Welcome back to what is the remnant of a long weekend in our neck of the woods.  Weather has been superb and from what I observed, many made the most of it. Beaches packed out, restaurants buzzing and so many people walking, walking, walking........

So, I'm excited as two people have commented on my blog - admittedly they are my daughter and the wonderful girl Kate who set all of this up for me but it is a start and I am keen to receive useful critiquing.  Also would love to know if anyone (anyone at all!!!) has changed anything, however small.

This week has seen crazy winds and the frantic swirling of leaves on my patio and in my yard, promoting the necessity to do a big clean up.  With my mower man away, it was head down and bum up to get it cleared.  Being outside on a sunny day, in daggy old work clothes, is a joy.  I am not a particularly good gardener but since my husband died, I have managed to achieve miracles (for me) in my yard.  It took alot of  googling of instructions on many things from putting together a geurney, a mower and a whipper snipper to deciding when to spray and fertilize my fruit trees.  If  you have a wee bit of room in or around your home, stick abit of parsley or thyme in a pot.  It is quite special to snip off abit of home grown produce for your kitchen use.

As promised last blog, the weekly recipe.  This week I made a creamed spinach which I had never even thought to make but my neighbour arrived over with a big, delicious bunch of spinach and I vaguely remembered from my years in UK that creamed spinach was a 'thing'. It is a terribly decadent thing to cook as it is, as the name suggests, full of cream, butter and garlic but oh so delicious!  Teamed it with a pork chop and potato crispy bakey thing and it truely hit the spot. I also shouted myself (homemade) a grapefruit margeurita one evening over this leisurely long weekend, again thanks to a kind neighbour with a surfeit of grapefruits.  Now this was to die for - grapefruit juice, lime juice, sugar syrup, cointreau, tequila and crushed ice.  Consider trying this for a change.  You'll never look back.

I am also a Rotarian, albeit quite new to this amazing world wide network of more than 1.2m million people and my favourite part of Rotary is the Australian wide Bunnings barbeques held on weekends to raise money for different charities. It has rolled down through a few generations now and parents bring their kids to Bunnings for a sausage sandwich and of course to visit the hardware store as well --for those non Aussies.  All that is offered is soft drinks and sausages on white bread, to chagrin of some......with or without onion. Sauces are available and I often say it is (next to Disney) the happiest place on earth.  Such happiness abounds with wee kids handing over their change to buy a sausage and that great Aussie spirit of "thanks mate" echoes around our little tent.  Working to improve the way of life for others is most gratifying so if you get the chance to do abit of voluntary work, go for it. I believe I have a social conscience and we have a responsibility as a community to look after those less fortunate.  Even the dogs benefit when the odd sausage hits the dirt.

And so another week begins.....as we used to say back in the 70's.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Live it well.

Toni

                                                               Creamed Spinach

                                                               

                                                              Grapefruit Margeurita