tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44816020216823421692024-03-13T15:33:38.863+10:00Jaffajaf is nonsenseAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-68318500917023972132013-05-18T18:03:00.001+10:002013-05-18T18:03:25.545+10:00Cranberry & Almond Cupcakes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPublvwwcah9kBQFsqOIEBQYH65F5rYlOWTm46pY9IjKaZK89CPhyphenhyphenp5Zw5QNJ6iiLN6-7EZiUaNS80Wm7QvUONnuC6xAhb2IzdwtuXUJE4ot03P_RwCwtvyM1YDFrO4MfH4tUYNnWziE/s1600/cranberrycupcakes-18-5-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPublvwwcah9kBQFsqOIEBQYH65F5rYlOWTm46pY9IjKaZK89CPhyphenhyphenp5Zw5QNJ6iiLN6-7EZiUaNS80Wm7QvUONnuC6xAhb2IzdwtuXUJE4ot03P_RwCwtvyM1YDFrO4MfH4tUYNnWziE/s640/cranberrycupcakes-18-5-3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know about you, but I get to a point on a Saturday chained the computer writing a statistics assignment when I just have to bake cupcakes. No? Maybe it's just me then.<br />
<br />
Baking always seems to lift my spirits up and refreshes me ready for another evening filled with proof-reading. And cupcakes are the mother of all baked spirit lifters.<br />
<br />
Those that know me will be aware that I have a bit of a compulsion with lists. You give me a list, or a book than can be interpreted as a list, and I will aim to complete every item on that list even if it involves a lifestyle choice for several decades.<br />
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One of those is the <i><a href="http://www.australian-womens-weekly.com/catalogue/product/1050/3272" target="_blank">Australian Women's Weekly Bake</a></i>, described as "the definitive book on baking". Well Women's Weekly, I accept your challenge of 600 pages of Australia's best baking recipes and I've got a little gold star to stick on each and every recipe I get through. Why? Because I can.<br />
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This gold star went on their Very Berry Cupcake recipe which was a simple butter cake with dried berries and almonds included. Despite the AWW informing me that "dried berries, especially strawberries, are easy to find in any supermarket", my local Woolies was bereft of any dried berry other than cranberry. I did swing by the fresh fruit section with the hopes of replacing my dried berries with fresh blueberries - but at $9 per 100g punnet I returned to the baking aisle and sulkily collected my cranberries.<br />
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This turned out to be the <a href="http://jaffajaf.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/what-you-can-eat-for-2-day.html" target="_blank">first-worldest of problems</a> as my cakes tasted delicious... but would have been better with fresh blueberries.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Very (cran)Berry Cupcakes</h2>
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<i>Courtesy of the Australian Women's Weekly</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients</b></div>
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125g butter<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2/3 cup caster sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup dried cranberries (replace with whatever berries you like)<br />
1/2 cup slivered almonds<br />
2/3 cup plain flour<br />
1/3 cup self raising flour<br />
1/4 (60ml) milk<br />
<br />
<b>Cream Cheese Icing</b><br />
<br />
30g butter, softened<br />
80g cream cheese, softened<br />
1 1/2 cups icing sugar<br />
<br />
Beat your butter, vanilla extract, sugar and eggs in a small bowl until light and fluffy (butter tip - if it's not soft enough you can grate it so it will beat easier).<br />
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Stir in dried berries, almonds, then sifted flours and milk. Divide your mix across 12 cupcake cases and smooth the surface.<br />
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Bake for 35 minutes in a preheated 140'c oven. Turn out on a wire rack to cool.<br />
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To make the icing, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy then gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.<br />
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I coloured my icing as I'm trying to learn better decorating techniques. My cake baking usually consists of getting the cakes out of the oven and enjoying them as soon as possible. But I want to become a better cake decorator. With these cakes I was going for a magenta icing to match the cranberries, but ended up with more of a lavender as my blue went a little crazy. But hey, it's all a learning curve :)<br />
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<br />
<b>What I would do differently next time</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I would use fresh blueberries next time and hold the almonds (mainly because I don't really like nuts, so I'm not sure why I put them in in the first place)<br />
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I'd also put a teaspoon or so of baking soda in just to get some more rise. These cakes are a little denser than I like my butter cakes.<br />
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Enjoy your baking everyone.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-60498594859533803942013-05-15T17:25:00.001+10:002013-05-15T17:34:41.209+10:00Brisbane Staycation - Suitcase Rummage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the best ideas I've come across in a long time, the Suitcase Rummage is an urban flea market that takes over Reddacliffe Place in Brisbane's CBD on the first Sunday of each month.<br />
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I've had this one on my 'must check out' list for a while and my month of blogging gave me the perfect excuse to tick it off. I love a good market, but an un-tested market can be deadly endeavour.<br />
