Lol

Send someone a note that reads "Congratulations." Regardless of who he is, he'll think he's done something the past week to deserve it.”

Art: "Frog Kiss" by Mel Williams

Dinner Tonight

I haven't cooked wildly and lavishly in forever and as I appear to be in a cooking mood this week I though I would share what I am making for dinner tonight (I did have to work around the tastes of three juniors but I think it will suffice).

• Lamb, feta and mint wrapped in filo
• Oven baked chicken with olives and lemon (yes there is a bit of a Greek thing happening here)
• Smashed potatoes with rosemary and sea salt
• Eggplant rolls stuffed with ricotta (probably a bit more Italian than Greek)
• Steamed green beans
• Spicy roasted pumpkin

Now this is only in my head at the moment - although I gone to the grocery store so the shopping is presently strewn through the kitchen) - so I will take photos and write out the recipes once I have actually "invented" them lol.

Oh and I have a cheese and nibbly platter for sometime today/tonight - got 7 great cheeses plus olives and dips and pate and stuff and stuff.

I love to cook, I have people to who love to eat for and it is my last night on the mountain (for this time anyway) - what more could a girl ask for?

Such is Life

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

Mark Twain

Photo Challenge - Taste

I'm Not Called Mountaingirl for Nothing!

I have two wonderful sleeps on the mountain - and the house to myself for the afternoon (with computer use as a bonus pleasure).

I did notice as I sat down to read my magazine that the fireplace is perfectly set out for a fire - paper in the actual fireplace with kindling through to logs lined up on the hearth. Sigh, if that wasn't a hint :-)

The came the phone call - yes I was welcome to use the computer as well as light a fire if I got cold. I responded calmly that a doona on my knees would keep me lovely and warm. There was a small pause and then "it would be nice to come home to a warm house". A girl has gotta laugh!

So the fire is roaring and I am laughing - at me this time. I took photos of my perfect firelighting techniques so I could write some wildly witty post to got with it but ... well I can't download the photos - its not my computer so you will have to take a generic shot instead and just believe that I have a roaring fire beside me ha ha ha.

The Colors of My Heart

I got this from Abz and surprisingly it didn't come back and say it was black (referring tomy Love Q for today).

Your Heart is Blue and Orange

Your heart is bright and brilliant. You are knowledgeable, wise, and confident. You bring dynamism and sparkle to relationships. You know how to keep your partner hanging on your every word.

What Are the Colors of Your Heart?

Sigh .... And Giggle

In my sex fantasy, nobody ever loves me for my mind.

Nora Ephron

Sculpture by Joanna Mallin-Davies

Bowraville Folk Museum

I spent a few hours in the Museum yesterday - didn't even begin to see everything but had a ball! My visit was definitely enhanced by having a tour guide that added personal histories or explanations of various items.

For those unfamiliar with this treasure trove, it is nestled in the town of Bowraville on the New South Wales Mid North Coast. There is over 1000 m2 devoted to maintaining the folk history of the Nambucca Valley. Folk history is the preservation of day to day life - kitchens, clothes, photos, work, tools, entertainment and the church. All of it is run by volunteers.

The oldest item I found was from the mid-1800's, the newest a computer from the early 1980's. I will set myself the challenge to verify this over future visits :-)

And all of this for the princely entry fee of $2.20 (yes you read that properly - two dollars and twenty cents).

I took over 50 photos yesterday, which I will use progressively as time goes on but here are three to start with. I can't call them favorites as such because at this point everything is my favorite but I had to start somewhere.

The Museum has a large collection of the milk bottles used in the Valley. The one with the red label was the one used by the Bowraville dairy.


There is a huge display of photos and portraits of the settlers of the Valley. Some of them look stern, some beautiful but none of them could have had it easy by our standards.


Hey, its a book - and a big, beautiful old book. My sort of heaven :-) Apparently the candlestick was black when it was donated but one of the members took it home and faithfully began polishing until it shined.

Love Q #4

Is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

No. It is all very lovely to think that those lovely memories will keep you warm and your heart and eyelids fluttering as the years go by but I think that is crap ... I mean so terribly wrong.

You can spend the rest of your life repeating the last memories (which let's face it, the relationship didn't last so the last memories are never good - death, argument, betrayal, whatever) or pining for something that gets more unreal as the years pass.

Imagine you had the most perfect piece of food ever (chocolate, fruit, whatever works for you) - for the rest of your life while things might be great, you know that they aren't as good as they could be because you have tasted perfection.

If you only get one shot at love, and you can see the future and know it isn't going to last, then avoid the whole thing completely.

Lol

For this week, we are linking to Mae and JM. And the home of Love Q is at Short Sweet Love Poems.

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea

This morning we are having our part of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea with money raised to go to cancer research.

