Tag Archives: Winter days

Little bits of this….

All things, ,

and little bits of that!

A little bit of frivolity this morning….let’s call it Midwinter Madness

These potato slices, dipped in batter then deep fried are called Potato Cakes in Victoria. What are they called where you live?

Courtesy of those afternoon quiz shows The Golfer likes to watch, my answers to some questions proved once again my general knowledge is lacking in some quarters. I kept him company one wet afternoon and discovered:-

  • Gargoyles are not the same as Grotesque/s….one is functional (keeps the rain away) – the other is decorative (also keeps evil spirits away)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grotesque_(architecture)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle

  • The lanes and back alleys in York are called ’snickelways’.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickelways_of_York

  • Play-Doh was originally marketed as a wallpaper cleaner

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play-Doh

  • The are 24 countries whose english names have 5 letters. Benin and Gabon were two I’d never heard of😯

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-letter-countries.html

Benin, a French-speaking West African nation, is a birthplace of the vodun (or “voodoo”) religion and home to the former Dahomey Kingdom from circa 1600–1900. In Abomey, Dahomey’s former capital, the Historical Museum occupies two royal palaces with bas-reliefs recounting the kingdom’s past and a throne mounted on human skulls. To the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions. ― Google

This is one I really should have known

  • In the British forces a fried egg sandwich is called an ‘Egg Banjo’

https://www.forces.net/military-life/fun/ever-wondered-why-its-called-egg-banjo

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Source – Twitter

If you’re stuck in a traffic jam like these people recently make sure there’s an ice cream van close by – https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/ice-cream-van-doing-roaring-7235413

(I’m curious to know if Mr Whippy cruises the motorways on ’the off chance’ because I found articles about several similar happenings over the years)

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And for the big finish have a giggle – or a groan – at these ’Dad’s jokes’

Q. How do you make holy water?

You boil the hell out of it.

Q. What do you call a pig with laryngitis?

Disgruntled.

Q. What do you say to the person who stole your place in the queue?

I’m after you now 

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Breakfast this cool morning (yes its still winter here) will be porridge with brown sugar and sultanas….my Scottish ancestors would be having a fit – salt for them was the way to go! Not my cup of tea at all😊
What’s your winter brekky like – same as usual or do you vary?

(And a little postscript here about something I rarely comment on in public – particularly if it happens in another country to mine.
I feel very saddened and fearful for all women in the USA….no matter what they believe in)

Pop over to Corinne blog – she’s hosting Monday Musings.

#livelovelaugh

Winter Day16

All things, ,

It might be my imagination but everything seems to be a bit different this winter. The cold is colder, the rain more constant, the leaves on my little Japanese Maple seem to be redder, plus the nuts on the Corymbia at the library (see HERE) are definitely larger

The snow has come earlier, with bigger heavier dumps……this is the report from Mt Buller a resort less than 3hrs away – just a short drive up the road

Mt Buller celebrated the traditional season ‘kick-off’ with record snow levels and bumper visitation for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
”It’s the most snow we’ve ever recorded for a June long weekend and everyone is amazed to be skiing and boarding on the amount of cover we usually wait until mid-season to experience,” Read all about it here – Source

I wonder if this past weekend’s opening celebrations involved any of this?


I know I’ll be celebrating when we’ve done this drive to winter warmth

Just 3 weeks to go😎

2,500 kms!

#enjoyeverymoment

Cold weather comfort knitting

All things craft, All things weather

On winter days like we’ve been having recently when the leaves have dropped – the roses have been pruned – and fires like this one are lit I’m sure little jumpers like these below will be welcome

These three multi coloured 2yr woolies are my latest contribution to my charity donation box They’re what I call ’me do its’ – meaning that by having the back & front worked the same it doesn’t matter which way they’re put on by independent young ones.

Made from a simple pattern gifted to me a while ago. It’s sized for a 20” chest/18 mths but with the body being straight up and down (no shaping) it’s easy to make larger …more stitches/wider….more rows/longer…plus add extra stitches/length for a larger sleeve. The pattern actually has a decorative stitch but often, like with these three I make something that looks entirely different.

