimme Ten Things...

Why I'm not a doctor...

I love the Insanity Streak cartoons in the paper!  They are the only ones I read (really!).

Sunday Market Superfind

The LOML and I went to the Sunday Markets this morning on our way to work.  


He picked up some plants for the front yard, I scored these beauties....

....beautiful bread tins!  Would you believe it, I got all of these for only $10.  Ten bucks!  If there are any there next weekend we'll be getting more.  Not that we're going to be opening a bakery any time soon and truly, given that I am still without an oven of substance I won't even be able to use one in the near future, but these are worth a whole lot more than what works out at roughly $1.25 per tin.  Insane.

I am itching to bake bread now!

In My Kitchen: September 2011

Joining Celia and her 'In My Kitchen' posts - head on over to Fig Jam & Lime Cordial and join the fun....


In My Kitchen.....

 ...a good sized haul of freshly dug up spuds to go into tonight's dinner (veggie casserole in the slow cooker - one more before it gets too warm for casseroles!).

In My Kitchen.....

 ....are some broad beans fresh from the garden.  I have plans to make felafels - we went over to our Jordanian friends house not long ago and they served up some bright green felafels made using fresh broad beans.....I shall try to replicate!

In My Kitchen....

 ....are four jars of pickled onions.  We eat a lot of pickled onions here and I had the unfortunate realisation last week that we have used the last jar of homemade from the cupboard - tragedy!  At least this lot will be ready for Christmas eating.

In My Kitchen.....  

 ....are some raw peanuts.  Bought with the intention of turning into made-from-scratch satay sauce, they will most likely end up as Sugared Peanuts and consumed with gusto by all members of the house (and guests)!

In My Kitchen....

 ....is a coconut given to us by our neighbour.  Our niece and nephew are itching to be part of the cracking, juice drinking and flesh eating...good thing school holidays have started!

In My Kitchen....

 ....are some of the results of two hardcore jamming days.  We have mandarines and oranges (and a few grapefruit) coming out of our ears and there are only so many you can offload onto friends, family and neighbours!  This stash should see us through until next season though I am hoping to get some more put away for Xmas gifts.

In My Kitchen....

....is this morning's pick of mandarines.  I'm thinking these will turn into jam.  Or cordial.  Or be eaten straight from the basket!

And finally...In My Kitchen.....

....are some dried figs that I will turn into....wait for it....fig jam!  (Just for you Celia!)  Well, actually it will be fig paste but really, paste is just a really thick jam so technically....!    Fig paste is so tasty with a good serve of Camembert on a cracker...add a pickled onion and I am in summer nibblie heaven!

What's happening in your kitchen?

IMBY: Carnival of Flowers Pt 2

I forgot to post these pics....the BEST part of the whole parade on Saturday.....

They would have been so hot, marching over a kilometre in the abnormally-hot-for-this-time-of-year day.  That's committment for you!

IMBY: Carnival of Flowers

We tend to hear a lot about the negative stuff going on in communities, the NIMBY - Not In My BackYard - stuff.  Not so much about the positive.  So I've decided to be contrary and share IMBY - In My BackYard - the good stuff, the positive things, going on in my neck of the woods.


***

This weekend signalled the start of our town's Carnival of Flowers.  A week-long celebration of spring - food, wine, entertainment and of course, flowers.  We aren't known as the garden city without reason - this town truly is a sight to see with it's tree-lined streets and gorgeous gardens in front of heritage houses, all in full bloom this time of year. 

Given that in the four years I've lived here and never been to the carnival nor seen the parade, this year I thought I'd best give it a crack.

On Saturday the festival officially kicked off with a parade down the main street.  

waiting....waiting....

There were cars and trailers and bikes and marching bands and people all dressed up in their finest with flowers being the mainstay, proudly supported by facepaint, bubbles and plenty of balloons. 

Nothing says country like a tractor!

There was music, lots of waving carnival queens and princesses, and plenty of tarmac art care of kids armed with chalk.  

The streets were lined with people and there wasn't a carpark to be found anywhere in the CBD for hours.  What a blast!

It's not a parade without a pipe band or four or five!

Because the carnival brings so many people to town (truly some people come from interstate just for the event) I thought I'd be clever and went and saw the garden displays early, before the crowds arrived.  Turns out I wasn't the only one with this line of thinking - there were certainly plenty of people doing the same thing!

Anyway, it was beautiful. 

I can't believe I waited so long to go along and see this.

I can't wait until the Carnival rolls around again next year!

R U OK?

Today is R U OK? Day.  


To quote the website, R U OK? Day is

"a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones."

More than 2000 Australians suicide each year, and for each person who suicides there are another 30 who attempt to take their life.  Men are more likely than women to take their own life yet rarely do we talk about it.  These are shocking statistics that we can change, we can make better.

Most people don't openly share their problems or talk about how they're feeling, particularly if they feel like they're struggling.  Feelings get bottled up and buried.  Little problems turn into big.  

We're conditioned from an early age to tough it out, to put on a brave face, to not show our weaknesses.  But that's not helpful.  Asking someone if they are okay opens the door for them to ask for help.  And asking for help can be the hardest question of all.

So today, start a conversation that could change a life: ask your brother, ask your sister, ask your mum, ask your friends, ask your neighbour, heck ask your bus driver, "are you okay?"  Show them that you care and that you are there for them if they need your help.  

I'm okay, are you ok?

Nice Try

Last night my niece and nephew came over for dinner while mum and dad went out on a surprise mid-week date (woooh!).

