Today I have a new fitness goal, to see if I can walk up the 5 flight of steps on the inside of the building without huffing and puffing at the top...with a secondary goal of not having legs that feel like concrete as well.
I swear I thought I had climbed Everest this morning and was looking for a sherpa with an oxygen tank by the time I got to the top. No sherpa, no oxygen mask, not even a friendly St Bernard with a wee barrel of brandy, so I just hauled ass to the office and collapsed in my chair to type this post.
I know for sure that I lost the use of my legs the moment I set foot on this soil, and have sat in a car for the last 5 months. I don't even have the weather to blame anymore, it's a gloriously sunny day today and birdies were singing outside the bedroom window before.
M pointed out a robin red breast on Sunday. It's breast was the darker orange shade of red so they shall be robin rust breasts from now on.
anyhoo, time to get to the gym we have joined tonight and get that aerobic fitness level up, so I can take on the great stair challenge everyday. I have a vague recollection Allison induced me to sign up for a volleyball team made up from the tech team soon as well...eeek.
There's a step class at 5:30 and yoga at 6.30 and a whole slew of machine exercises they gave me the other day...if I can just remember what to do on each machine I should be home and hosed. Sooooo looking forward to it.
Ciao for now
March 30, 2005
March 29, 2005
I'll have a nice cup of tea please
I like a nice cup of tea or 'cup of taaaay' as people think i say it. I've always liked it, ever since i was a nipper...in our house no ill short of death couldn't be cured with a nice cup of tea and then if someone died, that's what you've have to recover from it.
Growing up we had two sorts of tea, our tea and Thompsett Tea. Mum was English, but had acclimatized or was strange enough not to really like very strong tea, so we tended to have weak (relatively) milky tea. No sugar of course cos that would rot your teeth...and then you'd have to go to the murder house (school dental clinic)...but that's a whole nother blog!
Tompsett tea was what you drank when you went to stay at Auntie Yvonne's place. Strong enough to stand the spoon up in apparently...and they were allowed sugar in their tea too, the lucky sods. Being a curious kid, I once tried to pour enough sugar in to work out how much you needed to stand the spoon up and got smacked for it too i think. When going to the Tompsetts, you always had a cup of tea when you got there after the long (3 to 4 hour) car ride with your sloooow driving mother and tea with every meal and in-between if needed....she was my mothers sister after all. Tea cooled you down if it was hot (and we're not talking fancy iced stuff here) and warmed you up if you were cold. Forever more Thompsett Tea is what our family calls very strong tea. From the industrial stuff they give you in motorway cafes to accidentally leaving the bag in too long in your own cup, anything a darker brown than milk chocolate is Tompsett tea.
Now whenever I make it back to NZ one of the first things I do is go visit the Tompsetts 'Tea rooms' as we jokingly call them and have a cup of tea with Yvonne and Allen. Whenever my baby brother and i or my cousin Geoff (who's a Tompsett of course) get together one of us will suggest putting the jug on (electric kettle to those you non Kiwi) for a cup of tea, to which the other will reply...'ohhh, that would be nice, nothing like a nice cup of tea' Tea ( and bad puns) may well be one of the few things that actually binds our loose knit family together. We all drank it at Nana's and we all have it in a cupboard at home. We've might have strayed into herbal tea territory, but will always drink the real thing as comfort and companionship. Bell if you're in NZ and Tetleys if you are in the UK
I was quite surprised to find the MIL didn't own a jug and quietly horrified to find she made it in the microwave (sorry MIL, it still doesn't taste the same) I do quite like iced tea when made from real tea without heaps of artificial flavors and Snapple is not too bad at a pinch. Green tea or jasmine tea is great with Japanese and Chinese food but when you really need it, you can't beat a nice cup of tea.
In the global scale of things I guess I'm not a big tea drinker...don't usually have it in the morning (that's what a coffee kickstart is for) and not late at night (I'm either partaking in 'adult beverages' or attacking my hoarded stash of imported Milo...but I do like a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. I'm not sure what they put in the tea-bags here in the office...think it might be the leftovers from what they put in tea bags for the rest of the world. It's dusty and anaemic and I have to put 2 bags in at once to get to normal strength. I think I'm pretty safe from Tompsetts tea at work.
Girls - Don't forget to bring those Tetley tea bags over next week, I really miss the good stuff !
Growing up we had two sorts of tea, our tea and Thompsett Tea. Mum was English, but had acclimatized or was strange enough not to really like very strong tea, so we tended to have weak (relatively) milky tea. No sugar of course cos that would rot your teeth...and then you'd have to go to the murder house (school dental clinic)...but that's a whole nother blog!
Tompsett tea was what you drank when you went to stay at Auntie Yvonne's place. Strong enough to stand the spoon up in apparently...and they were allowed sugar in their tea too, the lucky sods. Being a curious kid, I once tried to pour enough sugar in to work out how much you needed to stand the spoon up and got smacked for it too i think. When going to the Tompsetts, you always had a cup of tea when you got there after the long (3 to 4 hour) car ride with your sloooow driving mother and tea with every meal and in-between if needed....she was my mothers sister after all. Tea cooled you down if it was hot (and we're not talking fancy iced stuff here) and warmed you up if you were cold. Forever more Thompsett Tea is what our family calls very strong tea. From the industrial stuff they give you in motorway cafes to accidentally leaving the bag in too long in your own cup, anything a darker brown than milk chocolate is Tompsett tea.
