Day 24: Nearly to the end!

Channelling Liberry Dwarf's technique today

1 good thing -  I think I may have had a breakthrough in terms of my liaison department & may have finally go myself a opportunity to attend the odd staff meeting.  Pity this is my 2nd to last week as their liaison for 3 semesters. Oh well.  I had four from the department come to see me today. Three were resource related and I was able to conjure up most of their reading lists.  Have ordered the others.  The last one was the new HoD who started 6 months ago and has finally come over to introduce himself officially.  We had a long conversation about elearning possibilities, ebooks, textbooks, podcasting and stuff they are thinking about.  I thought it very productive.  The elearning strategy that has been introduced institution wide is propelling some of them into the 21st Century a little faster than they might have otherwise done but I'm happy to see my department has realised they need to do something now rather than later. As MissSophieMac discovered also today, the library and Te Puna Ako are the "departments" that are the farthest ahead.  We started doing things back in 2006.

1 bad thing - a group of teen girls are hanging around outside the library and abusing and hassling people going to and fro around the library and environs.  One of the "joys" of being associated with a public library is the range of clientele that you get!  Management are concerned that they are up to no good and may be looking for opportunity for bag snatching as there has been a spate of thefts within the library this past week.  If they come into our premises we can do something about it, but they are savvy enough to loiter just out of our reach.  I'm concerned about some of our elderly patrons who are vulnerable to this sort of thing.  The public library has got some security guards in to hang around and try and help.

1 thing I learned - Mr6 stayed back from school with conjunctivitis.  He was rejected at the gate with cries of "Unclean!  Unclean!".  Well, not quite, but he did have to spend the day with my mum. :-P  He's having antibiotic drops which the chemist kindly gave me without a script.  Can't help but feel a bit concerned that one of my eyes feel a bit dodgy.  Actually I think it was a good mental health day for him.  It's nearly the end of term and he's tired.  Miss3 is a box of fluffy ducks though.

Today's link - these guys are cool.  Listening to them right now.


And posting recipes isn't cheating Sally :-) But it's an easy way out for me. 'Cause I have heaps.

Like this one - we had this for dinner the other night.

Spiced couscous salad with lamb and feta
from @ home, with love / Julie Le Clerc (2008), Auckland: Penguin Books p112

600g lamb short loins (I used lamb steaks)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, ceushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous or substitute ordinary couscous and reduce stock to 1 1/2 cups
150g feta cheese, crumbled
2 red capsicums, seeds removed, roasted, skinned and sliced
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
zest and juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and mint
salt and pepper

1. Cook lamb under a grill or in frying pan.  Remove to rest and cool for 15 mins then thickly slice. (The recipe calls for med-rare to rare, I cooked mine through as DH and children aren't fond of rare meat).
2. Heat a large saucepan, add oil and onion and cook on med heat for 5 mins to lightly brown. Add crushed garlic, turmeric and cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds then add stock and bring to boil. Stir in Israeli couscous, cover and simmer for 8 -10 mins stirring occasionally until grains have softened.
Note: if using ordinary couscous, add couscous to the pan, remove from heat, cover and leave to steam for 58 mins to soften. Remove covering and fluff with fork.
3. Set couscous aside to cool. Toss sliced lamb and remaining salad ingredients with couscous to combine.  Season well with salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 4.  (I have to admit I didn't wait for it to cool but served it warm... it is winter after all).