Standing on the outside lookin in!

Well that’s about how I feel right now I must say.

I’ve been working hard at my job [which I love to bits!] normally 6 days a week.. Ok Ok so I exaggerate it's actually 5.5 days work & half a day of netball! Then coming home to be a mum and all the duties that go hand in hand with that - By the time I have gotten thru the majority of what I need to for the day, I fall, exhausted, into bed - get up in the morning & do it all again! And the beat goes on!

Never [ever] would I change the fact that I'm a mum, my children are my world and I love them beyond words, but it sure would be easier if I had more time at home. In saying that, I hugely enjoy my job too – I have a great boss - just the best ever, & we have the most delightful clients [Hmm...well ok..MOST of them..lol] Let's face it, if I don't work, we cant live like we do. Not rich, but with a safe roof over our heads I think we are doing just fine.

So with all my time taken up with truly important things – push came to shove and my allocated pc time lost out. My blog is sadly neglected – my myspace – well I logged in for the first time in over 6 months yesterday – sorry to those of you I have not returned messages to! Surely twice a year is enough to keep myspace up to date? No? Oh well.. too bad how sad.

The only reason I am able to post a small blog today, is that I’m home from work - sick. Some nasty bug going around – no, not swine flu.. just some nasty combination headache/stomach ache thingy that is lasting a lot longer than I expected. I had not had a sick day in umm must be 16 months.. but now this is day 3! I feel so bad for my boss, as it is only the two of us there... I feel like I have left him in the lurch. Then again, if I went to work & made him sick too.......argh best I stay at home. I just phoned him, he is very understanding. He told me that everything was running just fine - ha! He is such an awful liar! Assuming I get some sleep tonight, I will do my very best to be at work in the morning.

So, I’ve been in bed for the vast majority of the last 3 days, now here I sit at the pc, no makeup, my hair looks like I've been dragged thru a hedge backwards...I’m in my zebra print pj’s with a fluffy red blanket over my lap ... sexeh look eh? Lol My neighbour just came over to kindly bring milk & bread to the sick house – he started to enter thru the front door, took one look at me and froze on the spot! Who can blame him – I must look a hideous frightening sight. Best no one comes close to me right now anyway. Not without a mask and a plentiful amount of Glenn 20! I do have the most wonderful neighbours :) Thanks Guys.

Speaking of good people - friends, please excuse my rude absence from emails, blogs and the like – I am not deliberately ignoring anyone. I have just had an awful lot on my hands in the last 8 months. My true friends will understand this without further explanation – those that don’t , well.. once again, too bad how sad. I can’t change how people think and I’m past trying to please those in my life that don’t support & understand me - hence they truly don't count. Harsh? Maybe, but a necessary comment.

So, the standing on the outside looking in, aside from being lyrics from one of my fav bands is actually a reference to how life feels at the moment. My children are growing up so damn fast and teenagers these days face many different things to what I did... at least at the same age that I faced them. Being a parent these days is a scary place to be. Enough said.

Right now they are in the kitchen doing the dishes – Evanescence [October] playing loudly – but not as loudly as the laughter & fun digs they are having at each other. They make me laugh, they also make me very proud. They are good people. Both teenagers now [14 & 16], they have their own individual style. They have a wicked sense of humour [no idea where they got that from!] and they both do well at school. Enough about them for now, as they don’t like me saying too much about them – and they are constantly looking over my shoulder to see what I am saying – cheeky gits!

Now they have read that.. and they are crapping on like well, something akin to a comedy sitcom crossed with The Mighty Boosh. As I said, they are quite individual.. oh dear, now they are doing the ‘ni’ knights sketch from Monty Python..what have I created?? Laughter hurts my tummy right now... they know that yet they are crapping on even more. Lol – gotta love em.

My eternal love to those I care for, and you know who you are :)

Be well, talk soon

Joy

Not Totally Lost In Action

Sorry, very remiss of me to neglect my blog - and eveyone elses!

Yes I'm working, I love the job but I'm exhausted when I get home.

I have been working many more hours than first expected, but thats ok with me :)

I hope to make time to entertain you (and me) soon.