Now whenever I make it back to NZ one of the first things I do is go visit the Tompsetts 'Tea rooms' as we jokingly call them and have a cup of tea with Yvonne and Allen. Whenever my baby brother and i or my cousin Geoff (who's a Tompsett of course) get together one of us will suggest putting the jug on (electric kettle to those you non Kiwi) for a cup of tea, to which the other will reply...'ohhh, that would be nice, nothing like a nice cup of tea' Tea ( and bad puns) may well be one of the few things that actually binds our loose knit family together. We all drank it at Nana's and we all have it in a cupboard at home. We've might have strayed into herbal tea territory, but will always drink the real thing as comfort and companionship. Bell if you're in NZ and Tetleys if you are in the UK
I was quite surprised to find the MIL didn't own a jug and quietly horrified to find she made it in the microwave (sorry MIL, it still doesn't taste the same) I do quite like iced tea when made from real tea without heaps of artificial flavors and Snapple is not too bad at a pinch. Green tea or jasmine tea is great with Japanese and Chinese food but when you really need it, you can't beat a nice cup of tea.
In the global scale of things I guess I'm not a big tea drinker...don't usually have it in the morning (that's what a coffee kickstart is for) and not late at night (I'm either partaking in 'adult beverages' or attacking my hoarded stash of imported Milo...but I do like a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. I'm not sure what they put in the tea-bags here in the office...think it might be the leftovers from what they put in tea bags for the rest of the world. It's dusty and anaemic and I have to put 2 bags in at once to get to normal strength. I think I'm pretty safe from Tompsetts tea at work.
Girls - Don't forget to bring those Tetley tea bags over next week, I really miss the good stuff !
March 27, 2005
Dylan at easter
eastercat
Originally uploaded by zela.
well not really, M gave me this card for easter and I'm still laughing. It's just the espression on the cats face...and the fact that he looks a lot like Dylan, Vanessa's cat (who's having a long holiday at her parents place at the moment)
We've had anice quiet Easter today, though I'm still in shock for the first time in my entire life I haven't had Friday and Monday off as a public holiday. After church went to have brunch at The Cuneo Museum, not really having any idea what kind of museum it was. Very surprised to find an Italianate villa in the middle of the burbs.
Now it's Sunday afternoon and we're in domestic mode so I'd better get off the PC and back to the putting away stuff...sigh
thought you'd all love the cat :>)
March 25, 2005
if I was an obsolete skill I'd be Latin apparently!
You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.
You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.
What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
so it's good Friday and it snowing again
Don't think it will stick (she says optimistically) and we're supposed to get rain as well (oh joy) and it's good Friday...and to make it worse, USians don't get this as a public holiday (or Easter Monday) unless you work for the NYSE.
Never like to say happy Easter...technically (thinking back to all those years of Sunday school) it's not really a celebration until Monday when the stone gets rolled and way and Jesus lives. Don't seem right to be saying happy in the context of a man getting killed, even it is was for a good reason(sins)
anyway..we just get the weekend off, so to speak, and haven't really got much planned. I'm hiving off to the city to get my hair cut, gotta look good when I see the girls in New York in a couple of week(can'twaitcan'twait)and then we're booked to go to brunch after church at the Cuneo Museum. Not sure what brunch at a museum will involve? Dinosaur eggs and woolly mammoth steaks perhaps.
I heard on the news this morning that they have managed to get soft tissue like stuff with possible cells from a t-rex somewhere, so maybe Jurassic park is just around the corner afterall.
that might be the next cool pet. Move over labradoodles, cockapoos and schnoodles...I want a dinosaur!
Never like to say happy Easter...technically (thinking back to all those years of Sunday school) it's not really a celebration until Monday when the stone gets rolled and way and Jesus lives. Don't seem right to be saying happy in the context of a man getting killed, even it is was for a good reason(sins)
anyway..we just get the weekend off, so to speak, and haven't really got much planned. I'm hiving off to the city to get my hair cut, gotta look good when I see the girls in New York in a couple of week(can'twaitcan'twait)and then we're booked to go to brunch after church at the Cuneo Museum. Not sure what brunch at a museum will involve? Dinosaur eggs and woolly mammoth steaks perhaps.
I heard on the news this morning that they have managed to get soft tissue like stuff with possible cells from a t-rex somewhere, so maybe Jurassic park is just around the corner afterall.
that might be the next cool pet. Move over labradoodles, cockapoos and schnoodles...I want a dinosaur!
March 23, 2005
snow!
snow!
Originally uploaded by zela.
It's snowing again today, seems to be sticking to the grass, had about 1 inch i think?
Not quite as mush as in the picture, that was from the big on at the start of the year (I've been saving this pic to sen d to my sister in sunny NZ)
Think we had a couple of feet (we all have a couple of feet but you know!) and then the snow plow came along and smushed it all up against the tree outside the front of the house.
Note my winter 'duvet' aka a lovely feather coat the MIL gave me. Might have to drag it out today again as I've got to load some chair to squeeeeeeze into the storage area, before M gets back. They are his favourite leather chairs and pretty nice, but wrong colour (black)and there is no room in the inn...no matter how many times he moves them around the living room.
He sounded really tired on the phone last night...although he did try and convince me that the offices were awful, the weather was bad and the people unfriendly in our texas office...in a vain attempt to convince me that we shouldn't have moved to there in stead of chicago when we had the oppotunity.
