Have You Ever Blog Surfed?

Have you ever spent the time clicking through the 'next blog' icon at the top of your blog page?

I tried it today.

Sometimes it takes you to the most interesting sites. Today, I've stumbled upon a German person travelling through Australia, a Taiwanese sketch artist, a Japanese person who was tripping through somewhere (no idea where cause I can't read Japanese!), a Malaysian woman who is 14 weeks pregnant, a guy from Philadelphia who blogged about everything from snowboarding to rat pranks, Ingrid from Adelaide who blogged about her family and someone who was blogging about the televisions show, Fringe. And this is just to name a few!

Beware though, 'blog surfing' comes with its pitfalls.....namely lots of spam-type sites and the occasional unsavoury one! Not to mention those that just make no sense whatsoever!

But it does make you realise that the world really is an interesting place and it's made up of an assortment of fascinating individuals!

So what did you stumble across on your blog surf?

My How They Grow!

The Superteen decided recently that as he was approaching 'employable' age, he would like to put his name down for a few casual, after-school-pocket-money-type jobs.

I was hesitant to agree at first as he has such a full life with school and sport already and I was sure that somehow this job thing would probably mean more work and running around for my already full life!

It appears, however, that he has convinced me. A few weeks ago, he sat and registered himself on numerous web sites belonging to companies that employ high school students for casual work.

I didn't think much of it when he got a couple of notices about job vacancies, although I did help him write a resume - what type of resume can you really write for a never-employed semi-child? And I stoically drove him along to a couple of interviews so that he could get a real feel for what he was getting himself in for.

I can now tell you that he was actually offered both of the jobs that he interviewed for!

The Superteen is incredibly excited. He is especially thrilled at the prospect of his having his own money which he can use to expand his ever-growing shoe collection (And they say that women are into fashion!!! Not when you are a Nike fan, apparently!).

Yes, I am excited for him. But, like any parent, I worry that about so many things: his ability to handle the responsibility that comes with gainful employment, his ability to juggle school, sport and work, his ability to manage his own meagre income, his ability to remain a fairly sensible kid even though he is now 'cashed up', etc etc etc.

But I think the thing that really gets to me is even simpler than that. It's the fact that I no longer have a child. The child that sprang, screaming, from my womb only a few short years ago is now suddenly someone else's employee! Ok, I know that I've watched him grow into a six foot tall teenager, but deep down, he is still that little baby who looked soulfully into my eyes almost from birth and who I vowed to protect and adore. No longer is that boy under my total care. Now he is making decisions without me and now I have to let him.

It's times like these that I wish they came with a manual!

It's Been A While.....

.....but I still love Robbie Williams!!!!! Here is the new song off his soon-to-be-released album (btw, have no idea why it overhangs to the right on my blog but meh...it's still worth the listen!):

Slow Cooker Sago...The Way To Go!

Miss Nine is learning about 'Past and Present' at school. Naturally, because of this great topic, we've gotten out all of the old things lying around the house and have had interesting discussions about history. In fact, we are even reading 'Little Women' together at the moment. So in keeping with her 'olden days' theme, I decided to make all of us an old-time pudding and use up some lemons that I picked from my friend's tree. And to make it even more interesting, I decided to try a slow cooker recipe for Lemon Sago Pudding.

What You Need:

1/2 cup sago (available from the supermarket. I actually used tapioca which apparently is the same thing only the beads are smaller).
2 1/2 cups hot tap water grated rind of two lemons juice of 2 lemons made up to 1/2 cup with water (I had juicy lemons so no water was needed)
1/2 cup golden syrup 2 tablespoons sugar

What You Do:

Turn the slow cooker on HIGH. Coat the bowl with a non-stick spray.

Put the grated rind, sago and tap water into the bowl. Sieve the lemon juice and add to the mixture. Stir. Cook in the slow cooker, with the lid on, for about 30 minutes. Stir with a fork until evenly thick then add the golden syrup and sugar.

Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes longer, until the grains of sago are soft. Turn off the slow cooker and cool.

Serve while still warm with ice-cream, cream or yoghurt.

Footnote:

We got about 7 serves from this quantity. I used both ice-cream and vanilla fruche (on separate occasions) to serve with the sago and I think that this is a must as it really completes and complements the dessert.

This is not a particularly sweet recipe. If you like really sweet desserts, I suggest that you add a little more sugar or serve with a lot of ice-cream.

