HAPPY NEW WEEK!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
My Mother-in-Law used to make the best every pastry and she never measured anything. She tried to teach me but I was hopeless - you could have used it as roof tiles!
I think its a matter of having the time to get it right - she never worked ( I mean had a job) and therefore was more relaxed than my or my Daughters generation.
I have solved my pastry problem by being lazy & buying ready-made pastry sheets.
Already nudging 34 C in city (Oodnadatta 39 at 9.40 am). I have covered my 3 tomato & 1 zucchini plants with old sheets. The leafy greens will be in the shade of the crab apple after lunch, so I am risking them. My tomatoes, even the so-called early one, have masses of flowers but no green baubles. Bleah. Fresh home-grown toms by Xmas is the expectation.
Our state will be on high alert today & next 4 days. Many fire danger & heat health warnings. The fires in NSW, QLD & WA are relentless. We have had a few outbreaks in SA but firies now jump quickly & call in water & fire retardant planes & copters early.
By this pm, it will be too hot in my “computer room”. So reading is on the agenda. Yesterday I visited a library and staggered out with as many books as I could carry. I now have a stash of about 20 to last until the New Year.
Hello all, my you have been up to all sorts. Afraid I buy ready made pastry these days, still have to make mince pies which I will do this week. Also for the first year, haven't made a Christmas cake but bought one to marzipan and ice which I really must get down to tomorrow. Christmas will be upon us before we know it.. Have managed to wrap most presi's , just a few to finish off.
Last of our Women's meetings before the Christmas break. We have a do-it-yourself afternoon with carols, readings or poems, and mince pies and a cuppa., plus a B&B. All in all a pleasant afternoon. Scived off church at the weekend as dau wanted a morning to catch up on jobs she had to do and then was involved in Messy Church before going onto the evening service.. Off up to Nottingham on Saturday to hand over presents to family up there and hopefully at church Sunday morning with the Carol Service in the evening. We are having a quiet Christmas this year as son and wife are going to Bristol to her dau's. Going up to M/Cr. on the Friday to see brother and partner so it will be good to see the family home now fully renovated and not the mess it had been for the past 4 years.
Greetings for a very Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year to you all.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Glad I'm not the only person who's discovered ready-made pastry. :-)
AQ: 20 books? Ok, so now I want to know the titles/subjects of a few. I know I've asked you about air conditioning and you have it in the bedroom if I remember correctly.... Any thoughts on adding more units/capacity?
Lynette: Thank you for cheery card. I guess B&B is bring and buy, not bed and breakfast. But Messy Church??? I'm imagining missals, flowers, etc. scattered about. And you're going to M/Cr??? I need translation! Also, haven't heard scived for a long time. :-)
Off to yoga class them home for a nice glass of red wine and a bowl of yummy Madras lentils.
LYNETTE – Thank you for Greetings. What a lovely cool scene. I won’t look too long lest it melt in our heat!
ANNETTE – No a/c in our bedroom, only in lounge & family rooms. When nights get extremely hot, I sleep on lounge. Nor do we leave a/c on overnight; too many house fires caused by overheating electrics.
Messy Church here is a children’s sunday school. Dau has been taking Trio to a Messy Church. Mostly colouring in and not much churchey stuff. They are the culprits telling kids that Xmas was about Jesus and getting presents.
With the hot late afternoon hours yet to arrive, temp has reached 42 in city, a “cool” 39 here near the beach and 44 at Port Augusta, Cummins, Wudinna, anywhere on Eyre Peninsula.
AQ; Thanks for translating Messy Church. Haven't heard of fires caused by overheating electrical but wouldn't want to chance it. Sincerely hope things stay safe down under....
Looks as if everyone has been just as busy as me.... Dug out the endless boxes of decorations (why are there so many?) and began to distribute them around the house. Love to see some of the old favourites, but trying not to put them all up, as we seem to have so much. Putting some away to give to our Youngest when we visit, as maybe the children will enjoy them. Put the wreath thingy on the front door, then an hour or so later the window cleaner turned up, and it was in his way. Grrr Have been putting off looking at my emails here on the desktop, as have not opened my file since Thursday last. Goodness knows how many are lurking in there. My OH has been off to visit distant relatives (only distant in relation to how often we see them) and I have been studying my List of Things to Do. Ugh. If we had three weeks to Christmas, it would be fine. Going to cook pasta and pork tonight, with the sauce out of a jar, then later on maybe a glass of wine will be in order to reward myself for what's got done so far.