Welcome 2020...

Well, hello! 

A new year has rolled around and I thought it’s time to get back to my blog.  I’ve missed it, especially recording life's goings on and special times.  What have you been up to? Do you still blog or are you on Instagram (which I love)? 

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As a family, we have been great.  It’s nearly 12 months since Kirby & Nate got married and back in early December, Bri and Michael got engaged so we have another wedding to plan, in early 2021 they’re thinking. 

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Health wise, we’ve been good apart from the usual aches and pains that the mid 50’s bring on.  Sore feet and knees are my main worry very minor considering. 

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Well, I’ll leave this here, fingers crossed that it will publish. 

Cheers - Joolz 

Bring on 2015 ...

I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday...

I made French sticks...

Tuesday night I made Rick Stein's Butter Chicken. It turned out very well. You first bake the chicken breast pieces in the oven, slathered in yoghurt and cream marinade then add it to the sauce to finish.

I love his kachumber salad - a fine pickle!

A cucumber mint raita always accompanies my curries, to cool the fire!

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I made fresh naan bread too...

Wednesday evening for New Year was spent quietly at home. Angus invited his mother to join us and our girls.   I did salads and Gus did rack of lamb in the Weber...

Brianna made a champion pavlova and decorated it accordingly...

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Thursday, New Years Day started slowly. We had lunch under the pergola then before we knew it, we were in Ruby and heading for Southend beach to see my niece and family. It was cool and breezy on the beach.

Here's Brianna holding 2nd cousin Brax (he's nearly 3) trying to keep up with him on the beach - that boy sure has lots of energy!

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This is baby Tex, 10 weeks old and wrapped up against the cold (this pic taken 3/1/15 when the cool change had hit). Such a cutie!

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Time to head for home...

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Friday, the weather was horrible. Hot and very windy. We just hung around the house. In the afternoon, Bri got out her paddling pool and spent time in the shade. I of course, stayed inside.

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By about 4pm Friday it was evident that a very bad fire had started and was blazing away in scrub and pine forests about 20kms from our town. A strong north wind and 40C temperatures only fanned it more. Catastrophic conditions!

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Kirby and I went for a drive, just to our town limits to see how bad the smoke was. This was the view from our road.

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This taken from the outskirts of our town.

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This was taken about 2 hours later. Fire now out of control andthreatening properties in Glencoe area.

Saturday, the conditions had eased slightly but the fire was still out of control. Some 500 firefighters battled the blaze. They had 7 water bombing planes dousing the fire too. I take my hat off to anyone fighting the fire in such harsh conditions.

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We decided to head to our favourite beach spot, Number Two Rocks to hopefully camp overnight. By the time we arrived, the cool change had started to come through with threats of a thunder storm. We set up shade and had lunch but it was fairly clear that camping would not be a good option.

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We packed up and just as we left, big spots of rain started to fall. Lucky!

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Such a pity, I was looking forward to my first swim of the summer!

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We got home and unpacked all that we had packed! Horrible job - sand in everything! There was a good sprinkle of rain which was an answer to the firemen's prayers. This bought the fire mostly under control with days of mopping up to come. Because there were lightening strikes, the chance of more fires and flare ups is a real threat but the temperature has come way down which is a relief!

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We set up under the pergola, the girls played Fluxx and we drank the Sangria they had made. Yummy!

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Gus made this fantastic prawn dish again - so good!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/38126/barbecued+prawns+with+corn+bacon+blistered+jalapeno+and+avocado+puree

So that brings me up to date. Its been a slow morning, I think we're heading to Coonawarra for lunch then Gus is doing a spit-roasted chicken for dinner. Back to work tomorrow!

Cheers - Joolz xx

Posted by Joolz with Blogsy

Happy New Year 2014

NYE was a warm day so we decided to finish work and head to our favourite beach spot in Ruby.

Just before entering the dunes, Gus lets air out of the tyres for better traction. Its a 1 hour drive to our destination.

It was a beautiful sunset, lovely calm sea. All set for a perfect evening...

We thought there might be lots of people at No2 Rocks but we were the only vehicle on the beach. We set up camp and got everything ready for dinner...

Simple steak sandwich with cream cheese and caramelised onion relish. Someone on Facebook said the weather was going to turn nasty with 100km winds but it was still calm when we saw in the new year at midnight.

I woke at about 3am to the tent flapping a fair bit. We both got up for a tinkle and found that the little change tent had blown over. Back to sleep, albeit fitful and restless.

We got up at 7am and it was overcast, warm, humid and there were lots of sticky flies around. The sea was roaring! We decided to break camp and move further down the beach to where we would hopefully spend the day with other friends who were to join us.

Big mistake! Once in our spot, it started to rain and the wind picked up and blew sand all around. Disgusting conditions!