And just to let you know....we all loved this dessert.....except Miss Nine who declared it 'horrible'! Lucky she wasn't born in the olden times, huh!



**Picture taken on phone cam!

Books, TV Shows, Music!!!

I usually keep up with what I've been watching or listening to on this blog but haven't done so in ages so I thought I'd do a simple run down of current recommendations. So here goes:

Books

One of the reasons that I haven't been posting on my blog lately is because I've been side-tracked by a tough, hard talking homicide detective and a drop-dead gorgeous, mega rich Irishman! Now, if you don't know what I'm talking about, then I suggest you slip down to your nearest bookstore or library and get yourself a copy of Naked In Death - the first of the J.D. Robb 'In Death' series.

A work friend loaned me a copy of the first book, and from there, I became a serious addict! The homicide detective, Eve Dallas, lives in the future and happens to find herself investigating a multiple homicide where one of the prime suspects is the eye candy billionaire, Roarke. Needless to say, the story evolves and, without giving too much of the storyline away, have to say that the chemistry between Eve and Roarke is palpable.

If, like me, you find that you are hooked into the first book, take heart because there are many, many books in this series. I am still working my way through them but totally love the mix of murder-mystery, sci-fi and romance that Robb manages to blend so cleverly. Nora Robers writes these under the J.D. Robb pseudonym and, although I've never been a great Roberts fan, just love this series for their grittiness and great storylines!

TV Shows

Being Human has come and gone from our television, but in case you missed it (as it was kinda buried on ABC2), there is still hope. The ABC shops currently have the dvds for sale and the good news is that apparently the BBC has commissioned a second series to air sometime in 2010.

The story is definitely for fans of the supernatural. It tells the story of a vampire, werewolf and ghost, all sharing a flat in modern-day Bristol. I know, I know, it sounds kinda stupid but, while I found some storylines a little on the 'Yeah right' side, it was the quirky British humour, the interaction between the main characters and the great acting that won me over!

Music

This is a shout-out thank you to the anonymous comment poster on my blog who tipped me off that Brendan Welch's new (and first) cd has been released. Titled 'The Gleaner', I rapidly took myself off the music store and got myself a copy! And you know what, I love it! Laid back, easy listening is how I'd describe it! It's the kind of music that you listen to when you are chilling out, sipping a glass of something yummy and contemplating life!

There have been other shows etc that I've been watching/listening to, of course. Series 2 of The Tudors springs to mind and I could write a whole page on believability of Jonathon Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII but I think I'll leave that for another time; and let's not forget my beloved Packed To The Rafters which is currently in the second half of season 2 on Australian television. In the meantime, if you get an opportunity to catch up with any of the above, enjoy! IMO they are well worth it!

From Fluffy To Fantastic........

Yes, I know that Jasper has been to the doggie beauty parlour before, but he's never had a full clip....until now!!!! Would you recognise him? I had to double check that I had the right dog when I picked him up! Lol!

Obviously, someone else was a little jealous that she wasn't getting all of the attention:

Have We Been Swined?

The Superteen's school sent home a note last week....15 confirmed cases of swine flu and 200 students off sick in one day. Keep your boys home if they have so much as a sniffle!

I have always said that if our family was affected by swine flu, it would come through my kids. Sure enough, on Sunday afternoon, the Superteen appeared with cheeks that would give santa a run for his sack-packin' money in their rosiness! As the afternoon progressed, his condition deteriorated.

Now, while I'm not saying that he has swine flu, it would not surprise me. The doctor - who we went to yesterday - does not routinely test anymore. But one look at the news reports on the Royal Brisbane Hospital treating patients in make-shift wards set up in ambulance bays and knowing the school situation, makes me think that it's very possible.

His symptoms started with the red face, fever (which has been as high as 40 degrees and very difficult to get down), constant headache, dizziness, sore throat and today, vomiting and gastro. Last night, in an effort to bring his temp down, we resorted to the old-fashioned method of shovelling him into a cold shower. (It worked, btw!). He is on antibiotics to prevent secondary infections and is on asthma medication, but man oh man this bug is nasty.

So, while he seems to have shown signs of improvement this afternoon (he argued with his sister and ate toast - that has to be a good sign), I can only sit by and hope that he gets over it soon. And hope, of course that no one else gets it.