Evil Fang no. 2.

Before I get to the ugly parts of this, I just thought I would like to post this delightful pic of my Great Nephew.
His Grandfather is staying with me at present, & I am feeling rotten & peeved, because I am spoiling his holiday, by being sick.


Isn't N a lovely little chap. He sent a coded message in an email from his mother, knowing that his Grandies would understand!


**********
The Evil Fang has proved to be even more evil than it's neighbour. I still have the wretched thing. After having antibiotics, & having no relief from the pain, I am in despair.
Took some strong painkillers, & eventually went to have the fang removed. All painkilling injections, & nitrous gas.
Lying rigidly in the chair, twisted hands all deformed, & distorted. A picture of insanity, I am sure.

The removal instrument was engaged. Searing shot of pain!! More injections. More pain!!
In view of the proximity of certain appendages which could have been grabbed, I am sure the young dentist really has no idea, of how close he came to losing the lot.
By this time he no longer looked so young & handsome. He had begun to look rather like a fiend with torture instruments at the ready! Finally, he decided I needed a panoramic xray of my jaw.

Also, a referral to the Oral surgeon!

Another month to wait. More hideous shrieking pain! Kill me now!! They shoot horses don't they?

I have had the xray done. I have been to my GP for further antibiotics, & heavy duty painkillers- which finally seem to have kicked in!!
They also make me oddly drunken, & nauseated.

Thus, I have not been much company for BB. I just want to lie very still, & not move or speak. Yesterday we risked an outing. I barely made it home before vomitting.

I can't even bear to eat, so I must be sick.

In the midst of all this, Gom had suddenly grown a 'horn' on his forehead. We initially joked about it, saying it proved he is indeed a devil. He loves to pick at things, & whenever I caught him, I would a, gently remind him not to.
b, snarl at him to stop!

It grew quite rapidly, so I rang our Dr who does a skin Clinic once a week, & he sliced it off last week. It was cancer. So it is good riddance to that. Thankgoodness it was not Melanoma.

As I lurched to see the wound after removal of stitches, Dr decided I needed a shot to counteract the 'dopey' drugs I am taking. Thank goodness, I feel a little better.

I have felt so bad, I just couldnt face the computer, & I wish I did't have to prepare food also.

Daughter J has been good about bringing me food. Gom has been very good about cooking too, so I have been rather lucky.

The pain seems to have settled down in the tooth. I am going to consult another dentist, & see if he can remove the Evil Fang, & if not I will have to wait the month out. I hope I dont encounter Mrs Whipped Hairdo!

Thankyou for all you kind wishes & thoughts.

Bob Dylan, Jokerman

No Consolation Prize

Please feel free to just ignore the written parts, & look only at the pictures.

This is a lying-on-the-floor-in-agony post. A whining-whingeing-crying-begging-for-mercy post! Hot tears have coursed my cheeks over this.

There is no consolation prize for being 'right'. No comfort in saying "I told you so!"

I am demented with pain. My tooth is indeed dying. I cannot imagine how anyone could live through the pain inflicted in torture, on teeth.

I have given birth to 3 children. I know it was painful. It is a lie when they say you forget the pain.

You never forget! But you are usually so besotted with your child, you just prefer to push the memory of the pain away.

With tooth pain, there is no consolation. I just want the wretched thing out of my head. My whole burning-screaming-insane-pain, ear, face & jaw want the tooth gone.

I am totally 'drunk', on painkillers, antibiotics, & insane pain!

Just before I went back to see the dentist, I learnt of a death. Of someone I only knew by 'proxy', you might say. Someone who was 100 years old.

Someone who remained alert & knowing, until her death.

She had surely had a good & long life. She could not be wished back.

Still, I cried the selfish tears that we, who are left behind cry, when someone we love or admire, or respect, passes away.

Perhaps we also cry in recongnition or our own mortality.

Or the unrelenting damnawful pain of a dying tooth!

Not helped by Winter's return blasts, impinging on our Spring.

Snow in the Blue Mountains! Sleet, & cold stinging rains.

Adding to my misery.

Connie Francis, Who's Sorry Now.

