The last two weeks have been frenetic. I started my new position, spent 2 days there and then went to a conference in Wellington for 3 days. The conference was good - will be blogging about it at Diligent Room - and I got to FINALLY meet Beverley who was good company while we browsed Wellington retail offerings. And I got some new boots.
But all this stuff combined with newness of work routines has been quite tiring and yes, I have to say, a bit stressful. It will get better I know. As soon as I climb down from this wall.
Silent in the grave / Deanna Raybourn.
After receiving a threat, Sir Edward Grey - the darling of London society - dies suddenly. His widow Julia engages the enigmatic Nicholas Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's death.~from the blurb
Silent in the sanctuary : a Lady Julia Grey mystery / Deanna Raybourn.
Lady Julia returns to celebrate the holidays only to find her fathers home crowded with family, friends, and Nicholas Brisbane, the one man she had hoped to forget. The celebrations take a ghastly turn after a guest is found brutally murdered, and one of Lady Julias cousins confesses to the crime.~from the blurb
This is a new author for me and I'm rather pleased to have found her. Her style is romantic suspense with a bit of Victorian Gothic novel thrown in. I do like her characters too. So far I've read these two (2nd one is the sequel to the first) and the two main characters haven't even made it into bed together yet so there is a lot of unfinished business you might say.
Eat cake : a novel / Jeanne Ray.
Ruth draws on her talent for concocting delectable cakes and desserts when her family begins to disintegrate around her--her husband loses his job, her mother moves in, and her long-estranged father shows up at the door with no place to go.~from the blurb
Honestly? It is a bit of marshmallow fluff really. Made me want to eat cake.
The girl who kicked the hornet's nest / Stieg Larsson ; translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland.
"Lisbeth Salander will have her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that nearly succeeded in deliberately destroying her life... After sustaining appalling gunshot wounds to her head and her shoulder, she is in Intensive Care, and her most dangerous enemy is in the next-door ward. If she survives, she is set to face murder charges. Officially under police guard, she is allowed contact with only her surgeon or her lawyer. But Mikael Blomkvist, editor at Millennium magazine and Salander's self-appointed guardian angel, will not give up on this strangely compelling girl... With the covert aid of Blomkvist and his journalists at Millennium, Salander must first prove her innocence. Only then can she unmask the people behind the corrupt and secret manoeuvers that ruined her childhood and remain the rotten core of Swedish society"--Publisher description.
The last in the Millennium series and it didn't disappoint. Really enjoyed this series.
Blogosphere Book Circle | July
Wolf Hall / Hilary Mantel. London : Fourth Estate, 2009.
ISBN: 9780007230181
"England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages."-- Publisher description.
It took me a while to get into the style of this book which is surprising for me given my penchant for historical fiction. However, once I did tune into the writing style it hooked me. I particularly enjoyed the glimpses into "everyday" life in Thomas's household. I think the author brings out the complexities of the age and the struggles that were starting to change society at the time very well. It is easy to see how a noble person's fortunes could be so quickly turned into fear and suffering all at the change of royal whim.
I was reading some contemporary views of Thomas and the writer opined he was a highly talented statesman in his time. He was not only a skilled diplomat dealing with foreign policy but also was a talented administrator.
It's a good book - quite long and detailed, but worth reading.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
felting class
Today I spent the day in a felting class with 8 other people. It was a lot of fun and I'm feeling quite inspired by it! I really like my scarf - I think it looks like the sea with sea creatures on it. DH thinks it looks like a dog's breakfast. Humph!
Most of us were beginners so we made scarves with a lot of different embellishments. One lady who had been before made a hat, and another a table runner.
This is my scarf and a little ball I made.
Close up of the dread lock loops on the end.
The little pocket.
A surprise!
Another surprise and the silk frill.
And the other layout I did yesterday.
Most of us were beginners so we made scarves with a lot of different embellishments. One lady who had been before made a hat, and another a table runner.
This is my scarf and a little ball I made.
Close up of the dread lock loops on the end.
The little pocket.
A surprise!
Another surprise and the silk frill.
And the other layout I did yesterday.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Cards & a layout
Some cards I made to fill up my card supply box! I suddenly had no birthday cards left... still need to make a few suitable for children.
And a layout which isn't that great except for the fact it broke a drought in terms of scrapbooking.
And a layout which isn't that great except for the fact it broke a drought in terms of scrapbooking.
Holiday wrapup
The school holidays have gone really fast! I didn't achieve all the things I had on my list. In particular, the sewing machine has not been touched which peeves me.
We went away for a long weekend down to Rotorua. We usually stay in the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park which has been very good. However, this time I thought we'd have a change of scene and try the Cosy Cottage park. This was a mistake. There a number of things that were annoying (eg. half a toilet roll for a family of 4 for 3 days) but the biggest one was the flatlet had one room so any adultactivities conversation when kids went to bed were not possible.
It was frosty every morning.
We visited Hamurama Springs. It's well worth a visit and very easy walking.
The spring itself is impressive. It's the deepest natural spring in the North Island and produces an estimated 4 million litres of crystal clear water per hour. I found it quite moving and would have liked to have stayed longer to enjoy the peacefulness and serenity there. Unfortunately we were soon joined by a bunch of rowdy walkers so we moved on down the track.
The light wasn't that good for photos - too much contrast, but you can see how clear the water is in this one.
Part of the walk goes through redwood trees.
You note that "baby" also came too.
We also visited the Caterpillar Museum. I thought it was overpriced but it is an interesting museum. Mr6 and DH particularly enjoyed it. Miss3? Not so much. "Come on! Let's go!" she kept saying. But she did like the play bulldozer. Even "baby" was discarded for that.
Being married to The Mad Photographer means you get to visit some amazing places. It also means you get to work on your patience while waiting for him to get the king hit shot! Patience is something Miss3 is not so good at (especially when it involves long walks in the bush).
Luckily for the two kids there was a good playground next to Lake Tarawera and opportunity to float some "boats" at the water's edge.
On the way home we visited the Maungatautari Ecological Island. It is well worth the visit. The view at the gate was amazing the day we were there. I could even see Mt Ruapehu.
During the walk we saw takahe, hihi, kaka and yellow crowned kakariki. I was impressed with the work that is being done there. Definitely going back. But not to climb the forest canopy viewing tower again. Once was enough of that one! *shudder*
We went away for a long weekend down to Rotorua. We usually stay in the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park which has been very good. However, this time I thought we'd have a change of scene and try the Cosy Cottage park. This was a mistake. There a number of things that were annoying (eg. half a toilet roll for a family of 4 for 3 days) but the biggest one was the flatlet had one room so any adult
It was frosty every morning.