Think the picture says it all matey!
March 22, 2005
been a few days
and you should all be tired of the house pictures by now. Not really been up to much, the realtor came round to look at our house before taking us to see more (one possible - others no) and pronounced it all good.
Though we have to clean the front, which we knew, just waiting for a nice day (might be a while)
M is off in sunny Houston today and tomorrow for work of course...there better be a bit of sunshine leaking out of his suitcase when he gets back.
Finally went to get the health assessment done at the gym and found out I have relatively high cholesterol...so lets do a tally
I'm 37
I need 2 root canals, one to be replaced by a crown and the other by a titanium post and fake tooth once the artificial bone has grown in
I have bursitis in my hip, currently treated by cortisone injection and exercises
I wear orthotics in my shoes, glasses on my head and drink aloe vera juice for IBS
How the hell am I going to make it past 40!
oh well, just reminded myself why i have to get serious about exercise again...sigh
need that flexibility to get me past 50
and on that cheery note: back to work.
Though we have to clean the front, which we knew, just waiting for a nice day (might be a while)
M is off in sunny Houston today and tomorrow for work of course...there better be a bit of sunshine leaking out of his suitcase when he gets back.
Finally went to get the health assessment done at the gym and found out I have relatively high cholesterol...so lets do a tally
I'm 37
I need 2 root canals, one to be replaced by a crown and the other by a titanium post and fake tooth once the artificial bone has grown in
I have bursitis in my hip, currently treated by cortisone injection and exercises
I wear orthotics in my shoes, glasses on my head and drink aloe vera juice for IBS
How the hell am I going to make it past 40!
oh well, just reminded myself why i have to get serious about exercise again...sigh
need that flexibility to get me past 50
and on that cheery note: back to work.
March 16, 2005
Guest Room
Guest Room
Originally uploaded by zela.
The flash has bleached the soft green cover to blue...but I'm sitting on the brown chair typing away!
well i would be if i wasn't taking the photo
Guest Bath
Guest Bath
Originally uploaded by zela.
Lovely shot of the guest bath with its little bit of bright orange to cheer us up...no ones said the words 'Hari Krishna'yet, but I'm waiting
Big Bedroom
Big Bedroom
Originally uploaded by zela.
hmmmnnn duvet doesn't look so shiny in real life...gotta work on the flash technique
Big Bedroom
Big Bedroom
Originally uploaded by zela.
hmmmnnn duvet doesn't look so shiny in real life...gotta work on the flash technique
Hallway to bedrooms
Hallway to bedrooms
Originally uploaded by zela.
note pile of stuff STILL to go into storage!
and we still haven't hung up the mongolian ger cloth yet
Dehumidifer
Dehumidifer
Originally uploaded by zela.
sorry, Dining area. French doors obscured by badly pulled curtains lead out to little balcony.
Mrs Weaver goes to school
A while ago in a moment of rash altruism I signed up for Junior Achievement. This notable cause teaches children of all ages how business works and offers the opportunity for business people to work in schools.
I think I did it for a few (mostly good) reasons: I loved school - it was a safe and ordered world away from the emotional chaos we called home, I like the idea of business giving something back (using my powers for good not evil) and it might stretch my boundaries a little...ohmylord, what was I thinking?
Today i discovered two things...1)I'm quite happy to stand up in front of a global CEO and his/her many minions and tell them how we're going to do something but commanding a bunch of 7 year olds is a whole new level of terror and 2)I suddenly have a completely different level of understanding and respect for I know teachers - no wonder they think they are underpaid!....Frances, Brenda, Judi, Katie, Connie and Karina, how do you do it and why don't don't you collapse in a small screaming heap at the end of each day?
These were all nice kids and pretty well behaved, but it was like taking 7 cats for a walk trying to keep their attention.
Today was only observation, I was looking and helping to get a feel for how the class works, we wrote some stuff about the local tribe in the area and did a science experiment with bubbles. In April I actually have to stand up in front of them and get them to listen to me, though I learnt two new phases today that might help 'All eyes on me' and 'sit down and put your hands on the desk' I'm thinking of testing them out next time I'm stuck in a directionless meeting that's droning on and on and on and on..
Luckily all the materials are prepared, you have to follow through on the activity book and work through the activities (2nd grade is around 'Community') so the prep part should be easy....and Mrs T has done this lots of time, so should be pretty good at not letting me get into trouble.
So how was going back to school....apart from feeling like a giant, I can tell you kids still get very excited when it's break/recess time and the little girl from Brazil can spell better than me!
The weirdest thing is being called 'Mrs Weaver'...I kept looking around for the MIL, who actually was a teacher before retiring. The school is in my neighborhood, so I'm prob going to freak out when someone calls out 'Mrs Weaver' in the supermarket! They probabley won't recognize me in my weekend slob clothes...or worse still they will...and as for the boundaries...I can feel a whole loooooooot of stretch coming up!
I think I did it for a few (mostly good) reasons: I loved school - it was a safe and ordered world away from the emotional chaos we called home, I like the idea of business giving something back (using my powers for good not evil) and it might stretch my boundaries a little...ohmylord, what was I thinking?
Today i discovered two things...1)I'm quite happy to stand up in front of a global CEO and his/her many minions and tell them how we're going to do something but commanding a bunch of 7 year olds is a whole new level of terror and 2)I suddenly have a completely different level of understanding and respect for I know teachers - no wonder they think they are underpaid!....Frances, Brenda, Judi, Katie, Connie and Karina, how do you do it and why don't don't you collapse in a small screaming heap at the end of each day?