The Hay or our Youth

I often think, that when we are young, we are presented with breathtaking loveliness, but we push it to the back of our consciousness. Some part of us, on some level, notes it, but does not think any more about it.

Yet, years later, it can resurface in vivid clarity, to gladden our thoughts & inner eye. We see again, the bluest of blue skies, the ripe, browning, tall grass, rippling in summer breezes, ready for haymaking harvest.

That whole process, waiting until it was dry. Cutting the grass. The process of 'tedding', to ensure the grass was turned, & dried evenly, so it didn't rot or moulder.

Unhappy the farmer, whose hay got ruined by rain. Hence the saying, "Make hay while the sun shines".

The rush to get it all baled & into the shed, so no bad weather could destroy the farmer's winter stock of nice dry hay, to feed his stock, when the growth was low, & there was not enough grass to feed the stock.

The gangs that would work tirelessly, to get the harvest in, so that life in the continuum of farming could go on.


That wonderful smell of the hayshed, which our children & grandchildren will never know.

The sheer joy, of lying in the hayshed, on the wonderful warm, redolent, scratchy, bales of hay. Even the smell of the baling twine catching an aromatic note in the nose. That wonderful scent that spoke of Summer, for years to come.

Watching the motes of dust in the sunlight from the open hayshed door, where the sun streams through. Or the closed hayshed door, in the cracks, as you snuggled with a young love, secure & happy in each other's arms. Such innocent, young, pleasure in each other's company. Dreaming dreams of where our futures might lie.


On a trip back to the town of our growing years, my Beloved Brother & I, where we spent most of our childhood.

We returned to visit the cottage of our childhood, our Grandparents', house, & were saddened somehow, to see the fields of green grass, the fields of gold, had all gone. The lopsided trees that had grown to the wind, on neighbouring farms, the falling down, lichen encrusted fence posts, with rusting number 8 wire, all gone.


The cottage was undergoing renovations. A young couple had bought it, because it was sound, & was built of very good timber. It looked very small & insignificant. All the land surrounding, has now gone to new housing. There are no fields left for us to visit, of our dreams & memories .

The huge Feijoa hedge, grown for refuge from the screaming neighbours, over the road, all gone.

Our Grandmother's beautiful oldfashioned Cabbage Rose, gone. The perfume of that rose was intoxicating! The lovely blooms as large as dinnerplates, the shade of pink I have never seen again.

The fruit from the hedge gave us many a night of dessert delight. The strange green fruit, that tasted of fruit salad.


The fruit trees of our youth, Nectarine, Peach, Tamarillo, all have gone, the wonderful garden now houses a huge 2 storied house.In the spot where once our chooks roosted, & were happy to lay their eggs!

I wonder if there are happy vibes left from those happy chooks.

I wonder if the happy childhood pranks & thoughts of my brother & I have somehow remained in that space?

Of course, our hay bale memories will remain our secret. There are no such old fashioned hay bales, or sheds now. The huge rolls of hay are the fashion now. They can be seen dotting the rural landscape, covered in huge plastic covers. Is this really progress?

I know the reality of manpower, & twine, & haysheds are lessened. All of the machinery ~"International Harvester" Hay Baling machines. What became of those, I wonder? Are they now in some museum? Making modern generations giggle at their primitive design?

Those huge supplies of twine, which became dyed green for some reason? I wonder what became of those? What use is twine today? I can still hear the curses as the 'cutter' for the twine around the bales, malfunctioned!


I hate to think of the plastic though. The loss of jobs. The life that was "Haymaking Time". The wonderful sense of community that the local farmers had, when they all 'mucked in together' to share HayMaking.




"Silver Threads Among the Gold", I have no idea who sung this, but I remember it from my childhood!

Under the Storm..

We had a spectacular thunderstorm roll over us, this evening. This is a pic of the storm overhead, & the window into the skies beyond the storms.

Here is the menace, closer, & slightly more defined. Leo is very afraid of thunderstorms, & he rushes to hide from them. He kept leaping up, trying to be hugged. Then, as the threat moved closer, he retreated behind the sofa, which is his cast-iron refuge for storms.
I see a fat pig, with wings, racing to beat the storm. What do you see? It was a very eerie light, but once the storm proper broke, we had no further visibility over those hills, & the lightning was spectacular, & loud!