We visited Hamurama Springs. It's well worth a visit and very easy walking.
The spring itself is impressive. It's the deepest natural spring in the North Island and produces an estimated 4 million litres of crystal clear water per hour. I found it quite moving and would have liked to have stayed longer to enjoy the peacefulness and serenity there. Unfortunately we were soon joined by a bunch of rowdy walkers so we moved on down the track.
The light wasn't that good for photos - too much contrast, but you can see how clear the water is in this one.
Part of the walk goes through redwood trees.
We also visited the Caterpillar Museum. I thought it was overpriced but it is an interesting museum. Mr6 and DH particularly enjoyed it. Miss3? Not so much. "Come on! Let's go!" she kept saying. But she did like the play bulldozer. Even "baby" was discarded for that.
Being married to The Mad Photographer means you get to visit some amazing places. It also means you get to work on your patience while waiting for him to get the king hit shot! Patience is something Miss3 is not so good at (especially when it involves long walks in the bush).
Luckily for the two kids there was a good playground next to Lake Tarawera and opportunity to float some "boats" at the water's edge.
On the way home we visited the Maungatautari Ecological Island. It is well worth the visit. The view at the gate was amazing the day we were there. I could even see Mt Ruapehu.
During the walk we saw takahe, hihi, kaka and yellow crowned kakariki. I was impressed with the work that is being done there. Definitely going back. But not to climb the forest canopy viewing tower again. Once was enough of that one! *shudder*
Thursday, July 08, 2010
School Holidays
So far I have
1. Managed to twist my ankle and nearly faint in the car as a result. It's getting better. Compression bandages are my friend.
2. Spent far too much at Spotlight. Now have even more fabric to Make Stuff. No really!
3. Took the kids to Greedy Cat at the Pumphouse. They thought it was great. :-) Miss 3 was really cute calling out "There! There!" when they were looking for Greedy Cat. She then went up to the actor after the play and was patting her like a real cat. Bless.
4. Have not found any shop that sells pool noodles. "It's the wrong season" is the answer I get. I need one for my felting class. Hmmmm.
5. Discovered that there is a dearth of borax in West Auckland. Well, you can get it with a script from the doctor. I'm not sure why... I checked the uses of it on Wikipedia, and while one of the uses was "to clean the brain cavity of a skull for mounting" I can't see why that should require a script. I'm not going to pay $12.00 for a script for 1/2 cup borax so I'm making washing gloop without it.
Melting the soap. I managed to find some pure olive oil soap from the craft shop place at Westgate. NZD$7.50 per 110g bar. It wasn't cheap! Then you add the washing soda crystals (and borax if you find some).
Mixing it all up in the bucket with all the water.
Put it in some bottles.
Looking forward to trying it out!
6. Ran various errands, visited dr for check up, set traps for cockroaches *disgusted shudder x 20*
7. Have not even attempted any crafting so far. Meh. Hope that will happen soon.
1. Managed to twist my ankle and nearly faint in the car as a result. It's getting better. Compression bandages are my friend.
2. Spent far too much at Spotlight. Now have even more fabric to Make Stuff. No really!
3. Took the kids to Greedy Cat at the Pumphouse. They thought it was great. :-) Miss 3 was really cute calling out "There! There!" when they were looking for Greedy Cat. She then went up to the actor after the play and was patting her like a real cat. Bless.
4. Have not found any shop that sells pool noodles. "It's the wrong season" is the answer I get. I need one for my felting class. Hmmmm.
5. Discovered that there is a dearth of borax in West Auckland. Well, you can get it with a script from the doctor. I'm not sure why... I checked the uses of it on Wikipedia, and while one of the uses was "to clean the brain cavity of a skull for mounting" I can't see why that should require a script. I'm not going to pay $12.00 for a script for 1/2 cup borax so I'm making washing gloop without it.
Melting the soap. I managed to find some pure olive oil soap from the craft shop place at Westgate. NZD$7.50 per 110g bar. It wasn't cheap! Then you add the washing soda crystals (and borax if you find some).
Mixing it all up in the bucket with all the water.
Put it in some bottles.
Looking forward to trying it out!
6. Ran various errands, visited dr for check up, set traps for cockroaches *disgusted shudder x 20*
7. Have not even attempted any crafting so far. Meh. Hope that will happen soon.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Princess and Fairy skirts
Yesterday we had an invitation to a princess party. I was a bit dissatisfied with the present I'd got for the little girl so at the last minute decided to make a fairy skirt for her.
Of course, I couldn't make one for the birthday girl without having one for Miss3. I need to get some more tulle for hers and remove the pink lace.
I also made a princess skirt each.
Ever since Sally posted about her French Knitting I've been thinking of getting one of these knitting bees for Mr5 to help with his fine motor skills.
At first I wasn't sure he was going to get it but he was intrigued by the mechanics of it all and got stuck into making a "tube" as he's called it. He seems to be enjoying it. ;-P Gran might be getting a pot holder for Christmas!
I've had to do the odd bit for him because he does get himself mixed up sometime. In fact, much of the one below is me redoing it because he managed to unravel a whole heap. We've solved that problem by finding a bottle lid that fits over the prongs and prevent inadvertent unraveling.
I used to do this when I was a little girl but always had to get Mum to cast on for me. Now I am the Mum so I had to quickly work out from the instructions how to do it! I found it rather fun too and am seriously considering re-teaching myself to knit. There are so many cool fibres out there and I can't really ask my Mum or my MIL to make stuff for me even though they would do it.
I'm on leave for the school holidays. Here are the list of things I want to do while on leave! Remains to be seen how much I will get done.
1. Various "health" related appointments e.g. dentist, "women's stuff"... not exactly what I want to do but rather have to do.
2. Make a dress I have planned for work.
3. Sew up the pj pants I cut out for the family and never made up.
4. Sew the pinafore for Miss 3 that I cut out and overlocked. (I have a matching one! She will hate me for it when she is older).
5. Go to Greedy Cat with the kids.
6. Have a long weekend in Rotovegas. We're staying in a different place to our usual.. this one has a place you can cook your tea using steam from the thermal activity down there. Mr6 is SUPER keen to do this.
7. Have lunch with Em.
8. Learn felting
9. Make some cards and do some scrapbooking. I have run out of cards for birthdays and kids cards.
10. Some other sewing things I hope. Need to make a cover for my wheaty heaty. Would like to make some pants for DH and Mr6 with matching hoodie tops. We'll see.