These were all nice kids and pretty well behaved, but it was like taking 7 cats for a walk trying to keep their attention.
Today was only observation, I was looking and helping to get a feel for how the class works, we wrote some stuff about the local tribe in the area and did a science experiment with bubbles. In April I actually have to stand up in front of them and get them to listen to me, though I learnt two new phases today that might help 'All eyes on me' and 'sit down and put your hands on the desk' I'm thinking of testing them out next time I'm stuck in a directionless meeting that's droning on and on and on and on..
Luckily all the materials are prepared, you have to follow through on the activity book and work through the activities (2nd grade is around 'Community') so the prep part should be easy....and Mrs T has done this lots of time, so should be pretty good at not letting me get into trouble.
So how was going back to school....apart from feeling like a giant, I can tell you kids still get very excited when it's break/recess time and the little girl from Brazil can spell better than me!
The weirdest thing is being called 'Mrs Weaver'...I kept looking around for the MIL, who actually was a teacher before retiring. The school is in my neighborhood, so I'm prob going to freak out when someone calls out 'Mrs Weaver' in the supermarket! They probabley won't recognize me in my weekend slob clothes...or worse still they will...and as for the boundaries...I can feel a whole loooooooot of stretch coming up!
Was in the lift/elevator today
and complimented the woman traveling with me on her bright and cheery scarf...to which she responded 'you have to bring your own sunshine with you'
Nice thought I thought I'd share:>)
Nice thought I thought I'd share:>)
March 13, 2005
The worlds f@#$%&g scariest cablecar
The worlds f@#$%&g scariest cablecar
Originally uploaded by zela.
hopefully the picture says it all..two trips (so long they made us get off and get onto another one) in the middle. M's not good with heights, and neither was I at the end of this.
Christmas 020
Christmas 020
Originally uploaded by zela.
ok, maybe this will work
Hooray, finally figured out how to do this...expect some photo madness.
and by the way, those are flamigos we saw in a bird park in Malaysia.
March 12, 2005
testing testing 1-2-3
Need to see if I can post a picture 
.
That would be a no then...might need to try something else Click this link and it should take you to a lovely picture of my hand in the new scanner/printer/fax thingy...but still can't get the pictures to insert.
Ok, Heather from Halifax gave me some ideas on how to do this...lets see how it goes
That would be a no then...might need to try something else Click this link and it should take you to a lovely picture of my hand in the new scanner/printer/fax thingy...but still can't get the pictures to insert.
Ok, Heather from Halifax gave me some ideas on how to do this...lets see how it goes
ahhhh classic fm and a new PC
Got the new PC up and running...has a whizzy printer/scanner/photo thingy so my mission this afternoon is to figure out how to post pictures...then I shall run around the house taking photo's of the good bits for all you have asked to see.
You won't be seeing the towel rail that fell of the wall or the misc scatter of tools across the shelves downstairs...but maybe if you are good then I'll show you the tower of appliances including the infamous pizza oven.
M kept raving about this whilst we were in the UK. Seems that his parents gave this to him when he was in college, long before the days of picking them up for a tenner at Walmart and it was a genuine 'behind the bar' industrial job. He's had it in storage all this time, and was eagerly awaiting the day he could drag it out.
Well its here and it's the size of an old hard drive. Its not that ugly (gen-u-ine stainless steel)but our kitchen is not big, galley in a very small ship kinda thing. So where do we put this monster, and the microwave and the knife block and everything else you need to have in a kitchen. Our solution is to buy a wine fridge!
Without sounding like fish (yeah right...shut up Dave), in our little family wine is often the solution to many difficult design challenges, well at least pausing to have a drinkypoo puts the problem to one side sort of solution.
Anyway, this makes more sense than you think, solves the wine cellar problem, makes the house look more funky modern, and provides an extension of the benchtop to put the microwave on...which is a perfect place to put the pizza oven. Dadaaah!
So now we have the tower of appliances. And while it's true that the pizza oven is the perfect thing for cooking pizza, and more than 2 muffins at a time, it's gonna go when we start showing the house. I haven't put all those hours in watching 'selling houses' programmes where people with no idea of selling are slagged mercilessly, no sirree, all those hours on the couch are not in vain.
Pizza oven out, glamorous wine fridge in the spotlight.
and besides...people might think we only ate pizza!
This blog is brought to you by our lovely new PC and classic FM, a UK classical station I can finally hear again over the internet...what will they think of next?
You won't be seeing the towel rail that fell of the wall or the misc scatter of tools across the shelves downstairs...but maybe if you are good then I'll show you the tower of appliances including the infamous pizza oven.
M kept raving about this whilst we were in the UK. Seems that his parents gave this to him when he was in college, long before the days of picking them up for a tenner at Walmart and it was a genuine 'behind the bar' industrial job. He's had it in storage all this time, and was eagerly awaiting the day he could drag it out.
Well its here and it's the size of an old hard drive. Its not that ugly (gen-u-ine stainless steel)but our kitchen is not big, galley in a very small ship kinda thing. So where do we put this monster, and the microwave and the knife block and everything else you need to have in a kitchen. Our solution is to buy a wine fridge!