I dont have a camera which could capture the lightning. I really didn't want to. I closed our curtains for Leo's sake.

*****************

We had SG to stay overnight on Friday. He is such a delight.

He knows the way to his Nan's heart. He sat up, & said "Nanna, you are something with B"
"What do you mean Sweetheart?"

"You know BEEEE you?"
"No, I cant guess"
"It is beeeyoootifuuuul! You are beautiful!!"
"Oh D, you are so lovely! What a nice thing to say!"

Complete "heart~stolen" moment!

Then SG pats my hair, & says, "Nanna, your hair is golden!"
I reply, "But SG it has lots of grey in there!"
"Yes" he says, "but I can still see most of the golden bits. And the grey bits are lovely!"

Who could not love a little boy who says such lovely things.
How we loved having him to stay! He is so precious!!

Love You, Small Grandson!

We took him garage saleing with us on Saturday morning. He quickly got over it. He couldn't find things he liked, & he wanted to go home to our house.

He cried when his parents came to collect him. I am so glad he feels happy at our house, & is so comfortable. We love the little man he is.

*************
My Beloved Brother is coming to stay with us. I am so excited. I have got his visitation dates mixed up, & he will be here next weekend! How did I get the dates mixed?? Am I getting Dementia? Or, worse?

We are having a really hot spell. It has been 34 degrees today. It frys my brain. I cannot think!

This post was to be about the fact that it may be later than we think! So true! I have old boxes to check, old photos to look at, old memories to catalogue.

How are we to know when it is "Too Late". We will never know.

The Full Moon has brought more dreams of houses of many rooms. And re-onnections with the dead & gone. I feel sad, somehow.

It is only recently I have begun to dream of my departed mother, & my beloved Aunt.

Nancy Wilson, (You Don't Know)How Glad I Am.

Dental, Mental, Parental, Accidental...

Dental:

I am in agony with a tooth pain. I have been to the dentist, had it xrayed, am told it is ok, & still quite healthy. Well, it sure is giving off a good imitation of a dying or cracked tooth!

I was so relieved when the 11 year old, fresh faced, handsome young lad young dentist told me it was looking good, that I was fooled into believing him. Even after looking at the clear looking Xray, I still believed him.
Now all I have to do is convince the tooth!

It is rather a vital one, so I am hoping he is correct in his diagnosis, but the pain refuses to go. I have the sensitive-type toothpaste, as, since I am now 'long in the tooth', he suggests that may be the cause for the oversensitivity......


On the Mental front:

Bailey had to return from whence he came. I feel like crying everytime I think of it. Daughter J said he went into blind panic, at being left behind at the Pound. They have now marked that girl, who bought him, as never to be sold another dog. It doesn't ease Bailey's pain. Or my heartache.

Gom was prepared to give him a chance with us. Apparently he had peed in all sorts of corners in DJ's house, (& on SIL,) so I guess he should be housed where he is the sole dog.

To their credit, the staff at this Pound are known to be very caring & the young man who took Bailey remembered him, & was very kind to him. It is almost as if our dogs know about Bailey's fate, as Honey has been particularly clingy to me, & Leo just wants to sit on Gom's knee all the time.

I want to go away, & have a good weep about it all. Sometimes, tears seem to dilute the pain.


Parental:

We are having SG tonight, to stay the night. We will collect him from the Bus after school. His parents are having one last night away before their holidays end, & they are back to the workaday world.

We used to have Adult Granddaughter to stay almost every weekend when she was young. It has worked out that we have only had SG a couple of times. When he was born, I was recovering from a large surgery, & could not lift him. Later when he was a little older I needed another large surgery, so that time passed.
We are looking forward to his little bright face, & his little voice chatting away.


Accidental:

I have nothing to go with accidental, really, but on the other hand, it seems to me a lot of our lives could be termed accidental, depending on your point of view.

