Monday, April 27, 2009

How I missed home ....

We got home from our 2 weeks away at 5.30pm. It was 11C, the sky dark and menacing and we raced to find our warm socks and jumpers. I haven't had a longsleeved top on since we left on Easter Saturday..and I wore thongs the whole time too!
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... it was back to usual this morning...iron a shirt and trousers for Angus...get Bri on the bus for school...
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...do the dishes because that rotten dishwasher of mine is permanently broken because Kleenmaid have gone broke (while the two owners own gazillion dollar mansions on the Gold Coast!..in their wives names!!). Fingers, toes and everything else crossed, we may still be able to source parts from Kleenmaid but I will have to wait maybe 2 months, if they begin to trade again! I have also been left with the warranty repair bills which Kleenmaid should have paid our local electrical guys - $260! Add this to the $259 I paid for a further 5 years Extended Warranty (about 2 minutes before Kleenmaid went bust!) and you can see why my blood pressure is up!
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...but I have made progess this morning. Several loads of washing have been done, I've mostly unpacked and put away and the kitchen is gleaming once again.
Biggest problem is that its gonna rain on and off all day and I think its only about 12C outside - not good drying weather.
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Have a nice day.
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Cheers - Joolz

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Anzac Day...

...at the going down of the sun and in the mornng,
we shall remember them....
...Lest we forget...
Best wishes to all our servicemen and women in all the armed forces.
- Joolz

Added: This was posted from our laptop on my lap on our way through Port Augusta on our way home. A laptop and wireless Bigpond are a wonderful thing. Unfortunately it was pouring with rain so we didn't get to see any of the city, apart from McDonald for lunch. If we had have stayed overnight I would have caught up with Outback Tania. We will return!
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

We've had a great day...

We took a trip down another red dirt road (after Angus had washed the car!)... (on the way to Cape Le Grande)
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...found this lovely beach... (Cape le Grande beach)
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...had a car boot lunch (salad rolls again)...
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...enjoyed the sun...
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...and some more sun...
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...watched the birdies...
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...the beach was more about the clouds than the sand...
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...Angus & Bri swam...(?) ...(Lucky Bay)
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...and visited this little bay before we made our way home... ( Hellfire Bay)
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We have to be up and gone by 7am tomorrow so we need an early night tonight. Ciao!
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Cheers - Joolz

Time to start heading home...

Steak dinner last night...
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...all of this....
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...fitted in here...we now call Angus - Pacman! ...
(Ford Falcon FG G6E)
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...we travelled 475 kms yesterday, in glorious weather...
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...saw some road trains - big brutes ....
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Tomorrow we have 900 kms to travel...across a road that has no trees....
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- Joolz

Monday, April 20, 2009

This game is fun...


I'll post some more photos tonight. We have started to head in the direction of home - it's gonna take a few days....(Busselton WA)
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Joolz
=D
Hint: We flew to our destination but we are driving the long, long way home!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Some more clues...

These are in no particular order.....
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Gourmet baguettes...
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... in park rotundas...
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...climbing huge trees... (the Gloucester Tree, Pemberton WA)
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...visiting a lavendar farm...(a variety of lavender)
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... a chocolate factory...(Margaret River, WA)
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...swimming in crystal clear pools .... (Gilderton, WA)
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... big wheels keep on turning ... (Perth WA)
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The weather has been fantastic - we're having a ball!
Joolz
:D

Saturday, April 18, 2009

One week down, one to go...

Where do you think we are?
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We are having fun...
* seeing some beautiful things... ( Busselton, WA)
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amazing sunsets... (Busselton, WA)
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unusual oddities...( a Mammy doll cookie jar - amazingly, my mother used to have one just like it and now my sister has it as a pot plant holder, although it is in disrepair)
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exotic art... (Henna tattoos at Fremantle market)
*colours and flavours from around the globe... (Indian saris hanging from the ceiling of a winery restaurant in Margaret River)
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Any ideas?

- Joolz

Friday, April 10, 2009

Happy Easter to you all ...

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter weekend.
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Joolz



Like / Dislike ....


I like a nice tidy kitchen. I dislike mess. A place for everthing and everything in its place. Thats not how things have been lately. My dishwasher is on the fritz again (again, again, again, again, AGAIN!!!!)
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We have had split spray arms replaced (x 3), we have had door seals replaced, we have had top inlets replaced and STILL this bucket of shit still leaks! I am currently waiting for a part to arrive on a slow boat from Germany (bottom seal). The 5 year warranty runs out in May so we paid $259 for another 5 years extended warranty. Today we read in the paper that Kleenmaid have been placed in receivership. Do you think our warranty will still stand? Bit hard to get warranty
when no-one will be answering their phones, eh?
Not happy!
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Joolz
:(

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

A Blogger question....

Does anyone know why Blogger does not update blog titles on 'My blog list' regularly and consistently? For instance,
Down---to---earth is a blog on that list and Rhonda has posted 3 blogs
since the one listed, about 4 days ago.
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Hang on, all the titles just changed (miraculously almost before my eyes). Does it happen at a certain time of day, perhaps??
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Pondering - Joolz =)
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Monday, April 6, 2009

Weekender Biscuits and Pumpkin Lasagne...