Without sounding like fish (yeah right...shut up Dave), in our little family wine is often the solution to many difficult design challenges, well at least pausing to have a drinkypoo puts the problem to one side sort of solution.
Anyway, this makes more sense than you think, solves the wine cellar problem, makes the house look more funky modern, and provides an extension of the benchtop to put the microwave on...which is a perfect place to put the pizza oven. Dadaaah!
So now we have the tower of appliances. And while it's true that the pizza oven is the perfect thing for cooking pizza, and more than 2 muffins at a time, it's gonna go when we start showing the house. I haven't put all those hours in watching 'selling houses' programmes where people with no idea of selling are slagged mercilessly, no sirree, all those hours on the couch are not in vain.
Pizza oven out, glamorous wine fridge in the spotlight.
and besides...people might think we only ate pizza!
This blog is brought to you by our lovely new PC and classic FM, a UK classical station I can finally hear again over the internet...what will they think of next?
March 10, 2005
Clearing out
Vanessa and I usually talk on sametime(a little programme that lets us 'chat' by typing stuff in) each day or so...it's not the same as being there in person, but lets us catch up. Today we were talking about clearing out stuff, something I've had to become much better at over the years...she likes my tips so the rest of you get to have them today as well!
ps:Nessa, I've taken out cat references and the bits no one else needs to know!
Vanessa ... well i hope you have a great day - i'm off home to do tidying and work out how to give my house the 'life laundry treatment'
Hazel /... you really need me today :>)
Hazel /... being bossy and making you throw stuff out and buy storage stuff
Vanessa ... i know - can't you come over???
Hazel /... think about the end result...what do you really want to carry forward into your new life (pictures of Jo, 15 travel treasures etc) and what do you just have around due to habit (gifts from people you love)
Vanessa ... that last one is the tough one
Hazel /... i have no probs with you throwing out stuff that I gave you
Vanessa ... i hate giving things away when friends or family have given them to me
Hazel /... try thinking about it this way...if the house was burning down and you had time to grab a few things...what would you take?
Hazel /... I actually say out loud (to myself and the universe) 'Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift with love, and now I'm going to pass it on for someone else to love' Seems silly but seems to work
Hazel /... try it, you'll feel lots better about putting it into a box. Don't get rid of it immediately, just put the box somewhere and if you don't go and get it out in a couple of weeks, it's good to go
Vanessa ... yeah that's an idea
Vanessa ... ok have a lovely day in the snow
Vanessa ... i'm off outta here!
Hazel /... works for me....and in case you're worrying, i usually keep your gifts!
Vanessa ... ;-)
Vanessa ... of course!
pps: please don't stop giving me stuff...I'll always love it I promise
ps:Nessa, I've taken out cat references and the bits no one else needs to know!
Vanessa ... well i hope you have a great day - i'm off home to do tidying and work out how to give my house the 'life laundry treatment'
Hazel /... you really need me today :>)
Hazel /... being bossy and making you throw stuff out and buy storage stuff
Vanessa ... i know - can't you come over???
Hazel /... think about the end result...what do you really want to carry forward into your new life (pictures of Jo, 15 travel treasures etc) and what do you just have around due to habit (gifts from people you love)
Vanessa ... that last one is the tough one
Hazel /... i have no probs with you throwing out stuff that I gave you
Vanessa ... i hate giving things away when friends or family have given them to me
Hazel /... try thinking about it this way...if the house was burning down and you had time to grab a few things...what would you take?
Hazel /... I actually say out loud (to myself and the universe) 'Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift with love, and now I'm going to pass it on for someone else to love' Seems silly but seems to work
Hazel /... try it, you'll feel lots better about putting it into a box. Don't get rid of it immediately, just put the box somewhere and if you don't go and get it out in a couple of weeks, it's good to go
Vanessa ... yeah that's an idea
Vanessa ... ok have a lovely day in the snow
Vanessa ... i'm off outta here!
Hazel /... works for me....and in case you're worrying, i usually keep your gifts!
Vanessa ... ;-)
Vanessa ... of course!
pps: please don't stop giving me stuff...I'll always love it I promise
March 09, 2005
Craving crumpets
This morning I really missed crumpets for breakfast...I've had longings before but today I could have really really scoffed a crumpet or two. Crisp and hard on the outside and chewy and springy on the inside...with lots of melted butter falling through the holes...I always like to toast them twice to get them the right colour...scuse me a moment whilst I wipe the drool of the PC.
So I'll be adding those to the list of things friends can bring to the US.
It's not that I don't like the crumpet substitutes here. I can finally get a proper chewy bagel, and this weekend we discovered that we had a real Jewish deli (small but perfectly formed) next to the supermarket. Not really surprising find since we live in a Jewish neighborhood, but we'd never ventured in there. HoppelPoppel anyone?
Fabulous bagels and lots of strange(to me) cuts of fish....I'll have a piece of fish belly please?
So bagels are great, 'English' muffins are ok, the dark rye bread and pumpernickel is wonderful and if you stray into the super organic (read very expensive/very delicious) supermarket then you might even find a loaf of Vogels bread, or an adequate substitute.
Then there is the stuff the USians 'invented'...mmmmmmmnnnnn sourdough. If it's made well and/or comes from San Fran it's pretty damn delicious...had some sourdough French bread yesterday...mon dieu! Probable illegal to call it that and the French food police will be down like a tonne of goose lard.
