The only good mouse is a dead mouse...

I set 3 traps on my desk in my office last night and got 3/3 !!!!!!!!

Peanut butter is definitely a good bait. The poor little guys weren't as clever

as this little dude (lets call him Mission Impossible Mouse). I am not sure what is bringing them out, maybe there is rain on the way? or just more hot weather? They haven't been a problem before.

Good news - finally got a computer support technician to come to our house - don't know why we waited so long - and he has us up and running again. We lost nearly all our

files back in early December when we had a system error and I ran a re-installation disk which Dell told me to do - wiping practically everying!!

Any-hoo - we have internet and e-mail again so I can blog away at home to my hearts content.

I had printed out my home favourites list only days before - did I have a premonition? - so I have most blog sites listed - and I have more at work so I can copy those too.

John, the computer guy, was lovely and didn't make us feel stupid or dumb because we basically don't know much about the computer and the networks etc. He spent 2 hours with K18 and I sorting it all out.

Back in the land of home blogging - Cheers Joolz :)

A mouse in the house...

...or to be correct, my office!!!!!

A little fella like this one has been having a fine old time getting stuck into some lollies in my office.

The little bugger has eaten his way through, not one, not two, not three but FOUR Freddo Frog bars! I had no idea that mice liked chocolate. He even chewed through a peppermint boiled sweet with chocolate in the centre!

A trap has been set in his honour.

For the record, mice do not intimidate me or make me squirm, however, on the other hand, huntsmen spiders are a whole different story. A few weeks back, my office partner picked up a book off my desk and there was a lovely big fat hunty taking refuge underneath. Joe dispatched with him (after a game of catch me if you are quick enough) just before I got to work saving me from having a coronary! Good job!

Cheers - Joolz

Lovely weekend spent with friends.....

Our friends Kelvin & Lyn arrived Friday night from Melbourne. We enjoyed a night of catching up and a good steak dinner.

On Saturday of the long weekend, we took a drive to the Coonawarra wine region (50kms from us). We visited the Rymill cellar door and did some tasting. K17, B15 and her friend T15 were let loose with my camera. They took some good shots.
B15 about to jump......No!!!

This stunning photo was taken by K18 of grapevines at Rymill.
This statue of rearing horses is the logo of Rymill Coonawarra wines.
This was my dessert at Upstairs at Hollick restaurant, caramelised peaches and honey marscapone cream.

Lyn & Kelvin enjoying themselves.

B15 - the long drive drenched in dappled sunlight. At this time of year the vines are lovely and green and lush.

We returned home and 'Weber' pizzas were on the menu for dinner. 'A' has a pizza stone so we tried it out, baking the pizzas in his Weber kettle BBQ. I made the dough in my bread maker and we were pleased with the result. Very tasty pizza with a thin crunchy crust.

This is another pizza cooking away on the pizza stone in the Weber.

Oh dear! Lyn decided she needed a 'goldfish bowl' to drink her red wine out of. No more said!

On Sunday, we went 4 wheel driving through the sand dunes to our favourite spot, Number Two Rocks. It takes about 1 hour to get there. We arrived and were disappointed to find someone parked in our favourite spot. The cheek of them, really! Anyway, we set up our possy and got the barby all organised for lunch. Then the people in our spot packed up and left! We decided to stay where we were as it wasn't too windy.

I tested out my camera, trying to catch shots of the waves crashing on the reef. I took about 200 pics of the surf! The ocean was really pretty.
Our little barby with lamb chops, hamburgers and fresh trout fillets (in foil)
Salads to compliment to barbecue.

The Risoni salad (top left) is really easy - boil Risoni pasta until al dente, drain. Finely chop red capsicum, red onion, cucumber, celery, add to risoni. Add a small can of corn kernels. Pour in about 1/2 cup french dressing or balsalmic dressing, season with salt and cracked pepper. Chill then serve.

Aussie BBQ plate - lamb chop, hamburger and salad.
We spent the afternoon watching the waves roll in, there were other families playing beach cricket and kids fishing in the shallows (they caught lots of tiddlers!)
We played Petanque (not very well, I might add). Rather unorthodox action, "A".
Petanque boules.
We flew the Aussie flag in honour of this great land...
Kelvin and Lyn lapped up the sun and sand. Don't they look relaxed?
More blue sea and rolling waves.


We stayed until early evening then made our way home by 8pm.

A small meal of Chinese takeaway was on the menu when we got home.

Kelvin and Lyn left for Melbourne on Monday morning. We spent the rest of the day recovering from a busy weekend.

Lovely to catch up with our dear friends - we all had a great time.

Cheers - Joolz

Mulberry Jam soon...

I picked some more mulberries on Monday. I have frozen them at the moment and will keep adding to them until I have enough to make some jam. There is heaps of fruit on the tree but I have to wait for some more of the fruit to ripen. Can't wait for buttermilk scones, mulberry jam and cream!

Hot, hot, hot....

It reached 39C here yesterday. Today the forecast is for 42C. Pretty much the same for the rest of the week. I am thinking cool thoughts! Mmmm, icecubes!
Homemade icy lemonade!

I wish I could have a go on one of these!

...but all I have got to keep me cool in my office is one of these!!!

Blaaaagh!!!!

- Joolz

We are Australian......

We Are Australian

(Chorus)
We are one
But we are many
And from all the land on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice
I am
You are
We are Australian

I came from the dream time
From the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shore
I watched the tall ships come
For forty thousand years I'd been
The first Australian

I came upon the prison ship
Bowed down with iron chains
I cleared the land, endured the lash
And waited for the rains
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife
In a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man
I became Australian

I'm the daughter of a digger
Who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman
On a long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression
I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy
I'm a battler
I am Australian

I'm a teller of stories
I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira
And I paint the ghostly gums
I'm Clancy on his horse
I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda
I am Australian

I'm the hot wind from the desert
I'm the black soil from the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys
I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky
The rivers when they run
The spirit of the great land
I am Australian

(Chorus)
We are one
But we are many
And from all the land on earth we come
We share a dram and sing with one voice
I am
You are
We are Australian

(Lyrics by Bruce Woodley & Dobe Newton 1987)

Wishing all Australians a Happy Australia Day for
Monday, January 26, 2009

Eat lamb chops (have a barby), pass us the Aerogard (these flies!!!!), drink beer (crack a tinny - Coopers Pale, XXXX, VB etc), drink tea (have a cuppa) with your mates, watch the tennis from a comfy armchair, have some friends around (G'Day mate!), see some of this beautiful country and fly the flag!

Cheers - Joolz

Sparkling clean...

Spotless, sparkling clean windows. I did half last night when I got home from work and
the rest will be done tonight. Hardly looks like there is glass in the windows, does it?

Someone commented on our green lawns. We don't have rigid water restrictions where we live and because we live just on the outskirts of town, we have our own bore so we are self sufficient for water. Our lawns are watered at sundown, in the cool of the evening for about 20 minutes each night. We have a ride-on mower that mulches all the grass clipping straight back onto the lawn which helps retain the water in the soil - so a minimum sprinkle keeps them nice and green.

More cleaning tonight in readiness for our guests coming this weekend.

Cheers - Joolz