Feast Days

WARNING: You may need to keep your eyes open and sing la, la, la,la,la loudly to avoid mental pictures forming during some parts of this blog. LOL

You will also note a new picture instead of my mug - a bird of a different feather LOL. It's only taken me 2 hours to get to this stage!!!!!!!

Am feeling somewhat like a pate de foie gras duck at the moment having just had the second round of the three course meal the "Tuesday Feast Club" had last night. Our Tuesday night turnabout cooking/Tv night with the workmate's family has increased to include mother and daughter of our resident Italian family (while father works). From our humble one course meal with ice cream desert, it exploded into a three course feast last night with choccy biscuits to go with the after dinner coffee (my feeble contribution even though they were superior choccy biscuits LOL). Pumpkin soup with cumin seeds (yum) followed by green thai curry chicken drums, rice and veg (5), and the piece de resistance, the real deal, home made, tiramisu contribution from the Italian branch of the family. I do not think I will ever eat another shop bought one again and am working on getting the recipie as we speak - watch out at the next family gatherings (it may take more than one gathering to try out all my new recipies on you LOL). So, the gloves are off and we are now going to do turn about with the courses - (it's my turn for desert next week) so its cookbooks and the niece's blog site at 40 paces as we each try to come up with something extra delicious. The second round mentioned at the top of this blog is because I have just finished the left overs with the family after delivering their vegetbles from the Gton run today. My own poor batch of soup is still in the crock pot and will now have to wait until tomorrow for me to begin working my way through it.

Watched the usual telly last night with lots of interactive comments. Managed to pick the winner of the semi - finals for the talent programe - a 15 yr old girl who sang an opera number that had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. I will watch out for her name at the finals because she was brilliant. Managed to diagnose that it was a calcified baby that was the growth inside the female patient in "All Saints" and got 'who did it' in new CSI so a good nights effort whilst I stitched more around the teddy quilt.

As I drove the workmate's car home I nearly had a fit - a flaming fox trotted out from behind where the bus had been parked after netball and was strolling over to the rubbish bins outside the kitchen. (Cue, A fox went out one foggy night.....) Initially, I thought it was one of the dogs on the property but the pointy face and the somwhat bushy tail gave it away. As it turned to run away, I drove after it to see where it was going but it ran between the classrooms into the darkness. Hmmmm thought to self - I had walked home at a similar time the night before and had laughingly told the Italian part of the family, there was no worry about walking around at night - I have had it on good authority the snakes are all asleep and it is too cold for lizards.... Who would have thought it - two foxes in a matter of days. I am told (reliably....) that I do not need to worry about the aforementioned beast(s) because they do not attack people and they are most likely to run away at the sound of someone walking about. Let's hope.

Wondered how today would go, as I started by having a shower leaving all the towels in the lounge from the wash I did yesterday - what to do????, managed to dry my not inconsiderable proportions with the only thing available - a hand towel - almost the definition of impossibility but after some contortionist movements to manage getting my back dry I then realised I had only got the top half of my clothes with me in the bathroom too!!!!! (had visions of cleaning the chevvy impala with a postage stamp as the somewhat equivalent of the challenge presented whilst using the hand towel to dry myself). Draping oneself strategically with wincy night attire - the only other thing in the bathroom after my feverish round of cleaning yesterday, I was able to dash to retrieve the nether wear part of my ensemble from the bedroom from whence I had left it.) However, the day went splendidly after that. Got to drive the Brs good car (140k on the tarseal all the way heh heh) and what a difference that made. Had to purchase a heater for my house and bought another duvet inner so can have two duvets on for extra warmth. I had a fleeting look for a hot water bottle but no joy as it was only a fleeting look - just had a thought to myself - I think I will try a chemist next time I go in. Also got two bags of potting mix so I can plant out my cherry tomatoes and spinach tomorrow.

Am really getting into watching DVD's at the moment so I can stitch at the same time. Have watched 'Road House' with Patrick Swayze (as good a body as in Dirty Dancing LOL) and Sam Eliot as the good guys who severely beat the s...t out of the bad guys. Also watched "Ice Age 2" (and was disappointed in that - not nearly as good as Ice Age 1 which I love) and a reasonably forgettable Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'No Reservations' with her being an extremely anal chef who ends up raising her niece after the mother dies in a car crash. All very yawn and predictable. Still have completed 3/4 of the quilting!!!

Strange sight number whatever, whatever - I saw this last week and forgot to mention it - the crossings outside schools in Gton are 'manned' by people wearing fleuro jackets holding a round sign in each hand and they just walk out into traffic, raising their arms with the signs, blowing a whistle to indicate that it is safe to cross. The person I espied first was a woman who reminded of the one who is not Kath and Kim (Maggie Subsomething in real life??? the short, round one LOL) as when she sat down on a bench at the side of the road her feet were at least 6" off the ground and she was swinging them to and fro like a child (she was also wearing one of those white canvas type hats). As soon as she spotted people on the side of the road wanting to cross, she leapt down onto her feet, drew herself up and dashed into the middle of the road, gracefully raising her arms and blowing a whistle at the same time. How no one runs her down, I do not know as there was little warning before she would leap into the middle of the road. Spotted her again today - and then two others all in similar get up - I think their signs said 'School Traffic Police'!!! Might see if I can get photographic evidence LOL.

Thanks for the emails and phone calls this week. I have found a new phone card provider that costs 2.5 cents per minute to ring NZ so will try that out over the next week as I get the chance. The choir performance in Auckland sounds as though it went really well, and yes I did get to see the photo - not enough hamsters in the wheel to tackle "you tube" though. I was aware of the storms in Perth the other weekend because some of the staff who were down there for the weekend were in the area where there were blackouts etc.

Am sitting right on top of the heater which I have sitting on a shoe box (lying in't middle of th road, LOL) because it was only warming me up to my ankles!!! May have to rethink the sort of heating I need for here. Am about to go and re-arrange the duvet inners and will curl up with my book for awhile. Ciao for now.