Music......

...to fly to

and music to cry to.......

Enjoy!

**Updated - that video isn't working because it showed a scene from the movie 'Once' - copyright issues - however you can hear the same song here....

Harrods tea, better than sex (almost)

I love tea. I could probably leave this post at that really, but perhaps not.

My in-laws recently went off travelling and among the many, many things they brought us back was a tin of Harrods morning blend tea. It's fantastic, we've been rationing it to make it last but alas, it's nearly finished. I checked Harrods online and it's not available to order that way (except as part of a hamper) so I guess I'll have to wait until I'm next in London - although by then we'll all be wearing one piece space suits and tea will come in pill form.

So, inspired by this post over on my sister Moyra's blog I decided to honour the diminishing tea by using a nice cup. This cup belonged to my mum, I don't know that she used it very often either but Moyra's right, nice things should be used.

And the tea definitely tasted better from this cup.

**Oh and God knows what kind of traffic I'll get because this post has 'sex' in the title - tsk**

Poor neglected blog

It's been 8 days! EIGHT! Unbelievable. Why so slack I hear you ask? I don't know I reply.

Well ok, I have been busy with work, developing some business, working on the you-know-what and generally getting back into work mode after several months off. Here's some evidence in case you don't believe me...

Hmmm, not there yet but getting close. In some ways I'm quite proud of the fact that I managed to work this long without procrastinating by blogging instead. But I feel a bit bad that I ignored my blog.

I've also been busy receiving parcels from blog friends...well one parcel from one blog friend, Kathyann at Meg's Mum's Muffins read my homesick post and sent me all this....

So first on the agenda is potato scones this weekend while torturing entertaining the family with the Scottish accordion music. Actually the girls love it, Tom's suffers in silence, he knows the risks involved in marrying a Scottish woman - it's not all bagpipes and haggis. Thanks again Kathyann, oh.. and Aislin and I have reached an 'understanding' over the lavendar bag.

We are also enjoying our abundant crop of tomatoes. We have three varieties and they are all fantastic. We're getting a good dose of Vitamin C and Lycopene just now. There are so many we're going to have to start bottling sauce and making chutney soon. In the meantime lunch today was wholegrain toast with sliced 'just picked' tomato (still warm from the sun) with a sprinkling of Malden. Yum. It really is the simple things isn't it?

Let them eat cake

We had four children this weekend. I've previously mentioned the deal we have with Tom's brother and his wife where one month we have their boys for a weekend and the next month they take the girls. It's a win-win, every two months each couple has a whole weekend to themselves and the kids get to spend a weekend every month with their cousins. It's no hardship having the boys, the kids all play happily and pretty much entertain themselves (we keep the sugar to minimum* otherwise it starts to look a bit like Lord of the Flies). Then there's the added advantage that at the end of it we get to be grateful once more that we decided to stop at two.

This time we decided to have a lunch when the boys' parents (let's call them A & S to maintain their privacy) came to pick them up on Sunday. It's Tom's birthday this week so an early party seemed in order.

It was a hot day so we dusted off the Weber, set a table under the Willows and T cooked roast beef for the carnivores, we had Greek salad (using our own tomatoes and basil), a fabulous vegetable bake provided by A & S, some crusty bread and nice wine. I made Nigella's Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake for the birthday boy (on Hannah's request) and we all have a sugar high that it will take a week to come down from. Happy day.

Here's the evidence (deliberately obscured to protect privacy) just enjoy that dappled sunlight.

Here's the cake....looks pretty deadly on the outside doesn't it?

Check out the inside - yes it's meant to be as moist and gooey as that - the 'quadruple chocolate' is cocoa, dark chocolate chips, chocolate syrup poured over the cake so that it soaks in and dark chocolate pieces sprinkled over. Sugar overdose. Delicious sugar overdose.

I'd love to provide the recipe but it would be breach of copyright however I may or may not be able to provide it by to any one who emails me. For the law-abiding among you it's in this book.

Alternatively it might be a safer option for your blood sugar levels and your BMI to just bask in it's chocolatey glory vicariously through these pictures.....nah, make the cake (it's very, very easy).

* While we try to keep sugar to minimum over the weekend we are quite happy to sugar them up before sending them home. We're evil that way.

Who'd a thunk it?

I've won a blogging award! The lovely Cathy over at Love and Madness in Suburbia has 'presented' me with the Arte y pico award. The award is given for design, creativity, interest and benefit to blogdom.

I have to dedicate the design part of this award to Blogger since it's their template ha ha (although I did take the photo on the banner) but I'm taking full credit for the rest because I haven't won an award before and I'm damned if I'm going to be modest about it.

So do you want to see it? Ok.... trumpet fanfare.......tah dah!!!!!

Pretty no? That is so going on my mantlepiece.

So now I pass it on, the rules say I must...

• Post the award on your own blog including a link to the blogger who gave it to you.


• Indicate its origin and link to that site - Arte Y Pico from Uruguay.


• Give the award to 5 blogs that you enjoy, find creative and inspire you.

So I would like to pass it on to.....(and this was REALLY HARD, there are so many blogs I love!)