11. Clean and tidy house. Yeah, that'll last for about 5 minutes.
Of course, I couldn't make one for the birthday girl without having one for Miss3. I need to get some more tulle for hers and remove the pink lace.
I also made a princess skirt each.
Ever since Sally posted about her French Knitting I've been thinking of getting one of these knitting bees for Mr5 to help with his fine motor skills.
At first I wasn't sure he was going to get it but he was intrigued by the mechanics of it all and got stuck into making a "tube" as he's called it. He seems to be enjoying it. ;-P Gran might be getting a pot holder for Christmas!
I've had to do the odd bit for him because he does get himself mixed up sometime. In fact, much of the one below is me redoing it because he managed to unravel a whole heap. We've solved that problem by finding a bottle lid that fits over the prongs and prevent inadvertent unraveling.
I used to do this when I was a little girl but always had to get Mum to cast on for me. Now I am the Mum so I had to quickly work out from the instructions how to do it! I found it rather fun too and am seriously considering re-teaching myself to knit. There are so many cool fibres out there and I can't really ask my Mum or my MIL to make stuff for me even though they would do it.
I'm on leave for the school holidays. Here are the list of things I want to do while on leave! Remains to be seen how much I will get done.
1. Various "health" related appointments e.g. dentist, "women's stuff"... not exactly what I want to do but rather have to do.
2. Make a dress I have planned for work.
3. Sew up the pj pants I cut out for the family and never made up.
4. Sew the pinafore for Miss 3 that I cut out and overlocked. (I have a matching one! She will hate me for it when she is older).
5. Go to Greedy Cat with the kids.
6. Have a long weekend in Rotovegas. We're staying in a different place to our usual.. this one has a place you can cook your tea using steam from the thermal activity down there. Mr6 is SUPER keen to do this.
7. Have lunch with Em.
8. Learn felting
9. Make some cards and do some scrapbooking. I have run out of cards for birthdays and kids cards.
10. Some other sewing things I hope. Need to make a cover for my wheaty heaty. Would like to make some pants for DH and Mr6 with matching hoodie tops. We'll see.
11. Clean and tidy house. Yeah, that'll last for about 5 minutes.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Reflections on blogging every day in June
Well it's been...
1. A good experience. I've enjoyed it. It has renewed my interest in blogging.
2. An educating experience. I've learned from my fellow librarians who write excellent thought provoking posts on professional topics, I've laughed, smiled and felt like reaching across the Tasman to give some of them hugs in sympathy and support.
3. An enlarging experience. I now have even more blogs in Google Reader to read! I need to weed some of the scrapbooking ones from overseas that I'm just not enjoying anymore. My stats on Google analytics have soared. I notice the most prevalent browser has been bumped up to Firefox (yay) and Twitterfeed is now my highest referring site. My post on Chocolate Chilli Ice Cream is still the most popular post though. Most of my visitors are apparently from Auckland which is interesting.. they don't seem to comment though. Melbourne is the Australian city with the most visitors.
So, thanks to my fellow bloggers in this exercise!
*PIIICHOW!!!* <---- releases party poppers
1. A good experience. I've enjoyed it. It has renewed my interest in blogging.
2. An educating experience. I've learned from my fellow librarians who write excellent thought provoking posts on professional topics, I've laughed, smiled and felt like reaching across the Tasman to give some of them hugs in sympathy and support.
3. An enlarging experience. I now have even more blogs in Google Reader to read! I need to weed some of the scrapbooking ones from overseas that I'm just not enjoying anymore. My stats on Google analytics have soared. I notice the most prevalent browser has been bumped up to Firefox (yay) and Twitterfeed is now my highest referring site. My post on Chocolate Chilli Ice Cream is still the most popular post though. Most of my visitors are apparently from Auckland which is interesting.. they don't seem to comment though. Melbourne is the Australian city with the most visitors.
So, thanks to my fellow bloggers in this exercise!
*PIIICHOW!!!* <---- releases party poppers
Day 30: The End
It seems fitting to end the #blogeverydayofJune exercise the way I started it. With my reading round up for the month. I will write my summary post of what I have learned from the exercise tomorrow.
Half broke horses : a true-life novel / Jeannette Walls.
A true-life novel about Lily Casey Smith (the author's grandmother) who at age six helped her father break horses, at age fifteen left home to teach in a frontier town, and later as a wife and mother runs a vast ranch in Arizona where she survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy--but despite a life of hardscrabble drudgery still remains a woman of indomitable spirit.~ from the blurb.
Really enjoyed this one! Lily Casey Smith was a feisty wee baggage alright. If you liked Little House on the Prarie as a child then this is the unsanitised grown up version.
Tu / Patricia Grace.
A story about Tu and his brothers, the Maori Battalion and their war. I'm not sure why I have shyed away from reading Grace's work in the past because I found this story quite fulfilling.
Sand in my shoes : war-time diaries of a WAAF / Joan Rice.
Biography of Joan Rice (mother of Tim Rice, the composer/lyricist).This one was good too. As the foreword mentions, we look back on this time and tend to focus on the huge events of the period. The diary demonstrates that those involved in those events still had lives that included everyday joys, sorrows and difficulties.
Colditz : the definitive history / Henry Chancellor.
This is the story of the prisoners of Colditz. Using over 50 original interviews, the English, French, Dutch and Polish officers, and their guards describe their experiences in the notorious castle, and their escape across Nazi Germany.~ from the blurb
I always liked reading the escape stories from Colditz so it was interesting to read more in depth about the castle, the prisoners and their captors.
The white queen / Philippa Gregory.
The first in a stunning new series, The Cousins War, is set amid the tumult and intrigue of The War of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this family drama to colourful life through its women, beginning with the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. The White Queen tells the story of a common woman who ascends to royalty by virtue of her beauty, a woman who rises to the demands of her position and fights tenaciously for the success of her family, a woman whose two sons become the central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the Princes in the Tower whose fate remains unknown to this day.~ from the blurb
I started this one and got about a third of the way through and put it down unable to finish which was a shame seeing as I waited so long for it to come in for me! I enjoy Gregory's stories but couldn't face reading about the disappearance of the 2 boys... even though she probably doesn't kill them off. I find myself sensitive to bad stuff happening to kids and the story wasn't grabbing me enough to keep going. I might give it another go later when I'm in a better mood.
Educating boys : helping Kiwi boys to succeed at school / Michael Irwin.
