Short But Very Sweet

The visit of my Middle Sister has raced by and we are alas once more bereft of her chiming laughter and sunny face.

After a frenzied day of shopping on Friday, we had to say a quick farewell to those friends we could (although many went unseen on this all too short visit) and dash to the airport on Saturday morning.


We had enough time for a cup of coffee in the beautiful Spring sunshine however and for Sis to exclaim in delight as a pair of lorikeets wheeled and spun between the blossoming trees in our dear friend's garden.
"Get a picture!" she squealed and I spent the next 10 minutes trying to get close enough to them without scaring them away! This was the best I could manage.



It's been a short but wonderful trip as it coincided with school holidays and meant we could spend most of our time together. The Baby Angel has revelled in the company of her hip, groovy aunt; and benefited from her generosity and fashionista purchases!!! (see below for new jacket!)


It's no cakewalk living so far from your loved ones and for our dear friends, whom we have known since childhood, every trip 'could be the last time'. We brush away such sombre thoughts on a bright, spring morning and instead make plans for Middle Sis's next visit in January!

Boy Meets Water Lilies

Last Sunday, with the advent of Spring (finally), we took Middle Sis and Small Boy to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Enroute, Small Boy piped up from the back seat,
"So what are we going to do there?"
"Just look around,"someone replied,"you know, have a walk..."
There was some silence and then he replied,
"I just don't get this walking around thing.....I mean, what do we DO?"
Middle Sis moved straight to the rescue,
"We'll get an ice cream."
"Oh!" he remarked, significantly brightened, "I like THAT plan."

Of course, once we arrived he was completely captivated by the meandering pathways, fountains and surprises around every corner. One of the newer additions to the gardens is the Water Lily House. None of us had seen it before and we were all mesmerised by the gigantic Amazonica
leaves.
These enormous leaves can grow up to 7 foot in diameter!


The beautiful pale blue flower is the Egyptian Lotus or Blue Water Lily. Opening in the morning and closing at night, it was associated with the Sun God by the ancient Egyptians and can be found decorating many columns and tombs.



The enormous white blossoms of the Amazonica are closed tightly during the day, ready to open with their delicious pineapple scent at nightfall. The flowers of this amazing plant, are pollinated by beetles who enter the blossoms at night and are trapped inside as the petals close up during the day. The heat of the day is trapped within the flowers and means that the beetles can partake in an orgy of mating without expending too much energy and without having to eat half their body weight in foliage to keep it up. So to speak.

But the really weird thing was the bottom of the Amazonica leaves. They are covered with spikes! Strange, inside out Venus Fly Trap style growths also dotted the pool. It took us a few moments to realise that they were the new leaves unfurling!

This photo was taken moments before the BA nearly fell in the pool. Hmmmm Not sure that would have gone down well!

So, although the final goal was an ice cream, there was education to be had at the Gardens! And we got him away from the skate park for a day!!!

It's A Family Moment

Small Boy: Dad, dad, will you play a game with us tonight?
Himself: (disgruntled)...I dunno...what game?
Small Boy: Auntie Middle Sis and the BA and I want to play 'Smart Ass'
Himself: hurrumph. Well, I don't know....what do you want me to play for??
Small Boy: Oh dad! Because it's a 'family moment'.

Gotta love that kid!


(Is this not the most precious picture evah????...specially cos she is letting him use her ipod touch to play games on!....I know...it's the 21stC version of sharing toys. Kind of hard to believe they are not actually genetically related when you see them here.)

So Middle Sis arrived last Saturday!!! Do I sound excited? Cos I am!



She flew in at 6.40am (theoretically...she was actually 30 min early so I missed the arriving through the 'gate' shot) and we had a lovely breakfast on the banks of the Torrens.


Then, after a quick lie down she went off to a 30 Year Reunion for her class at school! That girl is a seasoned traveller! Since then we have been catching up with old mates,

enjoying the spring weather:




and just 'being' together. Friday we have set aside for SHOPPING!!!