Tales from Simon's house - because she's funny, clever and extremely creative and has inspired me to learn to knit - properly.

Calm Creative - it's like a visit to a Zen garden.

Philip Carr-Gomm's Weblog - fascinating and thought provoking.

Tiny happy - beautiful crafts and wonderful images.

Homespun Living - taking creativity and inspiration to a whole new level.

There are so many blogs that I enjoy for so many different reasons, so it was difficult to narrow it down. I tried the 'Desert Island Blogs' strategy and these are the 5 blogs I'd take with me to a desert island - because my island would have electricity and internet access.

Thanks again Cathy, much appreciated.

The mouths of babes

Funny the things kids say. I got to thinking about it after reading this post on my sister's blog. I just love the way they articulate things as they see them. When did we stop seeing the world that way?

I am blown away by the guileless utterings that come from these small mouths, like Eliza's comparison or Hannah's comment that the best Christmas present is a hug (not that she didn't request considerably more than that from Santa) or Aislin standing up in daycare yesterday to tell everyone that 'the Aberginee children were taken away from their Mummies and Daddies, they're all grown up now, but they're sad'. Where does it come from? Sure we talk to them a lot, and often in adult terms, about these things. Yet still their minds can grasp and simplify complex issues that even some adults struggle to comprehend. They are truly amazing and I really do believe that they are here to teach us as much as we teach them - probably more.

According to Aislin I 'smell like rainbows', and unless she knows something I don't about the way rainbows smell, that is a very nice compliment. She also told me the other day that I was 'as fast a Cheetah'. That is considerably stretching the facts, but nice that I impressed her.

I think we could all probably benefit from seeing things through child-like eyes once in a while. I'll bet the world would be a happier place if we did.

Sorry

It was a big day today. Our new government made the long-awaited apology to the Stolen Generations.

About time too. Nice work Kevin.

Photo credit here Gary Ramage

Earning her keep...

....because I'm a great believer in child labour.

Could my life be any weirder?

Strange things happen to me. I don't know why, but I seem to attract the bizarre into my life a little too regularly. Take today for instance. I was in the - ahem - smallest room when I noticed something rather unusual. It took me a moment to register what I was seeing.....it was this....

Yes. A frog. In the toilet. Hiding under the rim. Oh and sorry for posting a photo of my toilet. Fortunately it is cleaner than my windows (I'm fussy that way, but not about windows).

So anyway, I notice the frog and think 'well, there's something you don't see every day' and go and ring Tom. He's at work and while he finds it mildly entertaining that there is a frog in the toilet he has nothing to offer me in the way of advice other than 'put your hand up there and pull him out'. That'd be NO to that one thanks. I have nothing against frogs, in fact I like them a lot and I'm thrilled that we have so many around our place (perhaps not in the toilet though). However I am averse to sticking my hand under the toilet rim. He suggested I wear rubber gloves but this frog was tiny and I was afraid that the rubber gloves would make grabbing him difficult and I'd hurt him. I hung up in exasperation.

A few minutes later the phone rang, it was Tom. I was standing there wearing a rubber glove and holding a pencil (don't ask - and by the way I had other clothes on too) I grabbed the phone eagerly..... thinking he had a better idea or perhaps he was going to come home and take care of it for me. But no, the conversation went like this...

Tom: There's a radio program on just now about the stuff I'm working on.

Me: Excuse me?

Tom: The radio program, it's about my work....you know...on the radio...

Me: Is that so...?

Tom (hesitant now): Um, yes. It's on ABC. 891.

Me: Hmm, sounds great but I'm kind of busy right now....you know....GETTING THE FROG OUT OF THE TOILET!!!!

Tom: Oh right, yeah. Leave you to it then. Click.

Me: Grrrrrrrrr.

So alone again. Me and Kermit. What to do, what to do.

Then I decided. I went into the kitchen where I have a pile of plastic containers about to be disposed of in my latest decluttering efforts. I grabbed one, went back to the scene of the drama and held the bowl under the spot the frog was hiding and..........flushed. It was risky, one wrong move and he'd have been on a long journey to somewhere unpleasant, however all was well, into the container he went.

Apologies for the blurriness of the first two photos, neither situation was conducive to spending much time ensuring they were in focus.

Then Aislin and I took the frog down to the creek and set him free. Here he is...can you see him? Awesome camouflage.

So that's what I did today. What about you?

Note to my darling sister Moyra. I hope this post hasn't traumatised you too much (she's scared of frogs ha ha ha ha ha). Ahem, of course that's not funny at all.

Sticky

A stick insect. A HUGE stick insect. On the window.

All at once, fascinating, compelling and yet.....a little bit creepy.

Also, oh my GOD how filthy are my windows?

Is it Lammas? Lughnasadh? Imbolc? Bridget's Day....?

My reality shows it to be Lammas or Lughnasadh (depending on your preference) but my heart and body clock, neither of which have ever adjusted to the Southern Hemisphere, still tick to the Northern celebrations. So confusing

So wherever you are, whatever you're celebrating, have a happy one.