pancakes

We decided to make pancakes after dinner last night.  Haven't had them for years and had no idea of the recipe.  A couple of minutes later and I had pancake recipe typed into google.  Clicked on the first result.  Corn pancakes, apple and cinnamon,  coconut, banana .  No no no just simple ordinary plain pancakes.  Clicked on second result, flour, bicarb, lemon juice, make sure milk is full cream, there was about 10 ingredients and steps just to make the pancake.  No that's too much like hard work.  Clicked on third result.

That looks better.  I read the recipe out to David

100 grams of flour

250 ml of milk

1 egg

half teaspoon of salt

He dumped all the ingredients into a bowl and started whisking.

Oh it says to add egg and a little milk to the flour and salt then gradually add the milk until bubbles start appearing.

Is long life milk ok?  David asked.  Guess it will have to be.  And plain flour?  Guess so.

The bubbles have started to appear.   

When mum  cooked pancakes at home she would let the mix sit for a couple of hours before cooking.  Doesn't say anything about that in this recipe.  It just says to use a pouring jug for easier handling.

David thought about it for a moment.  How about we let the mix sit while we have a glass of wine.

Sounds like the perfect way to make pancakes to me.

A glass of red for David and a glass of white for me and the cooking began.

The first one was a bit thick, the second one a bit small, the third one a bit burnt the forth one well I think it resembled the shape of a funny cloud.  Maybe they would have turned out a bit better if we had stopped at one glass of wine.  The first two were spread liberally with raspberry jam.   We began reminiscing about the lemon juice and sugar on the wafter thin pancakes we had as kids.   I rummaged around in the fridge and came up with a lemon.   The best I could do in the sugar department was raw sugar.  I even rolled them and cut them in half exactly as my mum did. 

Oh that is so so nice.  Next time I am making a double batch.   

my rdo

up at 7
feed dogs
coffeed
changed bed
cleaned en-suite
walked dog
cleaned lounge
put load washing on
did dishes (from kids meal night before)
watered plants
weeded plants
had plant Modoed (it will make a recovery but will be lopsided)
folded clothes (I admit they were from last week)
coffeed
erected flyball jump
spent 10 stressfull minutes trying to get Modo to go over jump (Modo prefers to go around jump)
hung clothes out (it started to rain - left clothes out)
cleaned laundry
ordered dog meat
cleaned kitchen
called painter ( mobile reset halfway through conversation and won't populate my contacts list )
will ignore phone until it decides to behave itself
washed floors
Modo and I drove to Montrose pet supplies, picked up dog meat
he undercharged me $10, told him so and scored brownie points for honesty
day came to grinding halt
now know for sure I am paperwork phobic
finally decided to take last 2 years tax to the accountants only to find am missing this years group certificate
have been going through boxes of old phone, gas and power accounts, and miscellaneous junk to discover that what I really need I haven't got
keep a few threw the rest
not a complete waste of time but doesn't solve problem
finally rang plumber left message
text messages still won't load in think I need new phone
went through more old outdated papers, binned them with the rest
phoned work and confessed, she was v.nice and will order me another group certicate
have sworn to organise paperwork so it is papereasy
coffeed extra stong, need brain stimulant to continue
brought in mail, bill from phone company
oops double bill from phone company forgot to pay last bill
set jump up for Modo again, noticed a little improvement, he went over the jump a couple of times
began cleaning out no.2 sons room aka spare room filled with no.3 sons junk
hung spare room blankets out to air
needed no.3 son to know what could go and what could stay
put load of washing on
cleaned upstairs bathroom and toilet  yuck not my job
grabbed no.3 son on his brief visit home
we threw, he left again
washed stairs
bought washing in
bought blankets in
put 2nd load out
vaccumed
yay now I can go dancing

how embarrassment

During my lunch break today I went shopping and bought some much needed new underwear.   Four pairs of undies and two bras.  Dispensing with the plastic bag I popped the items into my handbag and returned to work.  Needing my work diary I pulled some items out of my handbag and placed them on the counter.  A couple of patrons later and I looked down the counter.   It took me a few moments to work out that I hadn't returned all the items to my handbag and there sitting on the counter was a pair of undies.

flyball

Modo had his first lesson in flyball yesterday morning.  Can't say that he is champion material or even that interested at the moment.  All he really wanted to do was socialize.  And he did seem a bit big for the equipment.  Anyway we will see how he goes.  After a bit of training who knows. 

These photos were taken at the Australia Day celebrations at Princes Park in Melbourne 2011.

It was the first time I ever saw flyball and I thought Modo would love it. 

This is a little about flyball taken from the Croydon Rockets website.

Flyball is a relay race between two teams of four dogs. Racing side by side, one dog from each team must go over four hurdles, trigger a flyball box pedal, catch (retrieve) a ball and then return over all four hurdles to the start/finish line where the next dog eagerly awaits.  Flyball encompasses all things that dogs love to do - jumping, catching, retrieving, competing and striving to please their owners. Flyball is a sport in which any dog can participate, regardless of breed, shape or size.

healesville railway heritage show

This says it all.  What a steam fix.