I have been inspired by the Spring weather and my Middle Sis's recent impressive weight loss to try and take some control over my rapidly aging figure. I have cut out potatoes, rice and bread and for the last two mornings we have been down to the local Wittunga Botanic Gardens for serious walking and exercise! Once school goes back I will be restricted by drop off and pick up times for the Baby Angel but I hope to get to the gym more frequently than I do in the holidays (the gym is closer to work). I must say all the exercise is having a favourable impact upon my mood which was pretty black on the weekend. Or perhaps it is the weather?

The weather seems to have made everyone more amenable. Even the Anti Pet.




Hissing and spitting were kept to a minimum.

When I was going to pick up Middle Sis from the airport, the BA sighed to me that she wondered what it would have been like to have a sister. Augh. That kind of comment rips your heart out. I have always felt disappointed that I did not have any other children and I was just thinking how wonderful it was to have sisters, when the BA made this comment. Of course she quickly followed it up by saying that she was glad she didn't have to share me with anyone but still, it is a bitter pill to swallow when I know how much joy siblings can bring.

Here's the other one!

Wish you were here too!!

Love you gals!

Back To Back, Goodbye, and A Journey

2010 Summer Premiers!
The Baby Angel and her team pulled it off! back to back Premierships, Winter and Summer!!!!!
It was a very nervous Grandma and Mum that accompanied the 'pumped' Baby Angel....
(Grandma: How are you feeling sweetheart?
BA: Pumped Grandma! Really pumped!!!
Grandma: ??????)

......to Central Courts for last night's Grand Final.We were not sure they would 'get up'. The last time they met this team they had one bad quarter which dropped them down 10 goals and they never made it up. Tonight was a different story however. Both teams came out 'fighting', and a solid, evenly matched contest was had by all. In the end our BA's team won 37-34 although, to be honest, on a number of occasions it could have gone either way!The BA played a stellar game in her favoured position as Goal Defence and made many brilliant intercepts as well as keeping the opposition Goal Attack under a great deal of pressure. She copped a lot of flack from the umpire (who is another story altogether); but at one point she was called for 'obstruction' when she was behind her opponent!!! There is nothing more frustrating for a player I suspect (having never been one) than being the target of an umpire's watchful eye, and I have to say that the way the BA dealt with it made me proud. She rose to the challenge and, at the end of the day, I think the main difference between the teams was the defense.
Of course, you are wondering why I haven't posted a picture of the radiantly glowing winning team? Ahem. Yes, well, sorry about that. It's been a tough week and I left the camera in the car. :-( I do have promises of emailed photos from other mothers however!&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
This has been the week from heaven and hell all in one. Of course my lovely Sis arrived last Sunday which was stellar, except that I had reports due on Wednesday. Reports this term had been brought forward because many people were persistently late and as a result everyone was running around like chooks with their heads cut off trying to collect up work and mark it so that we had enough to 'report' on! As if that wasn't enough, I got a call from the business manger on Monday to tell me that the auditors would be here on, you guessed it.... Wednesday! I don't think I could have picked a worse week for my Sis to visit.
Nevertheless, we had a great time together. There were lots of photo opportunities.Oh. Had I not mentioned my hair cut? Ugh. Well, the less said about that the better.
WHAT was I thinking?After dinner the other night, my sister decided it wasn't a visit to Australia unless she had been to the beach....But yesterday we had to say goodbye and on top of everything else we had to say goodbye to these guys....who have gone off to good homes (I will believe that) even though we miss them almost as much as we miss Middle Sis.

And now for the journey. We're off to Port Vincent for some sailing mayhem even though I could actually do with a weekend cleaning my house.

Airport Joy

Look who arrived this morning! We are so excited to see you Middle Sis!!

For Our Lovely Auntie Middle Sis

Today was a landmark day for the Baby Angel. We went to her new school (my Alma Mater) and acquired her new uniform! Here she models the attractive summer uniform with jumper.The jumper appears to have changed not since my day! As she stood in the changing room grimacing at me and indicating her lack of enthusiasm for the design of said garment, I called to the shop lady,
"Do you have it another colour? I think she'd like another colour."