I am currently reading a book called "I Know This Much Is True". It is by Wally Lamb. I see it was published 10 years ago. Yes, I am late to discover it. I am sooo glad I have discovered it. It is 900 pages, & I am only on page 196. I am so glad it is such a long book.

I am just enjoying every word. I see it was an Oprah's Bookclub choice. I have never been one to run off & buy the latest bestseller, although I have accidentally done it a few times.

Reading this book, got me to thinking about men, & their sense of 'friendship'. I think I will never understand how men's friendships work.

It is true that I had a great many men friends. Sadly, some have died. When I was younger, I probably had more male friends than female. I do have female friends of very long standing, & seemed to almost 'grow into' female friendships as I aged.

My rules for friendship are pretty straightforward. If someone does me a real dirty, I move as far away from them as I can, mentally. I wont go so far as saying I never forgive them, but I would never trust them again.

If they do something really bad to someone I know or care about, I don't want to know them for that, either.


My Best Friend J, married a friend of Gom's. They were not close friends, but had been friends for years before we met either of them.

When Gom's first marriage fell apart, he had custody of their daughter. His wife would have her for the day, at weekends. Gom had taken the child, & moved back to live with his parents. There was an element of guilt concerned, & I suppose the mother felt that Gom had the 'right' to take their daughter, as she, the wife, was 'at fault'.

A short time before the divorce was to go to court, the mother 'stole' their daughter, on a day outing. Gom was of course, demented. He went searching for her, everywhere he could think of. His friends all rallied round, & they all spent hours trying to locate the daughter. They tracked & watched the 'other man'. They had watches on her mother's whole family. They spied on any known link.

As was the custom, back in those days, when the divorce hearing came up, the Judge asked who had current custody? The mother's triumphant solicitor declared her mother had custody. The judge declared that is where she should stay.

I suspect that the solicitor for Gom was damn slack, & didn't advise Gom well at all.

All of this had happened well before I met Gom. I heard the story. I was sympathetic to both parties, really.

Time passed, & BFJ & I eventually married J & Gom. We had our children.

J could be very volatile. He had a terrible temper when he was angry, & he usually got angry when he drank.

One day I visited BFJ & found her face covered in bruises, & a huge black eye. I was so upset I cried. It still brings tears to my eyes to think of it, as she is such a gentle, genuinely good person. I had known that J was mistreating BFJ, but seeing the evidence brought it really home to me.

Thank goodness, she finally got the courage to leave.

I could never bring myself to forgive J for what he had done to BFJ. I could never look at him again, without seeing my beautiful friend's damaged face.

Gom didn't see it like that. He was loyal to J right until he died. He said 'well yes J had his faults, but he had his good points'. He had been one of the 'mates' who had searched so hard for his daughter.


I am sure the mechanics of friendship are quite different for males & females.




Ben E King, Stand By Me.

Whole Years Fly By.

Just where do the years go? I remember when I was younger, being told, that "time speeds up, as you get older".

Of course, I scoffed. How could that be possible? Time was time. I passed. At whatever speed it travelled. Who would consider the speed of it's passing?

Time just 'was'. Noone considered the passage of it! Did they??

Well today I say, I do, I consider it every day.

Six years ago my little Grandson was born!

Here he is, with Dad & Mum. Only minutes old!



Here he is, with our beautiful daughter, his lovely mother. Approximately 30 minutes old!

Here is Small Grandson today, whith is adoring sister. Six years old!! Where did those years fly??

I promise, no one knows how much they can love a child, until they have a Grandchild!

I have got these photos out of sequence. I won't change them, because you cannot 'embiggen' ( TM Mike), if I move them.

Make a wish!!
He wanted a 'Jam cake, with Lollies'. Here it is!
OK, Nan, just one more photo! I have games to play! The rest of my life to live!


Here is Granddog Oscar. With Birthday wishes & smooches!

Yes, Bailey is still with them! He is stealing hearts. He need dentistry! His kisses stink! Poor little boy.

In other news. I have been to visit GP. I have some gene that makes me a carrier for some ailment. It is ok, I am probably not some threat to mankind, or my kinder ~ offspring, children, issue, etc etc. I have a recessive gene, which means I probably have not 'blighted' my offspring.