"Educating boys is a comprehensive, practical look at how we educate our boys in New Zealand - what's working and what isn't, from kindergarten right through to secondary school. Michael Irwin has listened to the opinions of the boys themselves and combined these insights with his own experience and the most recent research on helping boys to learn. Full of practical ideas and wisdom, Educating boys is the essential handbook for people who want to help boys succeed at school and in life." -- Back cover.
Found this book quite interesting and confirming of many of my own opinions and reading about boys and education/ society.
The diary of a nobody / George and Weedon Grossmith
A fictional diary of a clerk (Mr Pooter) originally published in Punch. Very British, very subtle and rather amusing old chap!
Blogosphere Book Circle Book of the Month
The graveyard book / Neil Gaiman ; illustrated by Dave McKean.
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?~ from the blurb.
When I first picked this up I will admit to feeling a bit ambivalent about it. I'm not a fan of the undead, vampires and the like. Plus it is a teen fiction book which sometimes can be so full of angst and struggle... so over that.
So I was a little surprised that despite the heart wrenching beginning that I actually found myself being drawn into the story. Sure, I did have to suspend my disbelief about the dead people but they seemed quite interesting after a while. I even laughed at some of their personalities. Bod turns out to be a sweetie and the story is essentially about him coming of age albeit in a rather unusual environment. The story resolves rather nicely with Bod leaving the cemetary having grown out of his old life and heading into the new.
I liked it.
Half broke horses : a true-life novel / Jeannette Walls.
A true-life novel about Lily Casey Smith (the author's grandmother) who at age six helped her father break horses, at age fifteen left home to teach in a frontier town, and later as a wife and mother runs a vast ranch in Arizona where she survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy--but despite a life of hardscrabble drudgery still remains a woman of indomitable spirit.~ from the blurb.
Really enjoyed this one! Lily Casey Smith was a feisty wee baggage alright. If you liked Little House on the Prarie as a child then this is the unsanitised grown up version.
Tu / Patricia Grace.
A story about Tu and his brothers, the Maori Battalion and their war. I'm not sure why I have shyed away from reading Grace's work in the past because I found this story quite fulfilling.
Sand in my shoes : war-time diaries of a WAAF / Joan Rice.
Biography of Joan Rice (mother of Tim Rice, the composer/lyricist).This one was good too. As the foreword mentions, we look back on this time and tend to focus on the huge events of the period. The diary demonstrates that those involved in those events still had lives that included everyday joys, sorrows and difficulties.
Colditz : the definitive history / Henry Chancellor.
This is the story of the prisoners of Colditz. Using over 50 original interviews, the English, French, Dutch and Polish officers, and their guards describe their experiences in the notorious castle, and their escape across Nazi Germany.~ from the blurb
I always liked reading the escape stories from Colditz so it was interesting to read more in depth about the castle, the prisoners and their captors.
The white queen / Philippa Gregory.
The first in a stunning new series, The Cousins War, is set amid the tumult and intrigue of The War of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this family drama to colourful life through its women, beginning with the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. The White Queen tells the story of a common woman who ascends to royalty by virtue of her beauty, a woman who rises to the demands of her position and fights tenaciously for the success of her family, a woman whose two sons become the central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the Princes in the Tower whose fate remains unknown to this day.~ from the blurb
I started this one and got about a third of the way through and put it down unable to finish which was a shame seeing as I waited so long for it to come in for me! I enjoy Gregory's stories but couldn't face reading about the disappearance of the 2 boys... even though she probably doesn't kill them off. I find myself sensitive to bad stuff happening to kids and the story wasn't grabbing me enough to keep going. I might give it another go later when I'm in a better mood.
Educating boys : helping Kiwi boys to succeed at school / Michael Irwin.
"Educating boys is a comprehensive, practical look at how we educate our boys in New Zealand - what's working and what isn't, from kindergarten right through to secondary school. Michael Irwin has listened to the opinions of the boys themselves and combined these insights with his own experience and the most recent research on helping boys to learn. Full of practical ideas and wisdom, Educating boys is the essential handbook for people who want to help boys succeed at school and in life." -- Back cover.
Found this book quite interesting and confirming of many of my own opinions and reading about boys and education/ society.
The diary of a nobody / George and Weedon Grossmith
A fictional diary of a clerk (Mr Pooter) originally published in Punch. Very British, very subtle and rather amusing old chap!
Blogosphere Book Circle Book of the Month
The graveyard book / Neil Gaiman ; illustrated by Dave McKean.
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?~ from the blurb.
When I first picked this up I will admit to feeling a bit ambivalent about it. I'm not a fan of the undead, vampires and the like. Plus it is a teen fiction book which sometimes can be so full of angst and struggle... so over that.
So I was a little surprised that despite the heart wrenching beginning that I actually found myself being drawn into the story. Sure, I did have to suspend my disbelief about the dead people but they seemed quite interesting after a while. I even laughed at some of their personalities. Bod turns out to be a sweetie and the story is essentially about him coming of age albeit in a rather unusual environment. The story resolves rather nicely with Bod leaving the cemetary having grown out of his old life and heading into the new.
I liked it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 29: Monday Bunday #Bunpride
A little flurry of tweets from some of my fellow librarians has prompted this one.
I'm quite sure you are familiar with the stereotype?
Bun. Check.
Glasses. Check.
Shhhh. Check.
Pearls. Check.
Twin set. Bonus point!
Something like this...
Anyway, there was much talk of buns and hair and a suggestion that we should reclaim the bun and wear it with pride! Which led to further talk about styles. I claim my french roll is a bun in disguise. @fionawb and @nomesd have egged me on to post a step by step guide to french rolls.
Well, this is how I do mine, takes me 5 mins. (My friend Rachel does hers differently - maybe she will show us!)
Step 1. Brush hair.
Step 2. Scoop the front part into a clip.
Step 3. Grab the back of the hair like you're going to do a pony tail and twist.
Step 4. Twist the tail around on itself and tuck under the roll bit. You can see the fluffy bit of the tail sticking out the bottom of the roll part here. I usually stick a few bobby pins in the top bit at this stage.
Step 5. Take the fluffy tail and twist some more and poke it under the roll.
Step 6. Pin the rest of the roll. Voila!
Hmmm. Maybe a video would have been easier. But my DH already thinks I'm loopy posting this so.. another time. On request.
I'm quite sure you are familiar with the stereotype?
Bun. Check.
Glasses. Check.
Shhhh. Check.
Pearls. Check.
Twin set. Bonus point!
Something like this...
