Food obsession??

Happy Birthday Daddy. Have just phoned and caught up on goings on in the Smith household. Have also just emailed Carol and MSN'd with Helen.

On Saturday, when the girls were at The Scotts I caught up with Sandie. Now Sandie I knew when I lived in S.Africa. She trained with Lynne who was my best friend out there (and whom,despite her total inability to write in any form, I still consider to be one of my best friends). Now Sandie married an Australian called Mark (are you with me so far?) and they emigrated to Australia, LONG before the other millions of S.Africans did their exodus. Sandie and I exchanged the Christmas 'round-robin' for years then I lost her address. Various efforts to get it out of Lynne were, predictably, unsuccessful and I couldn't do online white pages because I couldn't remember their surname. Then, a week ago or so, and totally out of the blue it came to me. I consulted the said White Pages and after entering a few different states I eventually found them. I was going to phone straight away then got cold feet thinking it would be daft. Anyway, with kids away I took the plunge. Sandie, once I had got over to her who I was, said 'Oh, Michelle I was thinking of you last week'!!!! Well we chatted for ages during which time it did occur to me 'Do we get capped calls for Auz the same as the UK - I hope so!!' Anyway, contact re-established and I really hope we can catch up with them in person before too long. Funnily enough they live near Newcastle. Isn't that where you are/going Bloo?

On the subject of Bloo, we lost Miho's (our Japanese students) email address and consulted our Visitors book (Thanks Stiv's) to see if she had put it in there. Out fell a card from Bloo. Thank you - for that, and the rest. Hope Auz is living up to expectations.

Well I think I said in Sunday mornings blog, that I was going to drag Alice out for a walk. Well 'drag' proved to be the operative word. Talk about protestations. She sulked all the way down to the sign, where she turns round. I was torn between 'stuff you, stay fat and unfit' (I didn't say that - promise!), and being a positive role model. I did neither. We will see what happens next Saturday. Came back and raked leaves. Now that might sound like a nice autumnal sort of job but you need to see where we live (if you haven't) to appreciate the enormity of that task. I know, we need a blower/sucker/vac thing. It's on the shopping list, along with a tractor, post digger, generator, electric cabling (to the barn), etc,etc,etc,etc,etc...... Eric and I then attacked the asparagus bed. Actually it looked more like a thistle bed with a few rogue asparagus. I had planted heaps in there but between the cows getting down on their knees and reaching under the electric fence and the, once free range ,(now culled) chickens, not many plants survived.

Whilst we gardened Harriette baked!!!! We were summoned to an afternoon tea of chocolate muffins with a caramel dipping sauce. Not bad, and served with great pride. She then admitted that the first caramel went wrong (hard) and she had burnt her forefinger sticking it in the caramelising sugar (ouch!!) and therefore could not wash up... including the burnt sugar saucepan!!!!!!

Dinner of roast No 47 and mixed roasted veg (I didn't grow the kumera, sweet potato to Poms, or potatoes), rounded off a reasonable Sunday. Tried to phone Juliet and Kev. Where could you have been on a Sunday evening?

Today I have been frustrated by my work laptop. It went in for upgrade,backup, new database and anything else they could think of when I was in Auckland and now I cannot get internet connection. When you work from home you are 110% reliant on emails so I was somewhat scuppered. Went into Hamilton to do a clinical assessment on a nurse who was so nervous, despite my bestest reassuring noises, that she stabbed herself with a needle. I felt so sorry for her (and passed her).

At Alice's request we had chicken and couscous tonight. She is quite staggered by the fact that none of her friends know what couscous is, or that National Radio broadcasts a children's short story every evening. To the latter Eric replied that that was because they all watched TV and weren't they (H and A) lucky to have no TV and be so worldly-wise. Alice was not impressed citing her total ignorance on the goings on at The Saddle Club as causing her huge disadvantages in her social circle!

Michelle Hudson, who stayed with us in March, called in for lunch today. I got up early and made pumpkin soup and sesame bread. It was 'orrible. I apologised and we stuck to bread after she declined tinned soup. I had used creme fraiche (yes I was surprised to get it here as well!) as had no cream in and decided that this was the mistake, and caused the bitterness. After she left I looked again at the packet and saw that it was not the new packet I thought I had bought at the weekend but expired in mid-April! Sorry Michelle, I wasn't trying to poison you - honest.

Reading this it sounds like we are obsessed with food in this house. I know Carol, Mom and Daddy would say we are, and maybe that accounts for our expanding waistlines. I like to think of it as pride in what we produce rather than obsession. Anyway, it is way past bedtime at 22.05pm so I must away. Oh Daddy the 'comments' button I said was there I can't find today. I'm sure it will come back. Nightie, night.

Michelle
xoxoxo