The secret life of our bodies, continues to be a fascinting topic to me. I have concluded I need to stop taking one of my meds to try to regain some 'wakeful' hours.

Momentarily, I am expecting accelerated sewing activity!! Or kitchen activity. Dare I say, jogging?

No, that will never happen. Never did. Never will!

However, we have been invited out for lunch tomorrow. Woo Hoo!

Mark Knoplfler, Anything he plays

It seems I posted the same damn clip twice... blogger shits me.

A Kick in the....

I don't have any idea what the hell is wrong with me. I seem to have no energy.
All the medications I have to take for various ailments, seem to have warnings on them. All of them basically suggest they will turn me into some type of walking dead. and I had better be damn careful about how I walk while dead, because I am likely to be dizzy & generally stupified!

Do not drive motor vehicles! Do not operate machinery!

As soon as I sit down to read, my eyes close, & I wake up startled wondering where the hell I am, & what was I doing. It is really starting to worry me. I just cant seem to get anything done, & I beginning to think I would be better off gone. Or DEED as they say in the Scottish brogue (Watching too much Taggart, even if I do doze off in crucial parts!)


I have been out in the garden again. Ranting at the little spider who insists on building it's ladderlike web over the Donkey tail plant. I keep taking it down, but almost immediately, it is back again. I have even used an insectiside spray out of desperation, but no, the tenacious little blighter just comes back again.



Whoops, how did this get in here?? This is Spiderweb of another kind. Perhaps it sneaked in here to remind me I have not finished it yet. It needs sashing, & I got some fabric to do the sashing. Just haven't got around to cutting or sewing.

Here is another shot of the ladder web. I think that small gingery dot might be the culprit too.



On Saturday I got the chance to call in to see Granddaughter, & Granddog & also Great Granddog. Gom had not met GGDog yet, so he was there too.

Here is Oscar, looking all woolly at the moment. He gets some kind of skin irritation in summer, & usually plucks all his fur off his backside & back legs. He was missing his Mum. She had gone away for a holiday, & so Granddaughter was babysitting.

Here is beautiful wistful looking Great Granddog, Bailey. Isn't he lovely? He just tugs at my heart when I look at him.

Though you wouldn't know it, because he is so fluffy, he is very very thin. He was neglected, & starved by his last owner. His little ribs & his spine are so sharp.
I have never felt a little dog so thin. Our Granddaughter bought him off the previous owner. She is determined to fatten him up.

There is a problem. Bailey is a male, Oscar is a male, & there was some evidence of a pissing contest going on. Inside the house! Not a good look! Not good news for SIL. He thundered & threatened. He will not tolerate it. OUT! he said.

Now Granddaughter is trying to rehouse Bailey. She really wants to keep him, but as he is 7 years old, she is not hopeful of training him out of competitive peeing.

We feel very sorry for Bailey. He was a rescue dog. We don't know his history, apart from the girl who starved him. He is obviously an indoor dog, & seems to have a lovely nature. We think he is Maltese/Shitzu cross. We would take him, but I am sure we would have a problem with Leo, who is enough of a domineering male, without encouragement.

Well, I guess it is time for another snooze I mean read. I have not managed to make the Chocolate cake in a mug.

Speaking of Mugs.

Have you ever tried this Meal in a Mug recipe? Great for a light warm lunch when it is a bit chilly, but you don't want a huge meal.

1 oz butter

1 chopped onion

1 grated carrot

2oz rice ~ I sometimes add more, as I like rice.

1 packet Cream of Chicken Soup Mix, powder. The type that makes 1 litre.

Fry the onion in butter - I use marg.

Add Carrot, Rice & 1 cup of water.

Cook till water is almost gone.

Add soup mix & 3 cups of water, stirring well to mix.

Allow to cook for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of milk, & heat well.

Serve with crackers of crusty bread rolls.

No pics, sorry, all gone!

Simon & Garfunkel, The Dangling Conversation.

What's 'er name??

My given name, & the name on my birth certificate are the same.

The name I am known by, & use, for everyday friend ship, is not the same. I have become, essentially, 2 different 'persons'. Beings?