So it's all pretty good except for the regular sandwich loaf. Kinda like eating a bunched up paper towel with sugar on top (not that I've done that yet, but ask anyone with a toddler and they can probably tell you that they've seen it) Even the brown bread tastes white (resisting the urge to have a crack at MJackson)
"It's pap" as Mewett would say.
So anything vaguely 'artisan'...which is a posh way for saying 'doesn't look like it comes out of a machine' tastes ok...otherwise it's back to muffins, bagels, rye and longing for crumpets....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm crumpets!
So I'll be adding those to the list of things friends can bring to the US.
It's not that I don't like the crumpet substitutes here. I can finally get a proper chewy bagel, and this weekend we discovered that we had a real Jewish deli (small but perfectly formed) next to the supermarket. Not really surprising find since we live in a Jewish neighborhood, but we'd never ventured in there. HoppelPoppel anyone?
Fabulous bagels and lots of strange(to me) cuts of fish....I'll have a piece of fish belly please?
So bagels are great, 'English' muffins are ok, the dark rye bread and pumpernickel is wonderful and if you stray into the super organic (read very expensive/very delicious) supermarket then you might even find a loaf of Vogels bread, or an adequate substitute.
Then there is the stuff the USians 'invented'...mmmmmmmnnnnn sourdough. If it's made well and/or comes from San Fran it's pretty damn delicious...had some sourdough French bread yesterday...mon dieu! Probable illegal to call it that and the French food police will be down like a tonne of goose lard.
So it's all pretty good except for the regular sandwich loaf. Kinda like eating a bunched up paper towel with sugar on top (not that I've done that yet, but ask anyone with a toddler and they can probably tell you that they've seen it) Even the brown bread tastes white (resisting the urge to have a crack at MJackson)
"It's pap" as Mewett would say.
So anything vaguely 'artisan'...which is a posh way for saying 'doesn't look like it comes out of a machine' tastes ok...otherwise it's back to muffins, bagels, rye and longing for crumpets....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm crumpets!
March 08, 2005
You know you've married someone from Wisconsin...
If they consider it a sport to gather their food by drilling through 8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, they might live in Wisconsin.
If their local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, they might live in Wisconsin.
If someone in a store offers they assistance, and they don't work there, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they may not have actually eaten it, but they have heard of Lutefisk, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have either a pet or a child named "Brett", they might live in Wisconsin.
If their town has an equal number of bars and churches, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they know how to say Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Menominee and Manitowoc, they might live in Wisconsin.
their idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
"Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 (Tomahawk) for the weekend.
They measure distance in hours.
They know several people who have hit deer more than once.
They often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
their whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
They can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
They see people wearing camouflage at social events...including weddings.
They install security lights on their house and garage and leave both unlocked.
They think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
They carry jumper cables in their car and their girlfriend knows how to use them.
There are 7 empty cars with their engines running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
They design their kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
They refer to the Packers as "we."
They know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
They can identify a southern or eastern accent.
They have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
They consider Minneapolis exotic.
They know how to polka.
their idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to their blue spruce.
They were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
Down South to they means Illinois.
A brat is something they eat.
their neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
They go out to fish fry every Friday.
their 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
They have more miles on their snow blower than their car.
They find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
Thanks to the MIL, who is both proud to be a Georgia peach and a rabid Wisconsin Green Bay Packer fan!
If their local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, they might live in Wisconsin.
If someone in a store offers they assistance, and they don't work there, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they may not have actually eaten it, but they have heard of Lutefisk, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have either a pet or a child named "Brett", they might live in Wisconsin.
If their town has an equal number of bars and churches, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, they might live in Wisconsin.
If they know how to say Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Menominee and Manitowoc, they might live in Wisconsin.
their idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
"Vacation" means going up north past Hwy 8 (Tomahawk) for the weekend.
They measure distance in hours.
They know several people who have hit deer more than once.
They often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
their whole family wears Packer Green to church on Sunday.
They can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
They see people wearing camouflage at social events...including weddings.
They install security lights on their house and garage and leave both unlocked.
They think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and venison.
They carry jumper cables in their car and their girlfriend knows how to use them.
There are 7 empty cars with their engines running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm at any given time.
They design their kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
They refer to the Packers as "we."
They know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.
They can identify a southern or eastern accent.
They have no problem pronouncing Lac Du Flambeau.
They consider Minneapolis exotic.
They know how to polka.
their idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to their blue spruce.
They were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
Down South to they means Illinois.
A brat is something they eat.
their neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.
They go out to fish fry every Friday.
their 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
They have more miles on their snow blower than their car.
They find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
Thanks to the MIL, who is both proud to be a Georgia peach and a rabid Wisconsin Green Bay Packer fan!
March 04, 2005
House's that
Bad title but the best I can do...no good unless you understand cricket so apologies to the USians reading this.
we saw 8 houses last night...from the sublime to the ridiculous...at times I thought I was flashing back to 70's visiting friends grandparents with the way the kitchen and living rooms were set out. Saw many turquoise blue bathroom sets...but best of all, got to see my first 'prom' staircase...a grand curving white wrought iron affair, where the prom princess would make her grand entrance down to meet the date...it's actually called that.
The other high point in interior decor was a luxurious chocolate brown shagpile from the 70's....almost looked like it needed whipped cream on top.
The aim of the game was to look at the types of houses in our min and more than max (as any good realtor will do!) in the area's we are interested in. Interestingly enough the two at the upper end were pretty dissimilar...one was really nicely finished and the other had lots of space but needed heaps of work. Makes us happier about buying lower and doing up.