Take care all !

Just love this pic

It's the simple things that amuse me the most.....

The News (for want of a better description)

I was leaving a comment on a friends blog, then I realised that maybe, just maybe, it was a little long winded for a comment. ok.. so it was unquestionably too long for a comment - so, here it is as a post.

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“News”

I think they need to redefine the term

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Both Local & International 'news' is so heavily influenced by very powerful people.

So much so that it sickens me.

What happened in the lives of these powerful individuals to make them act with such narcissism? They still eat, sleep & shit like the rest of us dont't they so what makes them so damn special?

Ahh yes, but of course!

Money.

Money is power. Power is hungry.

I'm sorry, correct me if I am wrong, but what gives ANYONE the right to direct or pervert what information is released to the general public? Should we not know about it if it pertains to or effects our lives, our health - our planet!

Yes, OUR planet.

Remember a few older posts of mine?

Check here and here if you haven’t seen them. Even if you have seen them.. who cares, read again (if you can handle it!)

Having previously dealt with the media myself, I am more than aware of the content of media alerts that are sent out, and then what actually gets into print or televised.

There is a VAST difference between them I assure you – and that was only small time news if you compare it to the big picture.

I understand that the opinions of the editors (or directors) will always come into play, but the truth is, they are held by the goolies in an incredibly tight grasp by the powers that be.

If any of the large broadcasters were to use independent news sources, we, the plebs as they view us, might actually discover some of what is really going on in our world.

They simply will not allow that to happen.

The prevarication will continue despite our objections.

I believe internet access has enabled many of us to nibble at the edge of truth. It has provided us with a medium to poke & prod the drivel labeled as ‘news’ that is force fed to us. It has allowed us to communicate with other like minded beings who are sick of the inconstant lies, the conspiracies & the blatant cover ups that occur way too frequently. In reality, even those that dig around for the truth would only know a quarter of it – quite possibly not even that percentage.

At the same time, don't be fooled into thinking that we are not being monitored whilst doing this.

Without meaning to sound paranoid….You simply cannot be too paranoid.

Hang on, reality check. Think about this a minute. Imagine the consequences of being told the truth about everything.

Could we really handle it?

Could we?

Maybe just a little truth?

I think we are intelligent enough, mature enough and ready to try something new like the TRUTH don’t you?

Hey, here’s an idea…. Let’s try it !

C’mon, throw us a bone eh?

No, not YET...

Pumpkin Soup... and dicks

As we had a milder day here today (Yippeee !) I thought soup would be nice for dinner.

When I went to Wulkuraka I was fortunate enough to be given some fresh picked butternut pumpkins.

YUM ! Thanks BIL

So, pumpkin soup for dinner it is! (the dick part will become apparent as we go along.. trust me)

I often get asked for the recipe I use for my soup.. it’s nothing special.. the ingredients change depending on what I have at hand without going shopping... and it’s incredibly easy and everyone enjoys it (yes, even the children!)

For those of you who already know how to make pumpkin soup - my apologies & skip this post.

At least next time someone asks me for the recipe, I can just give them this link.

The pumpkin itself is the only ingredient that is always necessary. Everything else is really only an extra - and depends on how much nutrition you are trying to hide in the soup! Trust me, you can hide plenty of things that are good for you in soups, but they are not always what people would eat if they knew of its existence in the meal! I can not and will not divulge what I often hide in my soups as I may well get sprung. My hidden ingredients are not for public knowledge!

In saying that, I do NOT make pumpkin ice-cream.... Mel, you will never live that one down!

Alrighty, I started with 1 litre of liquid chicken stock (premade & store bought, I wasn’t THAT good today) Two big pumpkins, three medium potatoes, four small onions, 5 garlic cloves ….. and a partridge in a pear tree.... ok.. so now I'm just being plain silly.

Everything is rough cut, no need to be precise as it all gets blended later on.

Now this is real Aussie grown garlic. Not like that horrible imported stuff we get here. Look at the size of the clove! It costs around $30 per kilo but hey.. It’s damn good!