Am I a Split Personality?

I have long loathed my 'given' name. I am not sure why, but I have disliked it from as far back as I can remember. I hated to hear it, calling for my attention. I hated the film star who bore the same name~ though I am sure that is not why I was given the name, by my mother. It was considered an "Irish Name" & my mother loved it. She was quite sad, that I did not share her love for the name.

A school friend shared the name, & we sat together to defray the difficult questions. I answered the English questions, she answered the maths!

On the occasions her mother filled in as teacher, we just hunkered down, & hoped she would ignore us!!

I have foreign-born rellies, who pronounc it quite differently, & it sounds so pretty in their mouths, with the different inflections. I hear them call my name, & I could almost like it. But, I will stick to the name I am known by. It seems to suit me, after all these years.

After all, I am a bit of a witch! Meg, Meggie. Much more 'me'!

I have an Amethyst for birth stone. What does that mean? How does one interpret such a thing? I am not superstitious. (to Quote Cheri, I am "slightly sticious"). I do love Amethysts & have worn a pendant my mother gave me, almost to death.

I say that lightly, but it has worn out the connecting link to the chain, & came off in the shower. I just blessed the fact that it clinked, & I did not lose it down the drain.

Looking at it now, I see there is very likely a bit more that has worn out, & gone missing. I intend to get it repaired.

This Amethyst flower is very pretty. I have forgotten it's name. I nicked it from the internet.

And here, I am told, is Browillia, an amethyst flower. I have never seen it in real life. I do love the colour.

I am also fond of the Passion flower . However, I very likely will not wear purple whe I grow old. It has some very unhappy memories that go with it, so I may be excused!

It is late, so I will keep the remains of the day, for another time!!

Have a great weekend!

Marty Robbins, Devil Woman.

Attractions & Distractions + Chocolate Mug Cake!

***Before I forget, Frankofile awarded me the Brillante Blog Award. I have a copy of it on my sidebar, so won't repeat it, but thankyou so much & I really do appreciate your thoughtfulness! Please go visit, it is very entertaining, & I have no idea how I would do in a 'Foreign speaking country'!

Today, while lolling about in the garden, reading & enjoying the slight breeze, & lovely sunny skies, I noticed this little spider, busily building it's web. The sun was at just the right angle to shine on the thread, & so I grabbed the camera to track the progress.The support stays (?) were all in place, in a triangular shape, & the spokes had already been created. It was the spinning of the orb, that I observed, & I was fascinated to with the progress.
Round & round the little spider went, spinning/weaving yet another round upon others. It moved in a clockwise direction, & I watched the struts of the orb, move, & vibrate, like the wires of a piano, as the keys are struck.

I wondered what sound, the vibrations would make in the universe, as the little spider wove it's magic web?

I thought what a pity it is that we cannot hear that music.*

I don't think I have ever watched a spider create a web before. I have probably never had the time! I took these pics to try to capture it all, & have just been out, in the evening to capture the pic of the little spider & he/she has a prey all bundled up already.

It really is a very small spider, less than 1/4" in size. There is an even smaller one in a little round web above this one. Alas the tiniest spider has no dinner waiting in it's web.

Of course, the sunlight has gone from the web now, & so the web is invisible. I tried the flash, but it still didn't show up. I wish I had a super duper camera, but I am reasonably happy with the one I have- it is not very old, after all.

While enjoying the beautiful clear, warm, & non-humid day, outside, I noticed this large black butterfly. I was quite excited when it stopped to rest, & soak in the sun.

It almost seemed to pose for me, then flitted off, as I approached. I was disappointed, but it landed again, on a leaf slightly higher than the fern & so I crept up, & snapped away using the zoom feature to try to get a better picture.
I am guessing it was quite recently hatched, (?) but have no idea where from. I am glad it remained for me to capture in photographs.

I must get some Impatiens as I know a lot of the butterflies like them to lay their eggs upon, & later, the huge fat caterpillars munch away happily on the leaves. Gom has most successfully eradicated all our freebies, or volunteers, as the Americans call them. Really they are 'upstarts'! & very welcome too!


