A Food Processor Day

MY LITTLE MINI FOOD PROCESSOR WAS GIVEN A WORKOUT TODAY.

FIRST UP, I MIXED UP SOME TRUFFLES.

I DOUBT THEY WILL LAST VERY LONG!

NEXT, IT WAS TIME FOR SOME SHORTBREAD.  I'VE NOT MADE IT IN THE PROCESSOR BEFORE, AND IT WASN'T BIG ENOUGH SO I ENDED UP WITH A BIT OF A MESS AND HAD TO FINISH IT BY HAND.

IT STILL MANAGED TO COOK ALRIGHT. 

LAST TO GET DONE WERE CHICKPEA PATTIES FOR DINNER TONIGHT.

THEY'RE NOW SITTING IN THE FRIDGE WAITING TO BE FINISHED OFF BY SHALLOW-FRYING UNTIL HOT AND GOLDEN BROWN. 

IT FEELS LIKE THE DAY HAS BEEN QUITE PRODUCTIVE 😁

MARGARET  xx

Our Pets

SON BOUGHT SOME NEW BITS FOR HIS RATS TODAY.

STORM CAME TO SEE WHAT HE WAS DOING.

BOTH STORM AND SILVER ENJOYED GNAWING ON THEIR NEW LAVA ROCK (the yellow thing) - MADE TO KEEP THEIR TEETH SHARP AND GROUND DOWN.

MILLIE CAME TO SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS WAS ABOUT.

BUT MITTENS JUST YAWNED AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP.

LIFE WOULD BE SO EMPTY WITHOUT OUR PETS.

MARGARET  xx

Pot of Gold?

IF ONLY THERE REALLY WAS A POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF A RAINBOW!

I LOVE SEEING RAINBOWS IN THE SKY AND THIS ONE MADE A PERFECT ARCH.

SOON AFTERWARDS, IT BEGAN TO RAIN. 

I HUNG MY WASHING OUT TO DRY UNDER THE SHELTER OF THE CARPORT.

PUDDLES AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY. 

AS THE DAY WORE ON, THE WEATHER WORSENED.

MY WASHING STAYED WET

BUT I'M HAPPY I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO OUT ANYWHERE TODAY  😀

MARGARET  xx

A Blustery Walk

THERE WAS A COLD BLUSTERY WIND BLOWING WHEN I VISITED THE LAKE TODAY.

MOST OF THE WILD FOWL WERE SITTING IT OUT IN A SEMI- SHELTERED CORNER. 

THERE WERE FREQUENT SHOWERS PASSING THROUGH.  LUCKILY I MANAGED TO MISS GETTING WET.

THE HOSPITAL LOOKED QUITE IMPOSING WHEN THE SUN PICKED OUT THE WHITE BUILDINGS. 

COLD WIND GIVES ME EARACHE, SO I WAS GLAD I HAD MY WARM WOOLLY HAT ON 😀

MARGARET  xx

Fur Stoles

MANY YEARS AGO I DONATED A HEAVY FUR COAT TO THE LOCAL DRAMATIC SOCIETY, BUT KEPT TWO FUR STOLES THAT I'D INHERITED, ONE FROM EACH GRANDMOTHER. 

(I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SORT OF FUR EITHER OF THEM IS)

I EVEN WORE THEM ON OCCASION, BEFORE NATURAL FUR BECAME A BAD FASHION.

THEY MUST BE CLOSE TO 100 YEARS OLD NOW BUT STILL IN GREAT CONDITION.

I HAVE KEPT THEM IN STORAGE FOR MANY YEARS NOW.

MY PROBLEM IS, NOW I CAN NO LONGER ETHICALLY WEAR THEM AND AM TRYING TO DECLUTTER A FEW THINGS, WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THEM?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS?

MARGARET  xx

Wild In The Garden

ON A WANDER AROUND OUR HOUSE SECTION, I DISCOVERED SEVERAL INSTANCES OF NATURE IN THE WILD. 

THERE WAS THIS TOADSTOOL IN THE LAWN

A PRAYING MANTIS WAS OUT HUNTING FOR SOMETHING TO EAT

I DISCOVERED A PATCH OF WEEDS THAT SON HASN'T DEALT WITH YET 

SOMEHOW, "ALICE IN WONDERLAND'S" CATERPILLAR HAS SLIPPED IN HERE AS WELL 

WHATEVER WE DO, IT SEEMS NATURE WILL STILL CARRY ON AS NORMAL AS IT POSSIBLY CAN.

WHAT A BLESSING THAT IS.

MARGARET  xx

A Quiet Day At Home

IT WAS ANOTHER ATMOSPHERIC SUNRISE THIS MORNING. 

THE SUN SHONE FOR PART OF THE MORNING (SO WE WERE ABLE TO AIR THE HOUSE OUT), BUT THEN IT CAME IN COLD AND CLOUDY AGAIN.

I WARMED UP AT LUNCHTIME WITH SOME BARLEY SOUP, LEFT OVER FROM DINNER LAST NIGHT.

I'VE BEEN DOING A BIT OF SKETCHING AGAIN, JUST FOR FUN.

AT LEAST YOU CAN TELL THEY ARE MUSHROOMS!  

IT'S FRIDAY EVENING NOW AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SITTING BY THE FIRE AND WATCHING SOME RUGBY. 

BUT I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE DINNER FIRST!