So what are all you other crafters up to – I’m interested to know what’s on your needles or hooks – under your sewing machine needles or even on your hoops

Winter Day10

All things fun,

I need to end this cold wet week we’ve had in Melbourne with a little fun

So for those who would prefer my word count to be minimal here’s a little poem I found on the internet many years ago. It’s words still ring true today

‘ WINTER ‘ 

By Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre 

Shit 

It’s Cold 

The End

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Fun Friday – the day you forget the worries of the week.

Will be back on Monday…….

See you then!

Maybe….just maybe

All things, ,

There are ‘readers’ who want to say things but won’t do it in public.
They ‘speak those things ’ in an email.

Could be good, bad or ugly – doesn’t matter, out it comes.
This time it appears I talk too much

Is it possible for me not to write so many words?

Maybe, just maybe – but highly unlikely says I……😊😊😊

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Close to the library lives an enormous Banksia. An Australian native
It comes into it’s own during late Autumn – early Winter

It’s then you are able see and enjoy the old, the new, and the presently reddy orange coloured ’flowering’ candles.

(you may like to click/slide and enjoy close up)

Possibly my only attempt😊

https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp7/banksia-spinulosa.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia_spinulosa

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xingfumama hosts ’whatsoever is lovely’-

a place to highlight those lovely things (big or small) that we take for granted

Seeing this beautiful Banksia was my recent lovely

What’s for lunch…..

All things food,

There was a container of ’ooh that’s been there a while’ homemade chicken stock lurking under other containers in the freezer – made from a takeaway chook carcass, stripped flesh and onion – plus pearl barley….. discovered that fact when it was defrosted. I must have had something in mind when it was made – no idea what though.

After adding some frozen mix veg as well as half a packet of crunched up chicken noodles it ended up (with crackers and fruit on the side) as an ’interesting’ cheap and cheerful alfresco light lunch on a recent sunny (but cool) Saturday.

The Golfer must have been hungry – I hadn’t even returned with mine before he was cautiously approaching his….with a ’ what on earth has she served up this time’ look on his face.

Result:- couldn’t have been too bad because his bowl was emptied. There was no Oliver Twist ’I’d like some more’ moment though. I’m not sure what to make of that!!

Winter Day1

All things, All things weather, , ,

No golf for The Golfer (nobody wanted to play in the rain) – no choir for me (conductor still feeling crook after her bout of covid last week) so we decided to go for a drive.
Yes in the rain on the first day of Winter!

Up the road behind the bus, past the school, to the bottom of the hills and then up twisty turny Mt Dandenong Road to the top. The only thing that was warm was the restaurant card burning a hole in our pocket

We were going for lunch at a favourite little cafe – Ranges at Olinda

The (still partly loaded) card had been in the cupboard since before Covid appeared so by rights had expired and the remaining balance lost – a phone call to the company changed that so soup for two with sourbread, followed by a small quiche salad and (chips) halved used the last of a 2019 Christmas gift.

(From website)

The food was good as usual – sorry no pictures because I was so busy talking to my man plus the very congenial staff I forgot. Feeling nice and warm and full we came on back down the mountain a little more cautiously.
Low misty cloud made it look like a Chicken Little sky…..it really had fallen!

And the gift card turned out to be a gift that just kept on giving.
As we were leaving this flyer was pointed out to us. Hospitality lost so much during lockdowns so to encourage people back to ‘dining out’ the state government came up with a rebate scheme…..

So 25% of the price we paid – in kind via the card – didn’t matter how you paid – will be returned to us…..which will be enough for another two coffees and cake up at Ranges 😊😊

#enjoyeverymoment

Linking to Denyse’s ~ Life’s Stories. Pop over to read her reflections and thoughts about life past and present and possibly to come

I am feeling much better now

All things health, All things travel

All it took was a four day drive – via regional New South Wales
(where even a small local businesses seemed mindful of strict covid precautions – QR code and mask….no if’s or buts)


Up to the Sunshine state of Queensland where just like magic all my worries woes and misery seemed to lift off my shoulders.


I’ll begin to think about state borders again in September- when it’ll be time to return home
In the meantime I’ll be slathering on the sun screen and dipping my toes in the Coral Sea – see ya sometime soon😊