Now for the dick part. You may notice in that photo not only the size of the garlic cloves, but also a bloodied tissue and a bandaid on my finger... yes, the dreaded dick knife struck again. You would think by now I could manage not to cut myself - alas. At least this time it was a humble cut. (My foot STILL hurts & two toes are still numb btw)

If the pumpkin is rather young, and is pale on the inside (as I discovered these ones were after cutting them open) do not put much potato in. It will make the soup end up rather bland. So the rule is, cut the pumpkin BEFORE peeling the spuds!

Fry the onions in a nice oil. I use avocado oil cause it’s good for ya - rather expensive, but its great stuff. When onions are close to being transparent, add in garlic. Only slightly brown the onions & garlic. I love caramelised onions, but they don’t look all that great in pumpkin soup. They look remarkably like insects have fallen into the pot - aesthetics do count, especially when it comes to insects floating in your food.



While those are cooking, heat the chicken stock in a large pot and rough cut the pumpkin. Don't be too fussed, as long as they are all kinda the same size for equal cooking.

There is that *&%^# ! knife again...

Put the chopped pumpkin into the pot; make sure that the fluid level covers the pumpkin by 2cms or so. If there is not enough stockto do that, just add water.. no biggie. Don’t put too much water in at first, you can always add it later but you can't take it out! *note* runny pumpkin soup ain’t that nice!

Add some Vegeta, or something similar. Vegeta is a dry vegetable stock that I use for many dishes. It is a good price & available in most supermarkets.


Cook the pumpkin & spuds till they are tender. Add in fried onions & garlic; cook on low for another 10 minutes or so, the stove temperature doesn’t really matter, just don’t totally boil the snot out of them.


You can transfer the chunky soup into a blender, but I much prefer using a stick/stab mixer. It is much easier that way & less dishes ….is a good thing.

Blend until smooth (or as smooth as it gets) then add in some ground nutmeg. Fresh grated is best, but the stuff you buy in the supermarket is ok too.

Use about this much nutmeg


Now we need cracked pepper. I'm not a pepper lover myself so I put in about this much.

At this stage I add some Kecap Manis . It is also called Ketchap Manis. It is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce – make sure to use sweet soy, not the ordinary one or the soup will be waaaaaaay too salty.

I sometimes add a little curry powder or cumin if it’s needed for extra taste, but you can decide on that with the final tasting. I didn’t add that today. The pumpkins were young, but still had a nice flavor.

Last but not least, comes the cream. There are no measurement guides for this, is definitely a personal taste. I normally add about 400ml to the pot and then add a dollop in the middle of the bowl when serving. (just makes it look a little speech!)

Here is the final product.

Tonight I served it with a sprig of parsley and sourdough crusty breadstick.

That is nutmeg scattered over the top...not insects btw :D

The kids absolutely loved it – as did my neighbour !

We are lucky enough to have what I consider to be the world’s best neighbours! They are both in their late 70’s. Toni loves my soups & Bruno loves anything sweet. He doesn’t eat fruit or vegetables because in his words “they are for old people!”

I hope I am still as 'young' as him when I am 78

The embarrassment of Spoonerisms

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Spoonerism

Noun: spoonerism (spoonurizum)

Transposition of initial consonants in a pair of words

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This is something I have suffered from since childhood.

It can create many new words - some of which I now deliberately keep in my day to day vocabulary.

Spoonerisms come with out warning. I often chuckle at what I meant to say compared to what actually came out... & sometimes I dont even notice that it happens until it is pointed out to me by whom ever I am speaking to. Sometimes others are too horrified to point them out to me. It can be funny & entertaining - It can also be outrageously embarrassing in the wrong company!

There are many I have said - too many to list all, but these ones come to mind

wrinking dater (sounds like wrinking daughter) (drinking water)
bar coot (car boot)
dompact cisc (compact disc)
pmoke sacket (smoke packet)
tomputer cower (computer tower)
veletision (television)
pouse mad (mouse pad)

Some of my all time repeats are Vulti Mitimin (Multi Vitamin), Ferigerator (refrigerator) or Toob Boob (Boob Tube - & yes, that shows how long ago I started saying that one!)