(who is not a librarian BTW)
Anyway, there was much talk of buns and hair and a suggestion that we should reclaim the bun and wear it with pride! Which led to further talk about styles. I claim my french roll is a bun in disguise. @fionawb and @nomesd have egged me on to post a step by step guide to french rolls.
Well, this is how I do mine, takes me 5 mins. (My friend Rachel does hers differently - maybe she will show us!)
Step 1. Brush hair.
Step 2. Scoop the front part into a clip.
Step 3. Grab the back of the hair like you're going to do a pony tail and twist.
Step 4. Twist the tail around on itself and tuck under the roll bit. You can see the fluffy bit of the tail sticking out the bottom of the roll part here. I usually stick a few bobby pins in the top bit at this stage.
Step 5. Take the fluffy tail and twist some more and poke it under the roll.
Hmmm. Maybe a video would have been easier. But my DH already thinks I'm loopy posting this so.. another time. On request.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Day 28: on the home stretch
Aaaaaannnd I'm running out of oomph!
1 good thing -
This TEDTalk by Tim Brown on creativity and play. He talks about designing experiences, something we do in libraries both physically and virtually.
1 bad thing -
Not sure my leading the discussion in the journal club today was entirely successful. I think I need to tighten up the talk or something. I wanted something practical to come from it and should have made it clear from the beginning but was constrained by my desire not to prevent people from expressing their opinion. I wasn't sure if they would agree to having a practical outcome. *sigh* oh well...
One thing I learned -
I am more nervous presenting to my colleagues than when I am to a whole lecture theatre of students. The difference? I know I know more than the students so feel more confident.
Linky love - Graph Jam... particularly this one on types of sources university students use for their assignments. (Yes you can make your own :-P )
1 good thing -
This TEDTalk by Tim Brown on creativity and play. He talks about designing experiences, something we do in libraries both physically and virtually.
1 bad thing -
Not sure my leading the discussion in the journal club today was entirely successful. I think I need to tighten up the talk or something. I wanted something practical to come from it and should have made it clear from the beginning but was constrained by my desire not to prevent people from expressing their opinion. I wasn't sure if they would agree to having a practical outcome. *sigh* oh well...
One thing I learned -
I am more nervous presenting to my colleagues than when I am to a whole lecture theatre of students. The difference? I know I know more than the students so feel more confident.
Linky love - Graph Jam... particularly this one on types of sources university students use for their assignments. (Yes you can make your own :-P )
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Day 26: Lazy Sunday
1 Good Thing:
I managed to make a layout about Miss 3's hair cutting episode. The journalling is the lyrics to The Haircut Song by Marci Appelbaum.
Link for the day: You can download the free mp3 of her song from this place - look for Erin Lee and Marci. Lots of other free kids mp3 songs here, traditional and contemporary.
1 Bad Thing:
It rained on my washing so I had to feed the Energy Consuming Carbon Eating Monster (aka the dryer) so we would have school uniforms to wear. Still haven't folded the washing mountain in my lounge.
1 Thing I Learned:
The pumpkin from my garden was too tough for the knife so had to be slain with the newly dubbed "Pumpkin's Bane" aka the axe. DH then went and sharpened my knives on the oil stone for me.
Oh and I made this egg-free Christmas Cake from Feast @ home by Julie Le Clerc (2008). Auckland: Penguin Books pg 152
Because I like fruit cake.
Amazing Christmas Cake
225g butter, melted
1 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 kg dried fruit
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sherry
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups self raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup whole almonds to decorate
brandy to douse
1. Place butter, hot water vinegar, cinnamon, mixed spice and dried fruit into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in condensed milk and baking soda. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Line a deep-sided 20 cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper and pre heat oven to 140 degrees C on fan bake.
4. Add sherry and vanilla to cooled mixture and stir in sifted flour. Pour into prepared cake tin and decorate top with almonds.
5. Bake from 2-2 1/2 hours. Cool completely before removing from cake tin. Prick with a skewer and douse with brandy if desired.
Makes 1 deep-sided cake. <--- and I mean deep sided. I used a spring form tin and extended the height with some paper and string.
I managed to make a layout about Miss 3's hair cutting episode. The journalling is the lyrics to The Haircut Song by Marci Appelbaum.
Link for the day: You can download the free mp3 of her song from this place - look for Erin Lee and Marci. Lots of other free kids mp3 songs here, traditional and contemporary.
1 Bad Thing:
It rained on my washing so I had to feed the Energy Consuming Carbon Eating Monster (aka the dryer) so we would have school uniforms to wear. Still haven't folded the washing mountain in my lounge.
1 Thing I Learned:
The pumpkin from my garden was too tough for the knife so had to be slain with the newly dubbed "Pumpkin's Bane" aka the axe. DH then went and sharpened my knives on the oil stone for me.
Oh and I made this egg-free Christmas Cake from Feast @ home by Julie Le Clerc (2008). Auckland: Penguin Books pg 152
Because I like fruit cake.
Amazing Christmas Cake
225g butter, melted
1 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 kg dried fruit
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sherry
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups self raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup whole almonds to decorate
brandy to douse
1. Place butter, hot water vinegar, cinnamon, mixed spice and dried fruit into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in condensed milk and baking soda. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Line a deep-sided 20 cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper and pre heat oven to 140 degrees C on fan bake.
4. Add sherry and vanilla to cooled mixture and stir in sifted flour. Pour into prepared cake tin and decorate top with almonds.
5. Bake from 2-2 1/2 hours. Cool completely before removing from cake tin. Prick with a skewer and douse with brandy if desired.
Makes 1 deep-sided cake. <--- and I mean deep sided. I used a spring form tin and extended the height with some paper and string.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 25: Life is a box of chocolates
according to Forrest Gump's mother...
If that's the case, then which one of the Cadbury Roses chocs goes with which bit of your life?
Bad bits for me would be the Strawberry Creams.. don't like those ones.
Boring parts would be the plain dairy Milk ones.
Exciting parts would be the Hazelnut Praline Crisp or maybe the Turkish Delight
Getting married - Lemon cheesecake --> classic, smooth and sweet
Kids being born ... hmmm, Hazelnut whirl - reminds me of the head-pushing-out bit! Ow.
How 'bout you? Consider this a meme ;-P
Here is a list of the chocolates on the box I was given today as a thank you for something.
