Hot and Cold

The temps are out of control at the moment. This morning it was 12o at 9am and the temp has built slowly through the day back to 30o not making it easy to dress for an entire day. I was in Geraldton yesterday on a warm day and did look at jumpers, warm dressing gowns, another blanket etc but it was too warm to contemplate using any of them. By the end of the evening I had the heater on!!!! Fortunately I added the blankets I have to the bed and had a great night's sleep as opposed to the night before when I merely had a sheet on most of the night and tossed and turned with the heat of the night.

Had a great dinner on Tuesday. I had prepared my vegetable tangine the night before, leaving it on slow cooking overnight and arrrgghhh!!!! when I got home, to find it was a dark brown sludge. This slow cooker cooks faster than the one I had at home obviously!!! Alas poor kaffir lime leaves, gone to waste. I had taken the girls to Morawa earlier in the day mainly so I could get extra ingredients for dinner that night. I got all sorts -except the CHICKEN - which was meant to be the other main part of the meal. As two other staff were coming as well (no pressure) I improvised. Whipped up another tangine sans lime leaves (figuring they wouldn't know the difference) and found 6 drumsticks in the freezer which got a microwave defrost. Once the tangine was in the cooker on fast cook, I marinated the chicken legs with lemon juice, lots of garlic and cumin powder. I lugged everything from upstairs in the girls boarding house over to the workmate's house and collapsed until revived with a coffee. Dinner was superb - had rice as well as extra chicken from the workmate's husband, and everyone enjoyed their meal.

Yesterday was the weekly trip to Gton. We had a niece of one of the Brs with us so left her with Bro M once in town, and went on the off chance to the hairdressers to see if I could get an anti-hag treatment and trim. Bless-ed, Bless-ed owner of the place, who even though she was flat out without a junior, squeezed me in for both. Am no longer looking like a tabby cat with two colourings done by myself since the last professional job LOL. Also managed a quick peruse around Target and Coles. I found cake trays (have been using the fat splatter round thing on the frying pan to date, LOL), a cake tin (on sale - $3.45), and stocked up on tonic water. We got to leave early for a change and were back at school in time for dinner. Because we were travelling at the onset of dusk, I drove back a little slower than normal (usually going 120k) and my instincts were right. There was a fox in the middle of the road!!!! about 1/2 way home. The first fox I saw was a blur, dragging a dead kangaroo off the side of the verge, but this was smack bang in the middle of the road. It did not look bushy like an English Fox but more lean and brown as it trotted off into the scrub. Closer to home, there were three kangaroos that leapt the fence one after the other to cross the road - missed them too, so good all round as our office lady had hit her third one the day before!

Back into Mullewa today for the Dr's apt - I didn't have it yesterday as they had an emergency on and I couldn't wait, hence the rebooking. Yet another emergency occurred up at the hospital before I arrived but was able to wait today. I got made a cappucino coffee and given 4 snax cracker biscuits to go on with by the nurse - I love the way they do things out here LOL. Have passed the medical but quel horreur - my blood pressure is up. 180 over 90 for those playing at home. Apparently it is the 90 number that's the issue. I am to leave things for a couple of weeks and go back for another blood pressure taking and a cholestrol test. Not impressed, but as my bp was extremely normal when at home in April am not too concerned. Will wait till the school hols and I have had plenty of rest LOL.

Whilst in Morewa on Tuesday, I bought two planters for my herbs and got some cherry tomato plants and some SPINACH plants - yay. Apparently its time to plant these things out here so am going to give it a go. Oh, to have fresh spinach again. I planted the herbs out today and need more soil for the others so will get some more on the weekend.

Bought a couple of DVD's on special yesterday - "Mrs Henderson Presents", "The American Quilt", "Beaches" and "Ladder 49". I watched "Ladder 49" last night starring John Travolta and Joaquim Rivers and it was an interesting watch - more so when I watched how they made it - all the actors did a full two weeks fireman training course, and went through real fire to authenticate their reactions and to move like real fire men. I had the feeling it was a post 9/11 movie and they did have a mention of that in the out takes.

Am in the library and about to shut up shop for dinner. We have three new girls since Tuesday and some girls only arrived back today so will no doubt have a noisey night tonight. Catch you later.