The area's are nice with lots of tree's (this is the substitute for gardens when you don't get much summer), a lot of the smaller houses are slowly getting torn down and replaced with big monsters.
After years of living in little houses, it felt strange to be contemplating a big 'grown-ups' house, even more cos they were all older (60's/70's)
Still, we know more about what we like (open plan, larger b/rooms) and what we don't...gotta get my hands on one with a prom staircase...that was superb!
we saw 8 houses last night...from the sublime to the ridiculous...at times I thought I was flashing back to 70's visiting friends grandparents with the way the kitchen and living rooms were set out. Saw many turquoise blue bathroom sets...but best of all, got to see my first 'prom' staircase...a grand curving white wrought iron affair, where the prom princess would make her grand entrance down to meet the date...it's actually called that.
The other high point in interior decor was a luxurious chocolate brown shagpile from the 70's....almost looked like it needed whipped cream on top.
The aim of the game was to look at the types of houses in our min and more than max (as any good realtor will do!) in the area's we are interested in. Interestingly enough the two at the upper end were pretty dissimilar...one was really nicely finished and the other had lots of space but needed heaps of work. Makes us happier about buying lower and doing up.
The area's are nice with lots of tree's (this is the substitute for gardens when you don't get much summer), a lot of the smaller houses are slowly getting torn down and replaced with big monsters.
After years of living in little houses, it felt strange to be contemplating a big 'grown-ups' house, even more cos they were all older (60's/70's)
Still, we know more about what we like (open plan, larger b/rooms) and what we don't...gotta get my hands on one with a prom staircase...that was superb!
March 03, 2005
Who woulda thunk it?
a couple of things in the 'Only in America' files today..
Meaty sauce in a squirty bottle to put on your dry dog food to 'flavor it up'. Actually a pretty good idea since dried food is cheaper and better for your dog (I think?)
memoriam rear window stickers. Drove behind a car last night that had the following:
In memoriam
Kids Name (Stankel I think)
MM DD 1990 - MM DD 2004
and a hunting shooting fishing graphic
hmmmmmnnnnn, not so sure about that...maybe they didn't want to bury him so have no grave stone and he loved riding in the car...
Who woulda thunk it?
Meaty sauce in a squirty bottle to put on your dry dog food to 'flavor it up'. Actually a pretty good idea since dried food is cheaper and better for your dog (I think?)
memoriam rear window stickers. Drove behind a car last night that had the following:
In memoriam
Kids Name (Stankel I think)
MM DD 1990 - MM DD 2004
and a hunting shooting fishing graphic
hmmmmmnnnnn, not so sure about that...maybe they didn't want to bury him so have no grave stone and he loved riding in the car...
Who woulda thunk it?
March 02, 2005
The past comes in color too
was blogging away(at lunchtime of course) and found my way to this , reminding us that the French invented color photography, so the photo's from WW1 are French...wow...aside from the outfits, moustaches and fresh graves...pretty much all the scenery and building looks as it does today...I swear you could turn the corner and see a sign pointing to 'Carrefor'
And that lead to Russian photos..doesn't seem right that this far back is color, but fascinated nevertheless. Click on the year links to see more.
Oh well, back to work (I mean lunch)
And that lead to Russian photos..doesn't seem right that this far back is color, but fascinated nevertheless. Click on the year links to see more.
Oh well, back to work (I mean lunch)
March 01, 2005
Pie time
Today's it's a recipe...the MIL wants it as I cooked it last time they were all down here(or is that up here as they're in Florida at the moment)
Translations to American words are provided alongside. I haven't used a recipe for this since I was 10...so feel free to experiment until it tastes good to you. I like the meat to taste meaty (It should sort of resemble dog food but I won't suggest using that as a substitute)
I've written it in the order I do things to make it. (if I make this in the Le Crueset then I just put the potatoes on top when I'm finished with the meat, whack the whole thing in the oven, open a bottle of wine and I'm done.
Shepherds/Cottage Pie(If you use lamb mince it;s shepherd and beef mince makes it cottage!)
Work out which dish you are going to finish it all up in. This should make enough for 2-3 hungry people
Cut up and put to boil enough potatoes to fill 1/3 of the dish when mashed (cut up they should fill about half the dish before cooking)
Put a good dollop of olive oil in the bottom of a large frypan or saucepan and tip the mince(ground beef) in and start browning it on a medium heat. Break it up into chunks but don't mush it up to much. While that's cooking chop up a medium onion and put that in to cook, grate 1 carrot and add that as well. I sometimes add a crushed clove of garlic as well) Once the meat is browned, turn onto a low heat and cover.
Turn your oven on if you are dining later and grill (Broiler) if you plan to eat when you have finished cooking.
Add the following in no particular order
about 1 cup of chopped green beans and/or peas (frozen ones are fine but tinned(canned) ones are too mushy)
1 large or 2 small crumbled beef bouillon cubes (I get friends to send me OXO cubes cos they;re the best). If you have the sort that don't crumble then melt them in a little hot water.
Good grind of pepper and salt
big sprinkle of parsley flakes
splash of soy sauce (leave this out if you don't have any)
big squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup to the USians)
Mix it all in and put the lid on.