MARGARET  xx

Za'atar Spice Mix

I PUT TOGETHER A NEW-TO-ME SPICE MIX TODAY.

IT WAS AN EGYPTIAN RECIPE FOR ZA'ATAR SPICE THAT I FOUND ONLINE.

 

IT WAS A SIMPLE RECIPE - MIX TOGETHER 1 TABLESPOON EACH OF CRUSHED DRIED THYME, GROUND CUMIN, GROUND CORIANDER, TOASTED SESAME SEEDS AND SUMAC, THEN ADD 1/2 TEASPOON SALT.  IT MADE 1/2 CUP.

I SPRINKLED IT ON MY LUNCH (NUT RISSOLES WITH LETTUCE AND COTTAGE CHEESE).

I THOUGHT IT TASTED A BIT LIKE DUKKAH.  YUMMY! 😋 

ENJOY WHAT YOU EAT,

MARGARET  xx

Haircut

 For those who wanted to see before and after photos :)

This was before the Big Event

And this one was after

I am liking it, although my head still feels very light and the brush seems to zoom off into nothing still.

It will, I am sure, be a lot easier to care for.

Margaret xx

Out Again

I BIT THE BULLET THIS MORNING AND HAD MY LONG HAIR CUT OFF, 

BY A VERY NICE GUY AT "SHARING SHED' AT 'THE BASE' SHOPPING CENTRE IN TE RAPA.

THEN IT WAS TIME FOR A SHORT WANDER AROUND A FRIEND'S GARDEN. 

I ESPECIALLY ADMIRED THIS FLOWERING BEAUTY, TUCKED AWAY IN A CORNER.

AND I LOVED HER CAGE BIRDS, WHO WERE SINGING AWAY IN THEIR SHELTERED SPOT ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE. 

AFTER GOING OUT THREE DAYS IN A ROW, I THINK PERHAPS I SHOULD STAY AT HOME TOMORROW!

MARGARET  xx

A Full Day

IT WAS QUITE STORMY OVERNIGHT, AND A LOT OF TREES TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO DROP THEIR LEAVES.

TUESDAY IS NORMALLY MY GROCERY SHOPPING DAY. 

I SPENT QUITE SOME TIME BROWSING DIFFERENT SHOPS,

AND BOUGHT A NEW CAST IRON FRYING PAN. 

I EVEN VISITED THE LIBRARY AND FOUND A BOOK I CAN WANDER THROUGH IN FRONT OF THE FIRE TONIGHT. 

ALL IN ALL, IT HAS BEEN QUITE A FULL DAY.

I SHOULD SLEEP WELL TONIGHT 😴 

MARGARET xx

Out For Lunch

I HAD THE PLEASURE TODAY OF MEETING A FRIEND FOR LUNCH, AFTER NOT SEEING HER SINCE EARLIER IN THE YEAR. 

WE WENT TO THEOBROMA CAFE AT CHARTWELL, HERE IN HAMILTON. 

I RESISTED THEIR DELICIOUS LOOKING DISPLAY OF CHOCOLATES AND ORDERED A SLICE OF FRITTATA FOR MY LUNCH.

WITH IT, I HAD A LEMON GINGER & HONEY TEA, MADE WITH REAL GINGER (THE BITS WERE STILL IN THE CUP).

FOR A MONDAY, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW SHOPPERS OUT AND ABOUT.

HAMILTON IS NOW THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN NEW ZEALAND, SO I GUESS I NEED TO GET USED TO MORE PEOPLE BEING AROUND. 

CHEERS,

MARGARET xx

One Of Those Days

DO YOU EVER HAVE DAYS WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO GO RIGHT?

I SLEPT IN AND THEN KEPT MAKING SILLY LITTLE MISTAKES WITH WHAT I WAS DOING.

NOTHING MAJOR, BUT STILL ANNOYING.  BEFORE I KNEW IT, IT WAS MIDDAY.

I DECIDED TO WRITE THE REST OF THE DAY OFF.

I WAS MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE JUST TALKING TO MY PLANTS.

TOMORROW WILL BE ANOTHER DAY. 

MARGARET  xx

Early Morning

THE LOCAL SPIDERS WERE BUSY OVERNIGHT. 

I WENT OUTSIDE TO WATCH THE SUN RISING THROUGH THE AUTUMN MIST. 

THE TEMPERATURE WAS 5 DEGREES CENTIGRADE, ALMOST LOW ENOUGH FOR A FROST. 

THERE WAS A SOLITARY BLACKBIRD SINGING IN A TREE.

IT WAS A GOOD MORNING FOR A BOWL OF HOT PORRIDGE

(COOKED WITH SULTANAS SO I DON'T NEED SUGAR).

IT WAS A LOVELY WAY TO START MY WEEKEND.  

I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND TOO 😊 

MARGARET  xx

Busy In The Kitchen

I WAS BUSY IN THE KITCHEN TODAY.

MADE VEGETABLE SOUP AND MAYONNAISE, CLARIFIED SOME DRIPPING,

 

STEWED UP SOME APPLES AND MADE APPLE SAUCE FOR THE FREEZER,

AND CHOPPED UP THIS MAGNIFICENT CELERY.

I KEEP THE OUTSIDE STALKS FOR SOUPS AND JUICING, THE INNER ONES GET USED IN SALADS AND FOR COOKING WITH, AND THE TENDER ONES AT THE HEART ARE FOR SNACKING ON.

I FELT QUITE PRODUCTIVE!

MARGARET  xx