Beautiful.

No flashing lights and sirens.

Not steam but just look at the original number plate.

Not steam but still beautiful.

Inside one of the carriages of the steam train.  Still under restoration.  Reminded me a lot of the old red rattlers.

Healesville station restored including original advertising..

Steam hay bailer.

Ethel.

And the setting was perfect.

hungry jacks

I left the house at the same time as David this morning and headed for work.   I knew I would be early but the traffic was nearly non existent and I arrived an hour early for work.  To fill in the time I stopped at a hungry jacks around the corner to have a cuppa and a read of the paper.   I pulled up in a 30 minute zone.  Figured I was safe at 7.30 in the morning and walked across to the restaurant.   I wasn't sure if it was actually opened as it looked dark and gloomy but decided to have a look anyway.  I walked through the door and the restaurant felt cold and unwelcoming.   I looked around for a paper and realised that I was the only person there.   I couldn't see any papers so I went to the counter to get my cuppa.   There was one girl behind the register and she had a head set on.  Her black jacket was dirty and looked to be covered with flour.   She looked past me to the door.   When she spoke to me it was in monotone.   I put in my order for a coffee.   Small or large she asked in a tone that indicated she wanted to be anywhere else but where she was.   She took my money and handed me my coffee.  I no longer had thoughts of enjoying a relaxing hour with a cuppa and a newspaper and I fled out into the morning and returned to my car.   I sat in my car with the warm sun streaming thought the glass, the radio on and an old magazine to reread.   That was a zillion times better than having to spend any more time at hungry jacks.

mad monday on the mountain

I have survived another mad Monday on the mountain.  This is the third year that the local footy club have celebrated on the mountain.   Now I am quite happy for them to have their  boozy celebration just as long as they leave me out of it.  The first year the players turned out in fairy outfits and dressed as women.  The first lot even though they were loud were a cheeky, fun, harmless lot.   Last year they turned up in equally as outrageous costumes but they were noisy and rude and destructive.    The police arrived to check them out as I was leaving, the locals weren't a happy lot.   This year in some ways it was very subdued.  No fancy dress and they stayed mainly within the confines of the pubs outdoor area.   Not long after I arrived on the mountain a beer glass landed on the top step of the van and smashed.  Oh boy this is going to be a good year.   I went over and told them it would need to be cleaned up.   A young lad maybe the thrower came and picked up the larger pieces of glass by hand but the smaller bits were left shattered on the step.  That wasn't good enough.  I strode through the mass and spoke to the owner.  Told him a pan and hand brush were needed to sweep up the glass on the steps.  Seconds later and the young lad pan and brush in hand did an excellent job of cleaning up.   By the sound of the pops and bangs as glass hit tiles after today the pub is going to have to restock on beer glasses.

house/dog sitting

How can you not love them.  

David and I house/dog sat Roddy and Winnie for a long weekend.  They were very well behaved but I'm guessing they were very glad when we left and life returned to normal.

steam rolled

It's not often that you see a Cowley steam roller steaming down the main street of Yarra Glen.    Well it's not often that you see a steam roller anywhere.  Today there wasn't just one but two. Ten minutes after the Cowley steamed it's way through Yarra Glen a second even older steam roller rolled it's way down the main street.   The fire was burning and the steam was at max and I'm sure it must have reached at least 5 k's on the down hill run.

rosie and george

Went to Rosie and George's cd launch last night in Northcote.   We didn't allow a lot of time to get there and we were pushing it to make it on time.  Of course parking was at a premium.  Finally half way down a side street there was a small parrallel car park.  We decided to give it a go.  Did really well and parked  the car first time.  Only small hitch was that the front and back left  hand wheels were up on the footpath.   We called it creative parking and left it there.  That reminded me of the time several years ago when I went into the city with Pauline.  Again the car space wasn't much longer than the car and it was the only one we could find.   As Pauline parked she lightly bumped the car behind her and as she drove forward to straighten she bumped the car in front as well.   When she got out of the car she realised that there was an elderly gentleman sitting on a park bench next to the footpath watching her.  Pauline didn't blink and eye.   As she walked past the gentleman she looked briefly in his direction and said 'touch parking'.

plant rescue

Coffee - worlds greatest cat. 1992 - 2011

David arrived here late Tuesday afternoon with an armful of abandoned plants in need of a new home.  I'm glad he didn't say a good home because that would have been something I couldn't have guaranteed.  We're not sure what they are but they appear to be blue iris's or something similar.
David had already thought about where he was going to relocate them and he just needed a bit of direction from me as to where he could dig and where he couldn't.   After all he didn't want to upset me by digging up a body or two.  And he was right.  The perfect place and about the only place to put them was on the side fence in the area known as the pet cemetery.  As long as you don't move any boulders you can dig where ever you want.  The boulders are the headstones.  I had been saying for years that I must get a bit of white paint and put names to the boulders.
It was getting harder and harder as the years went by to remember exactly who was where.  In order of internment there was Xander  (Modo and Willow put your paws over your ears) the best dog in the world, Teah the cat rescued from under the library, Romeo the duck who was a school experiment that we couldn't bear to part with, Bindi who was adopted as an aged dog from a lost dogs home and finally and the most special was Coffee our adored 18 year old black cat.
Anyway back to the plants.  They are now all planted, cut back to about half their size and watered in.   They are a bulbous type plant so with a bit of luck they should grow.  Maybe I should say with a lot of luck.  After all if my plants were animals the pet cemetery would be full to overflowing.