Weekender Biscuits
4 tblspn butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sultanas
1/3 cup choc chips
1 cup SR Flour
2 cups slightly crushed cornflakes
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Heat oven to 180C. Line baking trays with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Fold in sifted flour, sultanas and choc chips. Now add in the crushed cornflakes. Drop spoonfuls onto trays, allow for spreading. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
* Pumkin, Sage & Ricotta Lasagne

My version was a little bit dry but it was quite tasty and would be nice to take to a barbecue to serve with meat and salad like a potato bake. I made mine in an oblong lasagne dish instead of a square one so mine was flatter and had more layers. I guess I'm just not that into full vegetarian dishes. We had some lamb chops to go with it. =)

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Cheers - Joolz

Netball, a 40th Birthday and a...heart attack !!!!

We had rather a busy weekend! Kirby arrived home from Uni late on Friday evening. We had what she requested for dinner - a steak, tossed salad with cucumber and a big baked spud. Yum!
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Brianna had her first game of netball for the season on Saturday morning. They wore their new uniforms for the first time and looked really smart. They won their 17/Under game so that was a good start to the season.
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We then headed off the Mt. Gambier for my brother-in-laws 40th Birthday. I have been battling a red hot sore throat and a cold for about a week so I wasn't in the party mood (unlike some others who shall remain nameless!). There was some hi-jinks in the whirling hot tub later in the evening but we won't go into that eh, Gus?
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I happened to check my mobile phone at about 8 o'clock and saw several missed calls and 2 messages. Turned out that my eldest brother-in-law (he's 58) had had a heart attack after driving home from shopping in Mt.Gambier with his wife (must have been credit card shock!). Luckily they got him to the hospital in time where they confirmed the heart attack then got him stabilised. He was flown through to Adelaide by Royal Flying Doctor Service that night. He spent yesterday under observation and then today had an angiogram and then a 2.5 inch stent inserted in his right coronary artery to prevent further blockage. Hopefully he will be out of hospital tomorrow but will have to stay in the city until Sunday for further checks before he can come home. Chaz, you are one lucky man! Get well soon, mate!
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When I got home on Sunday, I did some baking for Kirby. I made some mini quiches for her to freeze and some Weekender Cookies. She bought home a recipe for Pumpkin, sage & ricotta Lasagne so I made that for dinner, with her help. I will post the recipe and some photos separately.
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Gus mowed all of our lawns, which took a bit seeing they hadn't been mowed for 3 weeks. The evening seemed to drag on because we have reverted back to normal time after Day Light Saving. It always takes me about a week to get used to it. But I love the way it instantly feels like winter is just around the corner. These crisp nights find us rummaging for jumpers and warm socks. I haven't really worn closed toe shoes since about October last year.
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So that was my weekend. This week will be spent at work, preparing to go away for a couple of weeks. I have to do 3 weeks worth of wages in advance so that tests the brain a bit. Most of my paperwork is up to date so hopefully it will be pretty cruisy.
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In other domestic news, no only has my dishwasher packed it in again but now my washing machine, which is about 7 years old has decided to chuck in the towel as well. Currently, I am having to advance the timer through the cycles manually so that it washes, drains, fills to rinse, drains again then spins. I have to use my kitchen timer to time the cycles otherwise I find that I leave it spinning for 1/2 an hour or washing for way too long. I priced a new one today and looks like it will be a $900 exercise but I will get a $200 rebate back from KRUDD because it is a 'water saver' model. I priced getting the old machine fixed and that will cost $150 plus freight for the timer and $66 for installation. I think I'd rather put that money towards a new machine.
.....and don't even get me started on that @#$%^*#$%@% dishwasher of mine !!!
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Cheerfully - Joolz =}
Updated Friday, April 10th - Chas is out of hospital and coming home tomorrow. It is amazing how much a week can make a difference and how quickly the human body can recover from trauma. Taking things slower and with a revised diet , Chas should be fine. Maz reckons it feels like a months has elapsed since last Saturday. It is hard for country people to exist in the city when thrown in at the deep end.
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Thankfully, Joolz =)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

My Sky Friday...

Brianna captured this on her phone camera on our way back in from netball training.
Amazing!
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Joolz

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Missing you...

IN MEMORY OF
*
TOM BRIDGES
Passed away 20 years ago
April 2, 1989
Aged 61 years
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A beautiful memory,
dearer than gold,
of a father whose worth
can never be told.
There's a place in my heart
no one can fill,
I miss you, Dad, and always will.
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Twenty years since we lost you. My biggest regret is that you never got to meet your two grand daughters. You would have loved them so, and they would have loved you too.
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Love always, Julie

French Onion Chicken Parcels....easy and tasty...

This was the pretty sky that greeted me this morning when I returned home from my walk.
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My yellow carpet rose - I love yellow roses!
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This was dinner last night.
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FRENCH ONION CHICKEN PARCELS
Chicken breast for each person
onion, diced
bacon, chopped
tomato, sliced
cheese, grated
french onion soup mix
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On a sheet of foil, then a piece of baking paper, assemble the chicken breast and top with onion, bacon, sprinkle of soup mix, tomato then cheese.
Carefully fold the foil loosely around the chicken making a neat parcel.
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At this stage, you could refrigerate until needed. eg. make at lunch time then cook for dinner later.
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Bake in a 180C oven for about 30-40 minutes (depending on thickness/size of chicken breast).
Serve with salad and baked potatoes. Apart from the low fat cheese, I did not use any oil at all.
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Enjoy!
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We are in for a warm one today (about 30C) so I'd better get to work so I can get home a bit early today.
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Cheers - Joolz