Life's Little Mysteries #1

Yesterday afternoon I discovered a huge bunch of luscious pink lillies hiding in the shrubbery in my front garden bed, as if they had just been tossed over the stone wall from the footpath. None of my family admitted to ownership of this delightful bundle, so I popped them into my two biggest vases and we've been enjoying them ever since.

Serendipitously, we are having a family birthday celebration tonight, so these lovelies are very welcome.

How did they come to be there? That's what I'd like to know. Can you tell me your theory, in 25 words or less?

If you'd like to exercise your 'grey matter' - and win an insubstantial prize for the best suggestion (funniest/most outrageous..) - please leave your contribution in my comments box up till midnight Friday (14th). I'll announce the winner next Monday (17th).

February Garden

February Garden
Originally uploaded by dijobbins

I know it's March already, but here are some of the flowers that were blooming in and around my home in February.

The cyclamen was a real surprise. After performing splendidly last winter it had been holidaying over summer in the shade of a rhododendron, but decided it was feeling so cool it might as well burst into bloom. Today, several weeks after I took this photo, it has several more flowers and is looking decidedly happy with our milder than usual summer. I know just how it feels!

Scatterday V - Part 1

PinkVelour
Originally uploaded by dijobbins

The voracious letter V was just too big to contain in a single blog entry this week, so here are three!

Our first category is PINK which, as you can imagine, was reasonably easy for me! Here are three different shades of pink velour from my voluminous stash.

Scatterday V - Part 2

Big V Things
Originally uploaded by dijobbins

BIG THINGS

Here we are on our big Vacation (3 months' Long Service Leave in 2005) swanning in the Piazza San Marco in the big city of Venice.

This big vista along the Grand Canal still makes my heart beat faster. It's just like a Canaletto painting!

And only last week this big vessel (the QEII) visited Sydney and the Princess and I went down to the end of the street to say "bye, bye".

Scatterday V - Part 3

V Signs
Originally uploaded by dijobbins

SIGNS

Villers-Bretonneux in Northern France, where my DH and I spent an unforgettable Armistice Day in 2005. As the only Australians in a town where Australians are seen as heroes for having saved them from the German advance, we were welcomed and invited to join in their march and morning tea.

The local Village Store was an obvious subject for my camera this afternoon...

As was this Visitor Parking sign.

How much deeper into my archives will I need to dig for next week's Scatterday?

New header - and a new blog!

My lovely blogging buddy Lindi sent me a new blog header on Sunday, and instructions for me to create my own in future. Isn't she clever? I've already applied my newly-acquired knowledge to create a header for my new blog.

I'll continue to post on this blog - I'm such a 'junkie' where the stat counter is concerned and I love to see those hits accumulate - but felt it might be wise to post some photos, particularly those of my little granddaughter, on a more restricted site that requires readers to be approved.

I will try to send emails to everyone in my address book who I think might be interested in my family and friends, letting you know I have added you to the list of approved readers, but if you are someone who I know, and if I miss out on you, please let me know in the comments section below. I don't mean to exclude friends. Please just give me a couple of days to work it all out - I'm feeling my way here :-)

Cooking for Dummies

Several posts ago I told you how, for 4 weeks at a time, we entertain engaged couples who are doing our church's "Christian Marriage" course on Sundays. Last Sunday was the final week of the current course and we made it a little more special by inviting the entire 5.30pm congregation back for dinner with us.

I try to make such occasions as simple as possible. Anyone who offers to bring food is embraced with gratitude and asked to bring a salad (no last minute fiddling for me!). I use disposable plastic plates - but real cutlery and wine glasses! We provide the meat, on this occasion several large rumps of beef roasted on the barbie, and for dessert I make a selection of slices and tarts, easy finger food.

Last week my mother gave me a copy of the new book, "4 Ingredients" by Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham, and I must share with you a great tart recipe I found in it. Like all the recipes in this clever little book, it uses just 4 ingredients and is foolproof for a "dummy" like me. You can see these little beauties in the photo above.

Caramel Ginger Tarts

12 ginger nut bickies

400g can Nestle Top 'n' Fill Caramel

1/2 tub whipped cream

1 banana (optional, IMHO)

Place cookies on the individual circles of a patty cake tin and bake in 150 degrees C oven for 10 minutes. Remove and gently mould the softened bickies so they make shallow tart cases. When cool, add enough caramel to fill each bickie. Top with a dob of whipped cream and a slice of banana (I left this off).

They are absolutely delicious!