Our Adult Granddaughter, has rescued a neglected little dog, so now, I am the proud great grandmother of a little Maltese/Shitzu cross dog. His name is Bailey, he is adorable, & very well trained. I will get some pics as soon as I can to show him off. He is currently residing with our granddog, & they seem to be quite happy together.

*********** Chocolate Alert!!!

I suppose I am lagging behind with this recipe.

I found it on Del Quilts.

In case you have not discovered it yet, here it is.

I confess I have not actually tried it yet, but all reports seem to be success!

Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake!!

1 Coffee Mug

4 Tablespoons of flour (that's plain flour, not Self Raising)

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons baking cocoa- I guess that is our cocoa powder, here in Oz.

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons milk.

3 Tablespoons oil

3 Tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Small splash of vanilla.

Put dry ingredients in mug, & mix well. Add the egg, & mix thoroughly. Add the milk & oil & mix well.

Add the chocolate chips if using, & vanilla & mix again. Put your mug in the microwave, (on a paper towel or paper plate) and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed.! Allow to cool a little & tip out onto a plate & eat with a fork. Or if desired, forget sophistication, & eat out of the mug. haha.

There are tips. It is sometimes easier to spray the mug with oil or grease it well before adding the mix. It is also easier to mix in a bowl first, then place in the mug. It can be tipped out, & sliced, to be served for 4 with some vanilla ice or cream!

It apparently shrinks from the top, so dont worry if it looks as if it will topple over.

My Microwave is not a 1000 watts, so I am assuming I might need to cook it a little longer. I will let you know! If you make it, please let me know how it goes, & show pics! I will link you on here, if you do!

(Is that egotistical? I hope not, I really would like to see your efforts, & I am sure others would too.)

I am rather afraid to introduce Gom to this recipe, as he is the Chocoholic in our family. Although I do think our SIL leaves Gom for dead in this respect!

************************
*Not everyone's cup of tea, but have you ever considered this?
Music, can influence the formation of crystals, in freezing water. Mataro Emoto has certainly done some fantastic photography, of his research, but of course there is a lot of counter research to his ideas. I find it quite fascinating.

Queen, Fat Bottomed Girls.

A Dearth of Frivolity.

Most of the time, I am reasonably happy in the skin I am in. as you may guess, this is not comment about the itching skin I am in! LOL Or to put it another way, I am not uncomfortable with 'who I am'.

I tend to laugh at off beat things. That is ok, to me. I might laugh at mainstream 'inappropriate' things, but sometimes I feel that is my default setting for coping with really distressing things.

I have sometimes, to my utter horror, noted things at Funerals, or other solemn occasions, that have caused me gut wrenching pain, to stop hysterical laughter bursting from my mouth.

Bad wigs can almost guarantee a burst of laughter, usually disguised to protect the bald. If my Beloved Brother is anywhere near me when we see a 'bad wig' the pain is excruciating, to not laugh. Give me honest baldness any day.

Sniggering in Church was frowned upon, but a good friend J & I could almost have been guaranteed to be caught sniggering when we were young, & before I realised the error in my ways, at attending church. Tales from a young male friend, of piddling in the font, somehow added to the need for hysteria.

Apart from those types of hilarity foolishness, I do tend to suffer from a serious dearth in frivolity in life in general.

As many of you will know, I love to make quilts. To me they seem practical, while also a source of some pleasure. I suppose some could be called 'frivolous' if they are wall hangings, or completely useless for any practical purpose. But then they can sometimes be regarded as ART, so that is not really frivolous.

I have been shopping for clothes, today. I hate shopping for clothes. I see things I rather like, then remind myself they are not at all practical, nor would I wear them much, if ever. So those items remain in the shop.



Always remember to look up! I try to keep this in mind, when I am beset with doubt about the wisdom of a project of any sort. I try to remind myself, life does not always have to be 'practical.'

I have steered away from 'frivolous' crafts. I cannot for the life of me, see making hideous 'assemblages', to be foisted upon unsuspecting friends or family kith or kin, heh!.

We have all probably been the recipient, at some time, of some hideous 'thing' masquerading as 'art' or 'decoration', & bitten back a bray of horror.

