Firsts for this little old lady......

After my appointment in town I met up with a friend for coffee and we decided to have a girly day out - op-shopping and checking out places we don't normally go.  Two girly day outs in a week - can my system cope with it all.  Bought a seersucker pink and yellow table cloth at one op-shop - I have such a large dining table that it is hard to find everyday tablecloths for it so I was really pleased when we unfolded the table cloth and it was huge.  Then we decided to go over to the next town for lunch. First time ever I have been in a RSL club, aftern lunch my friend showed me how to play the pokies, another first.  I really can't see what the point is just sitting at a machine and hitting that button over and over again.  Soon got bored with that but at least I didn't lose any money.  But that's two more things I can tick off my firsts list. 
The heavens opened just has we were going back to the car, we had to sit ouside Target for 10 mins before we could get out of the car.  They had my favourite knickers in the sale and they were even reduced by another dollar at the checkoout so I was a happy little Jan.  Treated myself to a new cd - Bat out of Hell, my old tape of it has finally given up the ghost, its over 30 years old and with all the playing its had over the years I'm surprised its lasted this long. 
Bought more yarn as well - yes, I needed it. I knit half of it up last night in a spiral scarf and I'm not happy with the colour changes in it.  So it might become something else. I might knit up a pair of fingerless gloves or socks instead. 

  Well, like a bat out of hell I'm going, going, gone.

Start to the day

Just a quickie, a bit of pink in my dreary wet day. I ran out of milk and forgot to buy more so couldn't have my morning coffee.  A cup of red fruits tea and I am ready for anything though.  Now, I really had better go get dressed and get into town.

Jan

be careful what you say.....

Coming out of Spotlight (and I managed to get out with only spending $18), I commented to my friends to be careful because there was slippery wet slimy moss in the gutters.  No sooner than the words were out of my mouth then the back of my foot came down on the aforementioned slime and I away I went, did the splits, managed to stay upright but slid into the car. 
Once the three of us are together doing our 'chick' things  we are oblivious to the world around us,  though having reli's and friends in Japan was never far from our minds.  I had not long been through the door after returning home and heard on the news there had been a small earthquake about 30 klms out to sea and slightly south from where we had spent the day, roughly about the time we were getting in the car to come home.   I never felt a thing even though it was reported that people in the area had reported feeling movement.
I was amazed just how many earthquakes there are in the world every day. 
Better get a wiggle on, the morning is running away from me. Got an appointment in town and then coffee with a friend.

Hugs to all

Jan

The universe is conspiring against me again. Its piddled down all day, its wet and its miserable and there is more forcast.  But compared to the coast further south this is nothing. Definately not in the mood for sourcing something pretty, not even the thought of lots of garage sales could coach me out of the house.  Comfort food that is what I needed - a fried egg butty with lashings of HP sauce.  I had attempted to have one for my dinner last night, but a friend phoned up just as I was about to take the first bite and by the time she had rang off it was stone cold and very unappitising so it went in the bin. Lunchtime I had another attempt - cracked the egg into the pan, perfect, didn't break the yoke this time - bugger, hang on why is it a yucky green colour, bugger, bugger and triple bugger. Okay universe so you don't want me to have anything unhealthy for lunch. Ha, the breads already buttered, just bung on some peanut butter and strawberry jam.  Gotcha there didn't I universe.   I suppose as always the universe will have the last laugh.

I'm going to curl up now with my sudoku and be lazy for the rest of the day.

Boring, boring, boring

I look around my house and it is BORING.  No pretty pinks or pastels but dull browns and dark colours with the added bits of colour from the bright coloured crocheted throws and the snowman dolls.
I am on a mission to get rid of brown in my life.  It doesn't help that my late beloved had a thing for natural wood, he loved his wood and working with it and he made a lot of the things in our house.  The kitchen is Queensland Maple, which is a nice golden colour and has mellowed and I am happy with that but the other wood in the living room is a dark reddy brown, the carpet is a yucky browny colour.  Its all too masculine. I've tried to pretty it up, I've got pretty blue and flowery things in the bedrooms but they still seem to be dominated by wood.  I'm not a frilly frilly pretty girl, but I do like plain and pretty (is there such a thing) and simple. I have a severe lack of funds for anything major so it has to be done on the cheap.
My mission if I choose to accept it - Pretty up my life.

So what am I going to do today to pretty up my life.  I am going to set myself a target of $10 this weekend to buy something that will give me joy and make my life just a little bit more prettier.



             

chimichangas

Chimigangas are a tex mex dish,  Bubz.  Google the recipe as there a few different ways of doing them.  I always add a packet of taco sauce mix (Homebrand) to the stock the meat is cooked in and a bit extra liquid.  The meat is cooked on a low heat with garlic and spices for a couple of hours till all the liquid has practically gone and then it is shredded easily with two forks.  Then a dollop of the mixture is put in the centre of a warm tortilla and then the tortilla is fold up into a little packet and fried on both sides.  I found the recipe in one of those little family circle cook books that are always at woolies checkouts.  This one was Tex Mex.