It was homemade pizzas all round.  Nice.  Easy.  Kid popular.  Very yum.

My nephew (4yrs), who talked non-stop during the eating-of-dinner process and as a result barely finished half his dinner (the rest was inhaled by his sister), was very disappointed when he asked for dessert after the table was cleared and was told there was no dessert for kids who don't finish their dinner.

Sad face for a minute or two while deep in thought.....before he very earnestly said to me, "but my mum always gives me dessert when I haven't eaten all my dinner."

Good try little buddy but your mum won't give me dessert when I haven't finished my dinner!  You, my little friend, have no chance!

Rememberings

June 2010

Cruising the mighty Mekong in the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet)...

...in a canoe fitted with a gas-powered V8 motor.

What an experience!

What a memory!

It's alive!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you exhibit A.....

My sourdough starter....a frothing (at this early stage) success!!!

I am so very happy.  I have tended this little starter day and night - loving it and nurturing it, feeding it and keeping it warm, and finally, after many many hours/days/(nearly) weeks it has repaid in kind.


I love it so very much.  I can't wait until it's grown up enough for me to use.  And then eat.


I just hope it doesn't up and die on me now.

A change is as good as a holiday

Last night, I had an attack of the rearrangings.  Every now and then my urge to reshuffle, tidy and rearrange various elements of my world raises its head and demands action be taken.  

The LOML, despite being able to travel overseas for a fortnight with only 2 changes of clothes, a toothbrush and a phone charger, doesn't cope very well when I move the furniture in the lounge room, so last night I rearranged my blog instead.  

I'm rather taken with the new colours and layout.  A bit plain at the moment but I plan on putting a  few photos around the place - sort of like hanging new paintings on the wall.  I love the way the photos look in the posts too - makes my sometimes inadequate shots look quite professional!  Just a little more moving and shuffling and I'll feel all finished and refreshed!  

Unfortunately, changing my blog around hasn't satisfied the urge to move things (I think it's an attack of the 'spring clean') so this morning I'm set to rearrange the kitchen - move some gadgets, tidy some shelves, that sort of thing.  The cupboards certainly need a good clean so at least that will get done if nothing else!  

I could be a while.....and I may not achieve all that is listed on my to dos today.....

Canine mutiny

This is my mum's dog Jack.  

He's a mini foxy who fails to acknowledge that he is not human.

I think he sometimes feels incredibly hard done by that he is not allowed to eat at the table, ride shot-gun in the car, join us on shopping outings, eat ice cream or chocolate cake, or sleep on the lounge.

And I'm sure he doesn't appreciate me pulling him into line and banishing him outside when the occasion warrants.  Aunty Shelley truly is a bitch.

Last night he took matters into his own hands (paws?) in an attempt to prove his human-ness.

He did this all by himself: jumped up onto mum's bed, snuggled himself under the covers and arranged himself so that his head was on her pillow.

Little shocker.  

It didn't work.  He still had to sleep outside for the night.

:)

Grateful grates of an (apparently) ungrateful ingrate

Sometimes I feel like all I do is bitch and moan about the world.

Complain, complain, complain.  

I feel like it's my mantra.  And I don't like it.

Truly, I have nothing to complain about.  I have a roof over my head and food on my table.  I have a loving family and the best husband I could ever have dreamed of in my teenage dreams of the future.  I live in a great country, I have freedoms that are non-existent to many people in the world, and yet still I complain.  More often than I would like.  I tell you, I'm sick of myself.

So in an effort to turn my frown upside down, when I feel like the blues are taking over my colour scheme, I'm going to post about the little things in my life that make me happy and that I am grateful for.  That way, when the worries of my world are threatening to take over, I can look back and be reminded that life is good, real good.

I choose to post about the little things because it goes without saying that I am ever so grateful for the 'big' things that I have (water, food, shelter, clothes etc) - it's the little mundane day-to-day things that I want to look back on and treasure.  Those little things that seem insignificant but that can turn my day around when I remember to be grateful for them.

So here goes.....I'm choosing to post in lists of three because three is my most favourite number of all and because two is just not enough.  Four is too many and five is getting carried away with it all.  So three it is.

........

Today, in my light-blue-tending-towards-navy state of mind, I am grateful for.....

• getting into a warm car when the wind outside is on the freezing side of chilly (c'mon already!  it's  SPRING now!!!)
• money already in the parking meter from the previous parker
• the washing up being already done ready for me to make a mess again.

Life is good.

Simple and Easy

Thursdays are big days in our house.  For me, it's Super C Day.  For the LOML it's late night shopping so an 8pm finish at the shop (better than 9pm at the other shopping centres.  And don't even get me started on the waste of time that is late night shopping especially when we now have 7 day trading - that's a whole other rant!).

So on big days like this the last thing I feel like doing when I get home after 8 is cook dinner.  And the last thing both the LOML and I feel like eating is a big meal.  It's midnight before we've wound down enough to sleep as it is.

That's why on Thursdays, we have this.....

....eggs and spaghetti on toast.  Ripper.  Ready in about 8 minutes (I have it down pat), consumed in 2!  

Tonight, being Thursday night, was no exception.  Eggs and spaghetti on toast.  And look at what I scored - a double yolker!  The LOML got one as well! These eggs are from a friend of a friend since our girls are holding out on us.

I always feel like a winner when I crack a double yolker.  One time I got some eggs from the Sunday markets - 10 (big) eggs in the carton, 9 of them double yolkers, 1 triple.  I've never seen a triple yolker and doubt I ever will again!  They tasted delish too!

I love eggs.