Dairy Milk
Hazelnut praline crisp
Cherry Ripe
Hazelnut Whirl
Strawberry Cream
Turkish Delight
Classic Fudge
Vanilla Butter Caramel
Chocolate Supreme
Lemon Cheesecake
Caramello Deluxe
Peppermint Cream
If that's the case, then which one of the Cadbury Roses chocs goes with which bit of your life?
Bad bits for me would be the Strawberry Creams.. don't like those ones.
Boring parts would be the plain dairy Milk ones.
Exciting parts would be the Hazelnut Praline Crisp or maybe the Turkish Delight
Getting married - Lemon cheesecake --> classic, smooth and sweet
Kids being born ... hmmm, Hazelnut whirl - reminds me of the head-pushing-out bit! Ow.
How 'bout you? Consider this a meme ;-P
Here is a list of the chocolates on the box I was given today as a thank you for something.
Dairy Milk
Hazelnut praline crisp
Cherry Ripe
Hazelnut Whirl
Strawberry Cream
Turkish Delight
Classic Fudge
Vanilla Butter Caramel
Chocolate Supreme
Lemon Cheesecake
Caramello Deluxe
Peppermint Cream
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 25: How I became a librarian
Lots of others in the challenged have blogged this story so here is mine. Sit back and grab a cuppa.
I was one of those school kids who was always the school librarian at lunchtimes. My family had a Friday ritual of going to the library on the late night and getting a swag load of books. At first Mum used to restrict us to 6 so she could keep track of them, but once we were old enough we were allowed as many as the library permitted. We were/are a reading family.
But I never considered librarianship as a career. It was never presented as an option at school. Without trying to sound like I'm boasting, I was in the upper quartile "stream" in high school. People in my stream at high school were shunted in the direction of law, medicine and engineering. So my initial career choice was medicine. As my Dad was a physiologist at the Med School it seemed a logical choice.
I suffered crushing humiliation when my marks weren't high enough to get into med school. I remember sobbing on my bed as I realised my high falutin' ideas just weren't going to happen. I felt liked I'd failed everyone's (i.e. my teachers, other students, people I knew) expectations. Of course with hindsight I know now it is better not to try and please everyone else but rather look for something you feel passionate about.
On the advice of my Dad, I went on to do a BSc with the idea I might pursue medicine again after my first year. By the time I got to the end of that year I realised that a) I had lost interest in spending 7 years at university for a very stressful vocation and b) actually I was enjoying the zoology/botany/ecology papers mostly and c) I hated chemistry. I thought I might become a marine biologist.
So I entered my 2nd year of my science degree. No chemistry (hallelujah!) and all Biosciences - a mixture of botany, zoology, marine biology and biometry. Half way through my second year I went on a major field trip with the marine biology paper I was taking. The field trip was famous for two things. First, the amount of work expected from it and second, the opportunity for students to get p*ssed on the final dinner night. The first didn't phase me too much though I was knackered by the last day. Having come from a fairly sheltered life the second however... it was a bit off putting. I got the impression that anyone wanting to be a marine biologist needed to be some sort of drunkard. It wasn't my scene.
In addition to this, it was becoming apparent that the current hot research trend in the School of Biological Sciences was cellular and molecular biology. That was the topic that got the most research funding and the head of school was it's king. Any post grad work would be heavily weighted to favour topics in that area. I had no idea of what I might want to do as a post grad but I knew for sure that I wasn't interested in molecular stuff. Whole animal/plant and ecology were more my thing.
Again I suffered a crisis of identity and purpose. It was a period where I doubted myself and spent a few angst filled months wondering what to do. One day I dropped into the career centre on campus with the idea I would pick up some pamphlets for my sister who was in her last year of high school and wondering what to do also. I came across the information for librarianship and looking at the job description and personality requirements I realised I was looking at a picture of myself!
It was truly like an epiphany for me. Someone asked on Friendfeed in the Library Society of the World (LSW) if people thought librarianship was a calling. For me it really did feel like it.
I entered my third year with a light heart. Those were the days you didn't have to major in anything, you just had to have a certain number of credits at a particular level in order to graduate. So I took the stuff I was interested in! Entymology, crop science, taxonomy papers were in there and a Philosophy of Science paper which my Dad recommended. (Because it had the right amount of credits and the lecturer was one of his mates). Actually, it was quite an interesting paper and I learned some useful stuff in relation to the creation of knowledge and thought. My final year was a breeze.
I applied to a variety of schools for a place in a library course - one in Adelaide, one in Melbourne and the New Zealand one. I was less enthused with the NZ option because at the time it was only a post-grad diploma. I was offered a place on the New Zealand course first so I accepted it because I could get a student loan here easily. The course co-ordinators mentioned there would be opportunity to upgrade the diploma to an MLIS. (Some time later the Melbourne option also offered me a place but getting funding was just too hard).
So there we are. If you've made it this far you deserve a medal.
My experience taught me a few things.
1. As much as is practicable, career choice should be about doing things that you love, not what other people expect of you.
2. Every profession needs intelligent people and traditional career choices for the top streamed students at high school should not be so rigid. Some career choices aren't promoted well.
3. It's okay to change direction.
I was one of those school kids who was always the school librarian at lunchtimes. My family had a Friday ritual of going to the library on the late night and getting a swag load of books. At first Mum used to restrict us to 6 so she could keep track of them, but once we were old enough we were allowed as many as the library permitted. We were/are a reading family.
But I never considered librarianship as a career. It was never presented as an option at school. Without trying to sound like I'm boasting, I was in the upper quartile "stream" in high school. People in my stream at high school were shunted in the direction of law, medicine and engineering. So my initial career choice was medicine. As my Dad was a physiologist at the Med School it seemed a logical choice.
I suffered crushing humiliation when my marks weren't high enough to get into med school. I remember sobbing on my bed as I realised my high falutin' ideas just weren't going to happen. I felt liked I'd failed everyone's (i.e. my teachers, other students, people I knew) expectations. Of course with hindsight I know now it is better not to try and please everyone else but rather look for something you feel passionate about.
On the advice of my Dad, I went on to do a BSc with the idea I might pursue medicine again after my first year. By the time I got to the end of that year I realised that a) I had lost interest in spending 7 years at university for a very stressful vocation and b) actually I was enjoying the zoology/botany/ecology papers mostly and c) I hated chemistry. I thought I might become a marine biologist.
So I entered my 2nd year of my science degree. No chemistry (hallelujah!) and all Biosciences - a mixture of botany, zoology, marine biology and biometry. Half way through my second year I went on a major field trip with the marine biology paper I was taking. The field trip was famous for two things. First, the amount of work expected from it and second, the opportunity for students to get p*ssed on the final dinner night. The first didn't phase me too much though I was knackered by the last day. Having come from a fairly sheltered life the second however... it was a bit off putting. I got the impression that anyone wanting to be a marine biologist needed to be some sort of drunkard. It wasn't my scene.