The Cassowary Coast are still copping the rain, up here in on the Atherton Tablelands some areas are getting more than most and one poor woman was washed away when her car was washed off the road. They found her body the other day.  It made me feel sick knowing just how easy it could happen and I know my friend and I won't be doing it again any time soon.  Our part of the Tablelands is getting steady rain but not big numbers, yesterday there was 60mm from the previous 24 hours and today there was only 15mm in the rain gauge, yet about 40 klms away they got over 60mm.  I've seen rain fall on one half of the road and the other half be as dry as anything, it was like a curtain of rain.  Very strange.

Well I suppose I'd better go get some work done.

Jan

Computer glitches yet again

Computer worked fine last night, this morning it was playing up yet again. So after making sure it wasn't human error (mine) I packed up the hard drive and off I went again.  Terry looked at it straight away,  found out what the problem was and sorted it out with  no charge.  So lets see how long this lasts for.

I bought some choc chip orange cookies this morning, yum.  There goes the diet.  I wonder how many klms on the treadmill will burn off three or four cookies. 

Yay.......the council finally came and picked up all my green waste from the footpath.  I registered three times to get it moved, it had grown as well, some of the broken branches had actually struck and a tree fern had taken over the centre of the pile. It took two big muscley men to move what one little old lady with a dodgy ticker had put there.  Now I have to go and hose off the footpath and sweep up the debris......or do I wait for the deluge that is scheduled to come down this arvo.

Now my puter is well and truly fixed I should really go get those patterns typed up.

Jan

Computer glitches, chimichangas and snowmen

Just got my old girl back from the computer doctor, don't know what was up with her but she didn't want to play anymore.  She's all fixed up now and I'm busy catching up.  The house has been so quiet without her. I actually got out into the garden inbetween rain showers, put in some more gingers and fire lilys and found the cutest little green tree frog, it was only about half an inch big, he jumped away before I could get my camera out.  I'm a pretty hit and miss gardener, I like plants that look after themselves and are easily propagated.  I've fallen in love with bromeliads and I am gradually building up a collection, now I'm looking out for someone to help me lay a patio area under the pergola, all the slate I laid a few years ago needs lifting and re-laying.  The veggies are growing really well, the purple king beans I put in last Thursday have sprouted all ready. 

I had a nice piece of beef skirt and finally got around to making chimichangas, skirt shreds so easily and cooks up really tender.  Just popping them in the pan and No.2 son turned up, of course he had to be invited to stay for dinner.  There went tomorrows lunch. 

The snow people are multiplying all over the house, big and little.  I wish I could show them to you they look so cute.  I'm tackling the pattern tomorrow, giving it a tweak here and there and it should be ready to send for submission next week and then I can start on the christmas stitcheries.

Still raining, the areas that copped the worst of the  cyclone are copping all the rain, Mission Beach got over 300mm in a day, there has been a couple of landslides which have stranded people out there and there is more rain on the way and the chance of another cyclone. 

Its an early night for me tonight, right after Grays, curling up with Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, I've attempted to read P and P so many times but never actually finished it.  Its on my list of things to do.   Doing some family research and found out that an ancestor of my hubby went to the same school as Jane Austen and around the same time.

Better go watch the end of How I met your Mother, a quick shower and then Grays.

Jan

who put that hole there........

A cane toad thats who........probably in retaliation for me decapitating its mate the last time I mowed.  Down I went, the mower went one way and I went down on one knee, not quite hitting the ground. The perfect curtsey.  Pity the queen wasn't around to see it. 
Went off to market this morning with a couple of friends.  Wet and muddy but who cares, we were on a mission. I bought another variation of a lipstick plant and a Finger Lime plant. I have been after one of these for three years and finally got one. Its very prickly and very small and very slow growing. But I have patience aznd can wait, (Oh yes I can - for some things anyway). 
Has anyone been taking CoenzymeQ10, I've just started in the hope that it can stop the muscle aches from taking Lipitor.  I would like some feedback as to wether it actually works.
Well the last bit of lawn won't be getting mowed today, the heavens have opened.  Its wet, wet and wetter.  No fun mowing a muddy lawn.  I think I'll just play around on the puter today. I have been so good and restricted myself to just a couple of hours a day on it. I need to get down and get some patterns written out.. The magazine is interested in the snowpeople so I can't show them in all their glory.  They are very cute though.
I picked up a whole heap of crochet books from the op-shop last week, one that I had years ago (like, 30+yrs) and had started to make a tablecloth from it. It never got bigger than a runner but now I have found the pattern in the book i bought I might get to finally finish it.
The date on the book is 1975 so I reckon this is one of my oldest ufo's. The only thing now is to find out where I hid it.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Jan