I said I would cater but I know of at least one lovely person who is bringing something along (yah) but anyway, my list of yummies are:

Sausage Rolls (homemade of course)
Mini Quiche's
A chocolate and strawberry cake
Chocolate Carmel Slice
Lime Butter Cake
Apple Strudel
Fairy Cakes
Chocolate Brownies
and (I think maybe) a selection of sandwiches.

Photos and recipes will be up on Yummy Tucker early next week - I am going away for a day or two as soon as the morning tea is over :-)

Photo Challenge Update

Oh I am having a hard time with taste - I hope y'all having more luck than I at getting an okay shot lol.

Anyway, onwards and upwards :-)

Yes, tomorrow 23 May we are posting "Taste"
Friday 30 May is "Man-Made"
Friday 6 June is "Natural

The pop-up problem is still being worked out but as it conculsively ISN'T the linked to Mr Linkey, he will be back tomorrow so don't forget to swing by and add your name to the list.

Words Get In The Way

If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.

Edward Hopper

Art from Be Free and Live's site

Happy Days

Every time I see a Jamie Oliver book for sale through "my" Ebay seller charliejodesigns I put a $10.00 bid on - just to get things started. I quite enjoy his food although he is annoying so it is no real imperative to actually own one but I have never turned down a recipe book lol

The silly thing about young Jamie's books is that they go for the same price as new ones (and then add postage on) even though all of his books are still in print - yes I have been monitoring this generally with other sellers too for three years now.

Well, the planets have aligned and I have been successful with my lowly $10.00 bid. Okay I don't get it until Booking Sunday but who can wait that long to share the joy (and amazement) lol

Pooh Bear Tuesday

You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.

Winnie the Pooh

Life Is ...

Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.

Photo from Dohiyi Mir

New Challenge - Magic Moments

On Sunday nights the Coodabeen Champions list their "Magic Moments of the Week". Running sorta parallel, at work each night we ask our young people for the "high point of their day" as part of their wind down process. So why not for us too.

Each Sunday I will post my "Magic Moment/High Point" of the previous week and you are most welcome to join me. By Magic Moment I personally define it as any moment that made me stop and smile - a celebration of the little things - you can define it as anything you want.

So, to start things off, my magic moment was waking up to the twins snuggling in with me on Saturday morning - talking excitedly of their dreams of the night before, the excitement of the day ahead, and lots of cuddles. And then we went into the house and colored in and drew pictures.

Art from Multicurious

Museum Magic

Being such a hip and cool babe, it is obvious that I would be a museum nut :-) Well apparently I am not alone!

This week Radio National (home of all that is hip and cool no matter what triple J says) is celebrating the museum.

Check out their page and submit your favorite museum memory, or nominate your local museum (actually unless it is the Bowraville Folk Museum - best in the world - don't bother lol) and all of the other bits they are encouraging us to do!

Gotta love a museum :-)

It's A Small World

Even the internet is getting very small!

For the previous post I was looking for a photo of couscous and Graham's Paddock came up in the search results. The photo wasn't the one I wanted but I did notice that he had a section on "Snow in WA" so I have just gone back for a quick squiz. As a blow-me-out-of-the-water co-incidence, this is the guy that was featured on the tv show "The Collectors" on Friday night for his collection of belly button fluff (yes he has the Guiness record to attest to its size).

What does this mean, nothing I am sure but it isn't often you "bump" into people on the net so I thought I would share the moment!

Food Fads

I was listening to an interview on By Design with Colin Bannerman on his book "Seed Cake and Honey Prawns: fashion and fad in Australian food" and I have begun to think whether I am a trend follower or not. Now I could not possibly considered 'trendy' in any other category so this might be my last chance.

I know when I am planning meals for my cooking groups my general criteria for consideration are time, ease, cost, cooking techniques, ingredients and practicality. I also know that I try to come up with recipes that are familiar using ingredients that are familiar (Seafood Marinara instead of Calamari Fettucini using squid ink pasta for example). Many of these dishes I would regard as 'normal' with just a touch of 'trendy'. Others like risotto I just regard as basic and 'normal' although for some others it is still trendy.

At home I swing between the quick and easy (roasted vegetable paninis or tagliatelli with sage butter sauce with a green salad from the garden) and the new or new-to-me. I also love to read and gain inspiration from old (pre 1950) cook books.

If a specific flavor is in my mouth (lime is the flavor of the moment) then I cook around that flavor.

If I find a new ingredient or theme (cous cous, sun dried tomatoes, Moroccan are very 'old' examples; strozzapreti and annatto seed are my new ones) I am more likely to research the region of origin and recipes using the ingredient and then make something simple before I really launch into my own recipes, or my own interpretation of the ingredient.

And, although it is social death in all of the trendiest places to eat, I do still use sundrieds or cous cous periodically.

So I am not sure that makes me trendy. Actually I think that makes me more confused than anything else. Sigh ... missed out again lol

Maya Says ...

everything has rhythm. everything dances.

Maya Angelou

Art: "The Golden Rhythm: Garden of Love" from JT Art World