There should be a little liquid but not heaps of runny at this point, if it seems a little dry add some water from the potatoes(and don't forget to check to the potatoes cos they are usually done at this point)
If the potatoes are done, drain them and put in a dash of milk, hunk of butter (at least 1/2 a stick) and lots of pepper and a good dash of salt. Turn the heat off, put the lid back on and put to one side for the moment (you need the butter to melt before you mash them)
go back to the meat and mix up 2/3 tablespoons of brown (beef) gravy mix with a little bit of hot water and pour in. I have the gravy granules so don't bother premixing, and just keep tossing enough in until it thickens. Turn the heat up to speed up the process if you need to. Taste (should be meaty) and add more salt or any more of the seasonings you think might make it taste better.
It should be thick enough to not slop off the spoon quickly, but not sticking to the pan or as runny as sloppy joes. When you think you've cooked it, turn it down to a low heat and mash the potatoes. I like them mashed with the masher and quite stiff. Add more salt and pepper to taste or more milk if they are too runny.
Spoon the meat into the casserole dish (or clean off the top if you are using the one you cooked in) and carefully pile the mashed potatoes to cover it. Ruffle it up with the fork and sprinkle cheese on top, add a slice of tomato(if you have a husband that eats them) or sprinkle a little paprika. We're big on cheese so we always make it nice and thick...crushed up potato chips are always good as well...this is comfort food, not low calorie!
If you are doing this in advance, bake in a medium over for about 40 minutes or until the cheese has melted, if you are eating immediately then just make sure it is still hot and the cheese is grilled on top.
I usually force a few more vegetables down M's throat by serving this by microwaving whatever is left lurking in the vege crisper...broccoli etc but it's good on it;s own.
Both Nana and Mum used to make this by grinding up leftover roast beef and mutton and adding the gravy. In other variations I've added fresh parsley to mash potatoes and more tomato to the meat.
Let me know how you get on...and enjoy!
Translations to American words are provided alongside. I haven't used a recipe for this since I was 10...so feel free to experiment until it tastes good to you. I like the meat to taste meaty (It should sort of resemble dog food but I won't suggest using that as a substitute)
I've written it in the order I do things to make it. (if I make this in the Le Crueset then I just put the potatoes on top when I'm finished with the meat, whack the whole thing in the oven, open a bottle of wine and I'm done.
Shepherds/Cottage Pie(If you use lamb mince it;s shepherd and beef mince makes it cottage!)
Work out which dish you are going to finish it all up in. This should make enough for 2-3 hungry people
Cut up and put to boil enough potatoes to fill 1/3 of the dish when mashed (cut up they should fill about half the dish before cooking)
Put a good dollop of olive oil in the bottom of a large frypan or saucepan and tip the mince(ground beef) in and start browning it on a medium heat. Break it up into chunks but don't mush it up to much. While that's cooking chop up a medium onion and put that in to cook, grate 1 carrot and add that as well. I sometimes add a crushed clove of garlic as well) Once the meat is browned, turn onto a low heat and cover.
Turn your oven on if you are dining later and grill (Broiler) if you plan to eat when you have finished cooking.
Add the following in no particular order
about 1 cup of chopped green beans and/or peas (frozen ones are fine but tinned(canned) ones are too mushy)
1 large or 2 small crumbled beef bouillon cubes (I get friends to send me OXO cubes cos they;re the best). If you have the sort that don't crumble then melt them in a little hot water.
Good grind of pepper and salt
big sprinkle of parsley flakes
splash of soy sauce (leave this out if you don't have any)
big squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup to the USians)
Mix it all in and put the lid on.
There should be a little liquid but not heaps of runny at this point, if it seems a little dry add some water from the potatoes(and don't forget to check to the potatoes cos they are usually done at this point)
If the potatoes are done, drain them and put in a dash of milk, hunk of butter (at least 1/2 a stick) and lots of pepper and a good dash of salt. Turn the heat off, put the lid back on and put to one side for the moment (you need the butter to melt before you mash them)
go back to the meat and mix up 2/3 tablespoons of brown (beef) gravy mix with a little bit of hot water and pour in. I have the gravy granules so don't bother premixing, and just keep tossing enough in until it thickens. Turn the heat up to speed up the process if you need to. Taste (should be meaty) and add more salt or any more of the seasonings you think might make it taste better.
It should be thick enough to not slop off the spoon quickly, but not sticking to the pan or as runny as sloppy joes. When you think you've cooked it, turn it down to a low heat and mash the potatoes. I like them mashed with the masher and quite stiff. Add more salt and pepper to taste or more milk if they are too runny.
Spoon the meat into the casserole dish (or clean off the top if you are using the one you cooked in) and carefully pile the mashed potatoes to cover it. Ruffle it up with the fork and sprinkle cheese on top, add a slice of tomato(if you have a husband that eats them) or sprinkle a little paprika. We're big on cheese so we always make it nice and thick...crushed up potato chips are always good as well...this is comfort food, not low calorie!
If you are doing this in advance, bake in a medium over for about 40 minutes or until the cheese has melted, if you are eating immediately then just make sure it is still hot and the cheese is grilled on top.
I usually force a few more vegetables down M's throat by serving this by microwaving whatever is left lurking in the vege crisper...broccoli etc but it's good on it;s own.
Both Nana and Mum used to make this by grinding up leftover roast beef and mutton and adding the gravy. In other variations I've added fresh parsley to mash potatoes and more tomato to the meat.
Let me know how you get on...and enjoy!
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