SERENDIPITY AND KATE: October 2011

30.10.11

KNICKERS & STICKERS

I was driving home from work on Friday afternoon when I realised that I had left my phone in my desk drawer. Panic arose as I pulled on the handbrake and performed some Cirque du Soleil-style contortions to find it, with no luck. But come Saturday morning I had embraced my new free-spirit-who-is-above-material-things mentality, and I have to say that a weekend without checking my phone to see who loves me, has been very nice.

The highlight of the weekend was a relaxed BBQ at my brother's house today, where tasty steaks, Mexican pizzas, a summer fruit platter and delicious cranberry champagne cocktails were consumed in the spring sunshine. I played 'cardboard aeroplanes' with my niece Charlotte, which involved Charlotte "boarding" the cardboard box, me closing the box/plane and tipping it up and down. A Home Brand flight simulator, if you will. The airline was going great guns until I decided to board the aircraft myself, and my own father crept up behind the box to tip me backwards. It was all very tragic as the fuselage ripped in two, and that was the end of that. Air Crash Investigations is currently questioning witnesses.

The other exciting news of the day - Miss Charlotte officially started potty training so I brought her a little goody bag to get her excited about undies. She loved her new little knickers and even offered me a pair. Mmmhmm, size 2-3 girls, that's me! Oh Charlotte, flattery will get you EVERYWHERE. She's a smart one!

*Sadly, Caramello Koala disappeared sometime between the capturing of this photograph and the delivering of the gift. It's a total mystery and I guess we'll never really know what happened. o_0

30.10.11

SIPPY SIPPY SHAKE

How good are blueberries? I am going through 2-3 punnets a week at the moment. They can be a little on the pricey side so I also have a big pack of frozen ones in the freezer for emergency scenarios.

One of my feature breakfasts at the moment is a blueberry protein shake. It's especially refreshing after some early morning exercise. Pretty much, most of the run is just me hurtling towards a milkshake.

This one is high in protein and calcium (and omega 3's if you have organic milk) and has lots of slow release energy, thanks to the oats. The blueberries are high in antioxidants and I read that cinnomon is a natural appetite suppressant and an anti-inflammatory... which would be good for you if you're in the arthritis way, but I just love the taste. Anyway, blah blah blah, all you need to know is that it's good for you and it tastes nice.

Just blend all these together, and play around with the quantities til the consistency is to your liking. Bob is your Uncle : )

About 1/2 cup organic milk
About 1/2 cup water
Small handful of blueberries
Choc protein powder
Small handful rolled oats
Sprinkle of cinnamon

BLUEBERRY PIC HERE

29.10.11

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

I have a crush on this staircase. They would be a sheer delight to scale and descend, and I want to make them mine!

It's been a little while between posts. I checked my stats and was surprised at the 564 page views in the past month. Blimey! Must be all those pics I've stolen off the net.

Some deceptively warm weather arrived here in Sydney about a week or two ago, with a very warm night that caused me to gleefully pitch my polka-dot flanno pants to the wayside. Unfortunately this past week had morphed back into chilly winter territory, and I had to search for those discarded PJ pants. The weather is fluffing around, but from now on I'll be carrying on like it's Balmy Town.

Speaking of balmy things, last month I was meant to go on a snow trip with my brother, sister-in-law and two little nieces, but they caught a communal head-cold so I booked a train ticket and headed up to stay with my relos in Grafton instead. It was a such a lovely trip. Here are some pics, which included our remake of the Melon Sago we had at Yum Cha in Sydney back in August.