5 kg

I tried to tell myself that an extra 5 kg in weight wasn't that much extra but looking at that bucket - ok it is vegetable fat not animal fat - I changed my mind and yes it is a lot.   I am not a skinny person, you could call me slim, well that was before the 5 kg and carrying around that all day mustn't be very good for me either.   I have to admit that the added 5 kg's gave me boobs and a bum but I have also lost my waist and gained a pair of fence posts for legs.  Who would have thought that 5 kg's could go so far.

willow

Gave Willow her seasonal brushout. 

I'm sure she looks fluffier than she did before.

Is that possible?

would you?

Would you go to a pool hall dressed like this.

I guess if you were Chris you would.

walking

I have decided after being hit so hard by the flu that it is time I got a little fitter.   The last few years on the whole I have let my exercise fall to zero at times and the rest of the time has been inconsistant.
Yesterday morning I took Modo for a walk around the block before work - it is a big country block - so that was approx 20 mins.
This morning I walked to work as I work locally today.  Took Modo with me and cutting through Lilydale lake it was a 40 minute walk.   And no Modo didn't spend the day with me at work.   Motivated no.3 son enough to get out of bed early to come and pick him up.   This exercise thingy is hard work.

eastern freeway

Going across to Davids after work last night on the freeway was another one of those experiences.  Everyone seemed in such a hurry to get 'home'.   I was sitting on the fast side of the 100 k speed limit and I was one of the slow vehicles.  I think I passed two vehicles.  The first one was a huge 4 wheel drive.  It was so covered in dirt and mud that I think the driver must have wanted to get to where he was going with his adornment intact.   Either that or the dirt and mud weighed him down to such an extent that the poor vehicle couldn't go any faster.   The other vehicle that I passed was an old comby van.  It could nearly have come out of the 70's except the art work that covered the sides of the van was more graffiti than psychedelic flower power.

On the freeway again this morning heading to work a small square of metal flew off the trailer in front of me skipped and bounced along my lane towards me.  It then veered across into the vacant lane next to me before settling on the road.  It made me think that sometimes it doesn't matter how carefully you are driving, if something is going to happen it will happen.  As I passed the Springvale Rd exit and made my way to the tunnel I noticed a small tanker several cars in front of me.   This is going to be interesting he is a placarded load so he can't go through the tunnel.  As I rounded the bend there he was pulled over in the emergency lane a tollway car in front of him and one behind.  Where do these guys come from?  And how is the guy now going to get from there back to the Springvale Rd exit?

observing the observer

Having lunch in the food court of Knox City today I sat down at a bench seat.  The table in front of and slightly to the left of me had a woman sitting at it.  Her back was to me.   She had a black plastic shopping bag by her side and her handbag in her lap.  It was then that I noticed she was frantically writing in a large notebook fattened with age and use.   She would write furiously for a few minutes then look up again at the tables in front of her.  People came and went in quick succession.   An elderly couple, he with a soft serve icecream.   They seemed to be making a decision, it only took a couple of minutes and they left.  The woman in front of me scribbled manically again then looked up as the two young workers in high vis sat down laughing.  She studied them for a couple of minutes and again began writing furiously.  They too left after a couple of minutes and a young dad with a sleeping boy in a stroller sat for a few minutes.
I was so curious as to what she was writing and why.   Was she doing research for a book or a paper or did she just enjoy writing, was this her hobby observing people.  I looked around at the tables near her.   No one else seemed to be aware that she was watching them. 
I wonder if I put my glasses on whether I could see what she was writing.  No  that's wrong I told myself and anyway even with my glasses on I would never be able to read what she was writing.   I wonder if I got up and sat down at that table whether she would write about me and if she did what would she say.  
Older woman with crazy eyes dressed in a work uniform acting v.strangely. 

new garden steps

While Modo and I were at doggie school yesterday morning David was in the backyard creating steps for me to get down to the bottom of the garden and the compost bin.   No more stumbling and sliding or half running to get down there.  Also it will give easier access to the plants from plantings one and two which are all down there.  The surviving plants from our first planting are coming along very nicely and so far the new plants have all survived.   They were all looking a bit dry but the weatherman asssured us that we would get rain today.  The sky looks promising but if it hasn't rained by tomorrow I will have to give them a drink.

David, I thought dads were supposed to get presents on fathers day not give them. 

magical modo

I don't have to take it off if I don't want to

I earnt it.