In addition to this, it was becoming apparent that the current hot research trend in the School of Biological Sciences was cellular and molecular biology. That was the topic that got the most research funding and the head of school was it's king. Any post grad work would be heavily weighted to favour topics in that area. I had no idea of what I might want to do as a post grad but I knew for sure that I wasn't interested in molecular stuff. Whole animal/plant and ecology were more my thing.
Again I suffered a crisis of identity and purpose. It was a period where I doubted myself and spent a few angst filled months wondering what to do. One day I dropped into the career centre on campus with the idea I would pick up some pamphlets for my sister who was in her last year of high school and wondering what to do also. I came across the information for librarianship and looking at the job description and personality requirements I realised I was looking at a picture of myself!
It was truly like an epiphany for me. Someone asked on Friendfeed in the Library Society of the World (LSW) if people thought librarianship was a calling. For me it really did feel like it.
I entered my third year with a light heart. Those were the days you didn't have to major in anything, you just had to have a certain number of credits at a particular level in order to graduate. So I took the stuff I was interested in! Entymology, crop science, taxonomy papers were in there and a Philosophy of Science paper which my Dad recommended. (Because it had the right amount of credits and the lecturer was one of his mates). Actually, it was quite an interesting paper and I learned some useful stuff in relation to the creation of knowledge and thought. My final year was a breeze.
I applied to a variety of schools for a place in a library course - one in Adelaide, one in Melbourne and the New Zealand one. I was less enthused with the NZ option because at the time it was only a post-grad diploma. I was offered a place on the New Zealand course first so I accepted it because I could get a student loan here easily. The course co-ordinators mentioned there would be opportunity to upgrade the diploma to an MLIS. (Some time later the Melbourne option also offered me a place but getting funding was just too hard).
So there we are. If you've made it this far you deserve a medal.
My experience taught me a few things.
1. As much as is practicable, career choice should be about doing things that you love, not what other people expect of you.
2. Every profession needs intelligent people and traditional career choices for the top streamed students at high school should not be so rigid. Some career choices aren't promoted well.
3. It's okay to change direction.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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).
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).
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Day 23: Cheating with a recipe and a joke
This one is for @jobeaz
Extra Thick Ginger Crunch
from @ home, with love / Julie Le Clerc (2008) Auckland, NZ: Penguin Books pg. 94
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teasp baking powder
1 teasp ground ginger
1/2 cup caster sugar
125g butter cubed
Topping
150g butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 cups icing sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1 Tablesp ground ginger
1/4 cup roughly chopped crystallised ginger
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a17x27cm deep sided slice tin with baking paper.
2. Place flour, baking powder, ginger, sugar in the food processor and pulse to sift. Add butter and process to resemble fine breadcrumbs or rub in the butter by hand. Press crumbs evenly over base of prepared tin. Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown (mine didn't take that long).
3. To make topping, place butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and melt together over medium heat. Add icing sugar and ground ginger and cook for 1 min stirring constantly to combine until smooth. Stir in crystallised ginger.
4. Pour topping over base and leave until cool and set. Remove from tin and cut into bars or squares to serve. Will keep for 5 days in airtight container. Makes 18.
And now a joke (thanks to friend K on FB).
3 men walking in the forest come across a beautiful waterfall. While they are looking at it a genie appears, and a huge slide from the top of the waterfall to the pool at the bottom. The genie says "Today is your lucky day! Slide down the slide, say your wish aloud and whatever you wish for will be in the pool when you get there."
The first man ... climbs up, and slides down yelling "gold!" Just like that the pool turns to liquid gold. He fills his bottle, pockets etc and runs away a rich man.
The second man sees this and climbs to the top. He slides down yelling "Silver!" Instantly the pool turns to liquid silver. He fills everything he can find, and runs off a rich man.
The third man climbs to the top of the slide and is blown away by the height of the slide and the beautiful view. He gets all excited sliding down, and yells........weeeeeeeee!
There is a lesson in that somewhere ;-P
Extra Thick Ginger Crunch
from @ home, with love / Julie Le Clerc (2008) Auckland, NZ: Penguin Books pg. 94
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teasp baking powder
1 teasp ground ginger
1/2 cup caster sugar
125g butter cubed
Topping
150g butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 cups icing sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1 Tablesp ground ginger
1/4 cup roughly chopped crystallised ginger
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a17x27cm deep sided slice tin with baking paper.
2. Place flour, baking powder, ginger, sugar in the food processor and pulse to sift. Add butter and process to resemble fine breadcrumbs or rub in the butter by hand. Press crumbs evenly over base of prepared tin. Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown (mine didn't take that long).
3. To make topping, place butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and melt together over medium heat. Add icing sugar and ground ginger and cook for 1 min stirring constantly to combine until smooth. Stir in crystallised ginger.
4. Pour topping over base and leave until cool and set. Remove from tin and cut into bars or squares to serve. Will keep for 5 days in airtight container. Makes 18.
And now a joke (thanks to friend K on FB).
3 men walking in the forest come across a beautiful waterfall. While they are looking at it a genie appears, and a huge slide from the top of the waterfall to the pool at the bottom. The genie says "Today is your lucky day! Slide down the slide, say your wish aloud and whatever you wish for will be in the pool when you get there."
The first man ... climbs up, and slides down yelling "gold!" Just like that the pool turns to liquid gold. He fills his bottle, pockets etc and runs away a rich man.
The second man sees this and climbs to the top. He slides down yelling "Silver!" Instantly the pool turns to liquid silver. He fills everything he can find, and runs off a rich man.
The third man climbs to the top of the slide and is blown away by the height of the slide and the beautiful view. He gets all excited sliding down, and yells........weeeeeeeee!
There is a lesson in that somewhere ;-P
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Day 21: ShoutLaughLove
I'm participating in Suzannah's blogfest ShoutLaughLove.
Sometime back I posted on Facebook a little conversation I overheard in the car while taking Miss3 to daycare. Mr6 had some wise words for her on the subject of making friends.
"When you see a friend you don't know, you tell them your name and then you play with them all day."
There are things I love about his advice.