Now to the big one - still, to date, this is the most embarrassing one & gawd I hope it stays that way!

I was 13 years old. Remember how impressionable you were at age 13? I had many friends that were a few years older than me. One such girl was Kerry. Kerry had a car ! That was impressive when you were 13.

Ok, so I am standing outside the church hall where I practiced my callisthenics. It is also called Physical Culture in Australia. Click here to see what it is if you are unsure. Damn I was good at Physie. Even represented my home town on a few occasions. Anyway, back to the story.

I was outside the hall with three other girls. I was introducing two friends, the same age as me, to Kerry. Oddly enough, I can clearly recall so much. Where the sun was in the sky, where we were standing, where Kerry's car was parked... so many details.

So off I went with the intro, this is Cheryl Kranz, this is Jayne Fedorif and this is Kerry Hunt... all sounds good doesnt it?

EXCEPT.. I didnt say Kerry Hunt.. spoonerisms kicked in at the most unfortunate time and I said " Herry Kunt" .. Herry, said with my accent, sounds like Hairy........

I was mortified.

For all the details of my surroundings that I can recall immediatly prior to the introductions, I can not remember at all what happened after I completed that sentence. I am at a total loss to retrieve that memory. As much as I have tried, I have no idea of what was said (if anything) afterwards - nothing at all.

Nothing, except that there was a small crack in the concrete on the ground between my shoes and the sensation of my face going red as a beetroot.

The innocence of what I said haunted me for a long time. In truth, yes I swore, all kids swear, but I NEVER used that word... never - infact I still dont .. maybe that is why?

One thing though, I do NOT recall seeing Kerry very often after that spoonerism episode! Wonder why? Still, she didnt beat my head to a pulp so thats a plus!



damn it, think bubble wont attach to head... think that says anything?

Ok thats my personal admission for the day.

Terribly sad news

Mel is my dear friend, I have known her for 10 years and I love her dearly.

Yesterday I read Mel's blog.

I often check in to see how she is going, it's one of our vehicles of communication.

I know her so well that in my head, I can often hear her voice reciting what I read when I view her blog.

I frequently howl with laughter at the chronicles of her life.

Yesterday was different.

I quote from her latest post.

"I am a little bit behind and confused at the moment. So many different hurts around me.. "

"I learnt a friend had lost her son in a tragic... well accident is the wrong word. An accident is an unforseen event. It isnt an accident that if you drive under the influence of prescription drugs you can cause something horrible."

"I just feel rather lost..."

I felt .... for want of a better term, a terrible sadness came over me.

I know by Mel writing this, something really awful had happened. Mel cares deeply for her friends and always shares their pain - sometimes to her own detriment. (before she says it - yes I do that myself too. Birds of a feather eh?)

I left a message for Mel saying -

"Just remember, one step at a time Mel, try to combat everything at once and you will continue to feel lost. Baby steps through you whole life, has hurt no one :) Hugs"

Obviously, someone Mel knew had lost their child.

As a mother myself, my heart instantly went out to this lady. I had no idea of whom it was nor whom the child was.

I have dealt with the loss of loved ones in my life, parents, friends, acquaintances - but I just knew it was far too painful to imagine myself in the shoes of someone who lost a child.

I can sympathise, but not empathise.

Empathy would mean having to imagine myself going through the emotions this mother was experiencing. That is.... unconscionable - I simply can not ideate that scenario. My mind stops me before I can get there. Self protection, no doubt.

Last night, Mel phoned me.

I DO know this lady.
I DID know this child.

Phuck.......

I sit here now with fingers on my worn keyboard.. but I simply do not know what to type next.

I still feel all the things I did before I knew that it was Beckles who had lost her son but now... now it is different.

Faces.....Memories ........ laughter shared with Beckles over many years, replace the anonymity I saw in the newspapers. The story about the death of two teenage boys who died for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. No other reason.

My heat breaks for you Becca. May your precious memories of Nathan be with you always.

Rest in peace gorgeous child.

That is all I can say.