So here she is in the correct configuration of summer uniform and blazer, which must be worn to and from school if the weather is cooler. (HA!!! Fat chance!!!) Note also the attractive school bag. Oh! I forgot to get her to put the hat on. Bwahahahahahahaha. Sorry, sorry, must pull myself together. Let's face it; we didn't wear the hat when we went to the school either! Well, except for first day of school shots. Here's Middle Sis workin' that hat! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
And just to prove that I'm unbiased, here is my Baby Sis modelling her uniform in the traditional family way. I think the dress has improved, mind you, it's a close call. Now here is the BA in her new sports uniform. Come on siblings! You have to admit this is an improvement! I tried to get a shot of her socks with the school name running around the top but I couldn't get the camera to focus in so close.!
Now I'm not being selective here. I have looked and looked and cannot find a picture of me in my old school summer uniform! If any of my siblings or parental body can find a pic and email it to me I will be pleased(?) to post it!

And a very quiet shout out to my Middle Sis...cos she will be embarrassed....a shout out of thanks and love from across the miles.

Chocolate Lessons in Life

You know how we all have those kitchen disasters: the fruitcake so burned on the edges that you have to slice an inch off all round; the chicken which disintegrates into stringy pieces as you lift it, rather than gracing your fork with a tender, juicy morsel; the soggy quiche: the boot sole tough steak; the flabby pavlova; the lumpy gravy; the overly thin custard?

We all have them. We live with them and learn from them. We curse with frustration the phone call that took our attention away or the new oven with unfamiliar quirks; but every now and again there is a kitchen disaster so explosive, so overwhelmingly wrong that you can do nothing but laugh hysterically.

A week ago we had that disaster.

It was my Middle Sis' birthday on Sunday and her loving niece decided to cook her a birthday cake on the Saturday night. The recipe was selected, a new one, for chocolate mudcake. The ingredients were weighed out and, together, aunt and niece communed in the kitchen; melting, stirring, blending and mixing.

To be fair, aunt had come in half way through when all ingredients were out and measured. She'd come in to help out when the Baby Angel realised that the chocolate and butter mixture was meant to be divided in half before you melted it together. No drama though, Middle Sis competently assisted in estimating half the mixture and added elbow grease for the laborious task of stirring it into the dry ingredients.

A very laborious task as it turned out. I had to come in and lend a hand eventually. Gee, our shoulders just aren't what they used to be. Still, a little more of the melted chocolate mixture and everything seemed to be combining nicely. We helped her pour the batter into the cake tin, lined conscientiously with baking paper, and licked our fingers.

Hmm. That was an unusual taste.

Into the oven it went. Fifteen minutes into the 90 minute cooking time I sensed something was wrong as I passed the oven. Grabbing a sneak peek, I was confronted by a chocolate cascade! Cake mix was exploding over the edges of the pan and heaping upon itself on the bottom of the oven!!!! Damn! The pan was obviously not big enough! Why didn't they specify?????

I scraped the mounting pile of half cooked cake off the bottom of the oven and closed the door. Oh well, at least what was left would be ok with a trim and some icing.

An hour later we went back to investigate.

This wasn't looking good.



I broke off a stalactite from the side of the pan thinking, well, this should be lovely and chewy....

YUK!
What the h*** was that flavour?????

"Don't worry," Middle Sis chirped cheerfully,"I'm sure the middle will be fine."
"Er... I'm not sure...I had a little taste before and...."
"Don't be silly....!" undeterred she cut a square from the centre. It was about 1/16th of an inch thick.
"Mmm, looks fine!" she smiled optimistically as she popped it in her mouth.

I am sure you can imagine how rapidly her face changed.

"yuueah, wo' i' i' thi'?"
('yuck, what is in this?': spoken with a mouth full of really unpleasant cake)

I scanned the list of ingredients quickly.
"BA? How much bi-carb did you put in this cake?"

She looked bewildered for a moment,
"Well, I just put in what it said..."
"It says half a teaspoon BA....", the dawn of realisation was spectacular to behold.
"OMG. I put in half a..."
"CUP?????" my sister and I chorused together.

Uh-huh.

When we had all finished laughing she made another cake. That one was lovely; and this morning as a farewell to Middle Sis (sniff sniff) she made a Moist Chocolate Dessert Cake for her.

It was sensational.
Live and learn eh?