1. His willingness to view everyone as a potential friend.
2. The apparent freedom he feels about introducing himself to that person he wants to be friends with.
3. His suggestion on how to grow that friendship.
I'm a shy person and find it difficult to make new friends. I'm not a natural socialite. As an adult I've lost that innocence that everyone is a potential friend. There needs to be some kind of connection or commonality before I will reach out and introduce myself. But the funny thing about blogging, Twitter and other social networking venues is that once I've made an online connection I feel more confident about meeting that person in real life. I'm still a bit shy about it but it's easier for me because the ice has been broken.
If a friendship is to grow it needs to be nurtured and Mr6 is right - you need to spend time with that person. There are some kinds of friendships that seem to be able to stand up to periods of disconnection, to pick up from where they left off and grow some more. Others, like marriage, require constant input in order to grow.
This little incident gave me some thoughts to meditate on in terms of my faith, my relationship with God, His graciousness towards me etc. I don't feel completely comfortable sharing them here, but those of you who are thus minded could probably suss them out.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day 21: Menu Plan Monday
I asked the kids what they wanted to eat for dinner this week and the answer was pizza from both of them. So I guess we'll have to insert that in somewhere. The other suggestions were peas-meat-and-gravy, fish fingers, pasta and pie.
DH isn't very forthcoming with ideas. "Something Moroccan." he says.
Going to use my new @home with love/ Julie le Clerc book a bit.
Monday - lamb chops marinated with mustard/garlic/lemon juice/rosemary infused avocado oil, mashed potatoes, silverbeet, carrots. Also made gravy from the pan juices as I had a craving for mashed taters and gravy.
Tuesday - Moroccan chicken & tamarillo tagine with extra veges (crockpot), rice. (My late night, only one more of these to go! Hoorah!)
Wednesday - pork mince rissoles (garlic, rosemary in them), peas, yams
Thursday - Spiced couscous salad with lamb & feta
Friday - Chicken & vegetables with fragrant peanut sauce
Saturday - Spicy beef and carrot stew to put in a pie, veges
Sunday - Pizza
I tried to make these coconut bikkies tonight.
Except I managed to turn the oven too hot, so mine turned out like this.
More like wafers! They taste fine, just weren't quite what I planned. Probably would be good with ice cream.
DH isn't very forthcoming with ideas. "Something Moroccan." he says.
Going to use my new @home with love/ Julie le Clerc book a bit.
Monday - lamb chops marinated with mustard/garlic/lemon juice/rosemary infused avocado oil, mashed potatoes, silverbeet, carrots. Also made gravy from the pan juices as I had a craving for mashed taters and gravy.
Tuesday - Moroccan chicken & tamarillo tagine with extra veges (crockpot), rice. (My late night, only one more of these to go! Hoorah!)
Wednesday - pork mince rissoles (garlic, rosemary in them), peas, yams
Thursday - Spiced couscous salad with lamb & feta
Friday - Chicken & vegetables with fragrant peanut sauce
Saturday - Spicy beef and carrot stew to put in a pie, veges
Sunday - Pizza
I tried to make these coconut bikkies tonight.
Except I managed to turn the oven too hot, so mine turned out like this.
More like wafers! They taste fine, just weren't quite what I planned. Probably would be good with ice cream.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Day 20: Cookbook shelf
I'll show you mine.
You show me yours?
The books on the middle shelf and those stacked horizontal on the lower shelf are the ones that I use the most. The top shelf has books I don't want to throw out but use only occasionally. I love reading cookbooks and could easily spend heaps of money on them but I try and only buy those I know I'll use and fill a gap in my shelves ... figuratively speaking that it. Collection building you know.
I used to subscribe to Cuisine magazine and Dish. I liked Dish better, but the lack of an index for the magazine is a drawback. I stopped my subs because of space issues.
You show me yours?
The books on the middle shelf and those stacked horizontal on the lower shelf are the ones that I use the most. The top shelf has books I don't want to throw out but use only occasionally. I love reading cookbooks and could easily spend heaps of money on them but I try and only buy those I know I'll use and fill a gap in my shelves ... figuratively speaking that it. Collection building you know.
I used to subscribe to Cuisine magazine and Dish. I liked Dish better, but the lack of an index for the magazine is a drawback. I stopped my subs because of space issues.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Day 19: A breath of fresh air
We decided to have a family walk today - a reasonably easy one for the children's sake. DH decided on visiting the Waitakere Dam because the walk in is sealed and the kids only had sneakers. We need to get them some sturdier walking shoes. It is a rather steep walk down and back up though.
We saw some rata flowering on the way down so we waited while DH took a photo. Why Miss 3 has her tongue out here is anyone's guess. Tasting the air maybe? There was a little detour to see a big kauri and then discussion about "boy" cones and "girl" cones and how kauri seeds are made.
Then we got to the dam. It was on the verge of spilling over, we just need a few more downpours.
It was rather windy on the dam top as evidenced by my hair! Mr6 is clutching his beanie, scared it's going to fly away. (Mine is on inside out. How come no one told me?!)
Here's a likely trio.
Then we had a look at the left over tramway at the edge of the dam - left over from when they built it. They were a pretty hardy bunch to do the job in those days I reckon.
Then we headed back up the steeeeeeep hill. Miss 3 had to be piggybacked some of the way. Then mean Mummy made her walk some more which meant we heard "I'm weally, weally, weally, weally, weally, weally tired now" every 3 metres. She crashed in her car seat about 5 mins after we got back on the road and slept for 3 hours. So maybe she was right ;-P
We're heading to my folks for a mid-winter Christmas dinner tonight. Hooray!
We saw some rata flowering on the way down so we waited while DH took a photo. Why Miss 3 has her tongue out here is anyone's guess. Tasting the air maybe? There was a little detour to see a big kauri and then discussion about "boy" cones and "girl" cones and how kauri seeds are made.
Then we got to the dam. It was on the verge of spilling over, we just need a few more downpours.It was rather windy on the dam top as evidenced by my hair! Mr6 is clutching his beanie, scared it's going to fly away. (Mine is on inside out. How come no one told me?!)
Here's a likely trio.
Then we had a look at the left over tramway at the edge of the dam - left over from when they built it. They were a pretty hardy bunch to do the job in those days I reckon.
Then we headed back up the steeeeeeep hill. Miss 3 had to be piggybacked some of the way. Then mean Mummy made her walk some more which meant we heard "I'm weally, weally, weally, weally, weally, weally tired now" every 3 metres. She crashed in her car seat about 5 mins after we got back on the road and slept for 3 hours. So maybe she was right ;-P
We're heading to my folks for a mid-winter Christmas dinner tonight. Hooray!
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