Sometimes I feel slightly sad, at the lack of frivolousness in my nature. I can watch others laughing or cavorting in frivolous manner, & wonder why I don't wish to join in, or behave in such a fashion.

I really don't have a lot of items in my life that are sheer frivolity. Though, I guess Teddy bears could come into that category. Or my doll collection. yes, that is probably very frivolous, & totally useless.



In light of my lack of frivolity, here are some pics I stole from LOL Cats.

I love this. This might be Meggie & Gom.

This is a comment to Politicians, to me.

This could well be another political comment.

Here is the sunset last night. It promised a lovely day, & it delivered on the promise.
I know that somewhere, somehow, I could learn how to get rid of those damn phone, & electricity wires, but I have yet to learn that skill.

Joni Mitchell, Little Green.

Kith & Kin.

Out & about yesterday, I could not resist taking these photos of Spring.
Not sure what the blossom is, but it smelt lovely. It was covered in a frenzy of bees, seemingly delirious with joy, as all that nectar, & pollen.

The fresh green leaves of the recenly rained upon Maple.

Isnt this flower lovely? I have no idea what it is, but the whole tree was a mass of the these beautiful heavy cream flowers, & they smelt beautiful.

I have always loved the word Kith. It seems so important, but also slightly vague.

Are you My Kith?? Or are you my Kin? Kin is readily identifiable, but of course Kith is a little more vague. It has really had it's day, & gone out of everyday language to a certain extent.

We have had a visit from Kin. Well, one of my Kin, to be precise. We spent a lovely day, discussing the Kith & Kin of the family. My cousin, who is female, (& I have often referred to, as having the "Brains Trust" of the family,) came to visit with her husband. They are an absolutely delightful couple to meet. They have an 18 year gap in their ages. They are the happiest couple I have ever met, & they just adore each other, after many years of marriage. He is 18 years her senior, but I have never met a more devoted, nor happier couple. They absolutely compliment each other in thought patterns & ideas.

My cousin makes me laugh, as she points out, in spite of his 'other country of origin' he is quite bigotted in regards to our Maori & Pacific Islander rellies!! He is part of our family, & we forgive his egocentricities, & oddities. He is part of our 'family' after so many years.

We have Irish, English, Scottish, & possibly Spanish, or Moors, in our heritage. I would feel proud to acknowledge any of them or all of them! We also have Maori, Pacific Islander, & Indian, among our more recent history of family.

When this particular cousin was born, I was 8 years old, & she was like the little sister I had wanted. I just adored her, & still do. She has just been made Principal of the school, where she teaches, so Congratulations to her.

She is very like me, in that she has no interest in sport, & exercise. With her husband, she has had a gruelling few days in Sydney. He has set quite a pace, & they have climbed the Harbour Bridge, 'done' the Opera House, 'done' Taronga Zoo, & walked for miles. He hired a car, & was dismayed to find Sydney traffic like some version of Hell, but he has persisted, & in spite of finger signals, he just waves back pleasantly- using ALL of his fingers.

It is our Labour Day long weekend this weekend, so the roads are extra busy up here. They very wisely caught the train up, to visit us.

Next week he assures us, they are going up to the Hunter Valley in search of Vineyard visits, & will take their hire car.

**************************

We have had a series of 34 degree days, which drain the life out of me. Then new drug seems to make me some sort of zombie, so I have been like a limp ragdoll. I plucked up the courage to have the blood test required, & as soon as I saw the girl, I knew it would not go well.

She was very pleasant, but she insisted on using a very scarred vein which no longer gives blood. It used to be the one where blood samples were always taken, & it finally rebelled, & refused. I have what might be called 'shy' veins. They dont like being invaded in any way. They are most reluctant to give up one drop of the blood. Finally the back of my hand cooperated, & she got as much as could be got. I don't know what I will do if I have to have 'blood letting'. I still think leeches would be the way to go.

Today we have rain, & misty sullen skies. Yesterday it rained & sulked & was quite chill in the evening.


Our son is up to stay, so who cares about the weather!


Police, Ghost in the Machine