My five minutes of fame!

Very exciting - this photo is on BBC World,  Africa, African Elders.
I submitted months ago and then it appeared today!

Sometimes you need to put your feet up.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Very cute cookies

I saw this cute cookies at Stacys sweet shop and so spent the entire afternoon making them.
No dinner tonight!
But we have some very cute cookies to give away to our friends!

Christmas? Next week?

I really need to get moving.
Joy to the world and all that.

Love these signs

I was browsing and came across this website

http://www.jackandfriends.com/

and these signs are perfect for me after a day spent powerwashing the front of the house (well the bits I could reach)

and sadly some of my garden is 'sleeping' or let's just say 'gone to a better place.'

Kitchen Nighmares

This was an amusing article in today's paper by Daniela Elsa.
She reviewed a book called 'How not to Cookbook' (hownottocook.co.uk).

A Few Handy Ideas:

- Do not boil avocado. It tastes like soap.
- Do not fry chips wearing shorts.
- Do not start making a pie when your guests are coming in an hour
- Do not cook if you want a clean kitchen.
- Never put fish in your freezer in a developing country and go away on vacation not realising there will be a power cut while you are gone.
- Do not try to make a pie for the first time unsupervised.
- When icing a cake around other people, do not lick the spatula.
- Do not answer the phone while frying bacon.
- Never cook naked. You will get hot fat on your chest and you never know what will happen from behind.
- Do not try to peel almonds with a knife. It takes about 30 minutes and two bleeding fingertips to peel about four almonds. Rather, scald with boiling water and peel off the skin easily.
- Do not forget to invite guests to your dinner party.
- If a dish is unsuccessful, do not throw it out of the window.
- If you are lucky enough to remember all the ingredients, but then forget the cooking time, you were probably born to eat out.
- Putting things in water does not count as marinating.

I have a friend who could add to that list.
- Don't tell your guests that you buried the failed pumpkin soup in the front yard.
That happened about 18 years ago. Thinking about it still makes me smile!

Playing on the beach and looking for dolphins

Caitlin and I went up to Nelson Bay with a friend and her daughter.
Day 1: RAIN
Day 2: Walk and coffee on my own (don't tell anyone), playing on the beach,
read 'Water for Elephants' and enjoyed it (ending a bit twee), homemade pizza for dinner
and I bought a painting which I love. This girl loves her hat - she'd sleep in it if she could!

Another thought for the day

The reason women don't play football is
 because eleven of them would never wear the same outfit in public.
- Phyllis Diller

Red sky at night, shepherds delight, red sky in the morning shepherds warning

Here are some photos taken by Thomas age 14 of the dust storm we had last week.

This was at about 7 in the morning.
What amazed me is the fact that people went on with their day as normal - there were people out walking, jogging, swimming etc in spite of the health warnings and obvious dust in the air.We carried on regardless.

Thought for the day

I have a "Carpe Diem" mug and truthfully at six in the morning
the words do not make me want to seize the day.
They make me want to slap a dead poet.
- Joan Sherman