So we went back to our original spot to set up our awning again so we could cook breakfast. No sooner had we got the awning and tarp strapped up then it blew down, spraying sand everywhere! Heavier rain and blowing sand gave us no choice but to pack everything up wet and covered in sand. We te ted our friends to say we were abandonning the day! Our rooftop tent and bedding got saturated on the drive home so everything had to be pulled out and dried in our shed.

What a disastrous trip! We are all cleaned up now but its not how we wanted NYDay to go.

I've spent the rest of the day cleaning up then snoozing. Kirby and her friend Matilda are back safe from their music festival adventure so we will have dinner with them soon.

Here are a few things I want to do this coming year -

 

Recycle correctly again

Get out that juicer!

Get that vegetable garden going!

Get walking!

Keep making more homemade things

Perfect granny squares crocheting

Make more time for me - yoga, walking

Be more mindful and do things with purpose....

 

What are some of your goals for 2014

Cheers - Joolz xxNew Year

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy by Joolz

Back to the grind...

We survived the horrible heat of yesterday although our lawns are looking a bit crunchy! We just holed up inside all day with air-con and fans on. I did lots of washing as it dried within half an hour! Kirby had to leave for Adelaide at 3pm so she had a fairly hot trip and her unit was like a furnace she said. Lucky she has air-con too.
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I did a bit more tidying yesterday and this morning. Picking up and putting away - the story of my life! The Christmas tree didn't get put away yesterday so will have to try and get it sorted this afternoon. I have to work so had better get going otherwise it will be lunchtime and I will still be here! Lol!
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I hope to get a physio appointment for my back and shoulder - each morning when Gus and I go walking, he has had to put on my socks and lace my shoes because I just can't bend without having a spasm! Once I walk, I am better but still sore, if I sit for too long. My shoulder also is giving me curry, not aching, just grabbing me with a pain like a red-hot poker if I move the wrong way. Grrr! Hopefully the physio will be able to relieve it or suggest some exercises.
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Have a lovely day, won't you?
Cheers - Joolz

Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year to all...

Happy New Year to all my lovely friends in blogland! Thank you for being a source of inspiration to me.
Best wishes for a bright, happy and healthy 2011!
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We are expecting at least 39C today (106F) and there is a hot north wind blowing already so fingers crossed we don't have any bushfires across the states. Queensland is in dire straits with massive flooding and there's more to come and we are now sweltering although a cool change is forecast later today. Global warming at its best!
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I made some of Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge - it was super easy but just remember to crush to pistachios first so they are ready to go in the fudge at the last minute - I was running around like an plonker trying to stir fudge and crush nuts!! - and some Shortbread last night. It's been packaged up to give as gifts so it won't end up on my thighs (sigh...)!... okay, so I kept some off-cuts from around the sides! :)
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As far as I know, we are staying home tonight, not partying on anywhere. Seeing as its going to be hot, we'll have the air-con on and will have a nice dinner for two, a nice bottle of wine and probably an early night. Tomorrow, we are going to our favourite beach spot and the weather should be 'ripper' so stay tuned for some nice pictures of that.
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Stay safe and I'll see you in the New Year (I love saying Twenty-Eleven!)
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Cheers - Joolz

Here's to a bright and happy 2010...

Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy, healthy year ahead. Thank you for dropping by my blog - this is my 308th post since August 2008! I really enjoy 'meeting' new people and keeping in touch through blogworld - I've 'met' some gems and learned so much since I started way back then.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 !
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Cheers - Joolz

PS: We hope to have a quiet night with friends down at the beach when off to do some 4 wheel driving tomorrow at our favourite beach spot. I'll take some pictures.

Happy New Year...

Southend
Chilling out after a BBQ lunch

Happy New Year to all my friends, family and fellow bloggers! Our NYE was spent quietly at home. Both our girls headed in separate directions for the evening and that left 'A' and I home alone. Earlier in the evening, we had a few drinks with a friend who was back in town seeing his family. It was nice to catch up. Later, we cooked a couple of steaks, ate dinner then settled in to watch Dark Knight. 'A' is a big Batman fan! I lasted until just after midnight then I had to retire!

We spent yesterday down at Southend, a little seaside port not far from where we live. We took a barbeque lunch and sat with friends and enjoyed a great afternoon. Next year, we have decided to go camping for New Years Eve down to a special spot called Number 2 Rocks. It is a little horse-shoe bay about 1 hours drive from our town, through sandhills by four-wheel-drive. We have had many good days there - the kids can play on the quiet beach (mine are no longer into sandcastle building) and the water doesn't get too deep or rough because there is a reef further out which stops the big waves.

Best wishes for a safe, happy & healthy 2009 to

you and your loved ones.

Cheers - Joolz