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You never know if you're going to be surrounded by dated handi-crafts that aren't quite retro or you feel like you've just walked into a discount shop filled with imported plastic junk. There's the risk of their being too much fresh produce when you've already done your grocery shop, nothing but second hand kids toys and a handful of bad-smelling jackets or, even worse, it's full of amazing vintage buys but everything is out of your price range.<br />
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What makes a virgin market visit all the more intimidating is when you <a href="http://thedashinghans.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">bring a friend</a> along with you and you're responsible for the success or failure of the market outing.<br />
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Luckily the Brisbane Suitcase Rummage was a gold-mine of second-hand clothes and hand-made goods. On top of this it has an organic, spur-of-the-moment feel, as all the stall holders bring their goods in suitcases and display them on picnic blankets like a car-boot sale with no cars. This makes a refreshing change from the professional looking fit-outs of gazebos an designer-styled product displays. It took me right back to my childhood of wandering around the Redland Bay flea market with a 50c coin in my hand that I could spend however I wanted. (Usually I came home with some strange ceramic animal that has long since returned to an op-shop somewhere).<br />
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<br />
The day we visited the stalls were heavily weighted towards second-hand clothes. Most of which were relatively new, though there was a skew towards smaller sizes. There were a few vintage sellers there and a handful of hand-made crafts on offer, but the restrictions of 'bring your stock in suitcases' means you are likely to be browsing clothing if you attend.<br />
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I snagged a lovely blue cardigan and a floral button up shirt, but there were many more gems in the piles that I couldn't afford. This makes me sound like I have absolutely no money, which is true until I finish up my university degree. I'll definitely be returning with some more cash in hand to refill my wardrobe next month.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Staycation Summary</h3>
<b>What: </b>Suitcase Rummage<br />
<b>Where: </b>Redacliffe Place, Brisbane CBD<br />
<b>When</b>: First Sunday of every month<br />
<b>How much: </b>Free! Unless you want to buy things - but flea market prices, so pretty cheap<br />
<b>Recommended for:</b> Bargain hunters, general browsers, vintage clothes shoppers<br />
<b>Website:</b> <a href="http://suitcase-rummage.blogspot.com.au/">Suitcase-rummage.blogspot.com.au</a><br />
<i>note - there is also a Suitcase Rummage in Melbourne at the Thornbury Theatre </i><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Recommend a Staycation Idea</h3>
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Have you got a place you love to visit or really want to visit. Let me know in the comments and I'll check it out.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-51687349586700336272013-05-11T08:57:00.001+10:002013-05-11T08:57:21.775+10:00Living Below the Line - Day 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of day 5 - the aftermath... I'm not eating that bread crust</td></tr>
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It's over!<br />
<br />
While yesterday wasn't the hardest day physically, it was definitely the hardest psychologically. On several occasions throughout the day I found myself absent-mindedly getting up to make a cup of tea and having to remind myself I couldn't. I kept thinking, "It's the last day, who will know. What is one more day anyway..." but my resolve stuck and I didn't crack.<br />
<br />
I'm also thrilled to announce that I raised $270 towards Live Below the Line, which beat my goal of $250 (of course you can still donate by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post).<br />
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I was going to try and use up whatever I had left on the last day, but that would have entailed eating about 10 bowls of porridge which was never going to happen so I'm proud to say I have food left over.<br />
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<b>Breakfast </b>- a bowl of porridge with milk (7c)<br />
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<b>Mid morning snack</b> - 2 pieces of buttered toast (13c)<br />
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<b>Lunch </b>- 2 minute noodles with vegetables and barley in broth (43c)<br />
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<b>Afternoon snack</b> - a bowl of porridge with milk (7c)<br />
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<b>Dinner </b>- an omelette with zucchini, barley, onion and garlic ($1.25)<br />
This would have been delicious with some cheese, salt and pepper so I'll file it away to try again when I don't have such a strict budget<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite Jamie omelette</td></tr>
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<i>Day 5 total - $1.95</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Week total - $8.36</i><br />
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I learnt a lot this week doing the challenge. I learnt how hard it is to be so strict with what you eat you have to go hungry some days. I learnt that flavour is a luxury that most people can't afford. I learnt that nutrition is also a luxury as I felt drained and fatigued every day of the challenge. And I learnt I can make 1 onion and half a bulb of garlic stretch across 5 meals!<br />
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I also learnt that social support is one of the most important things when undergoing a struggle like this. I never would have been able to finish this challenge if it hadn't been for the fact that three of my very close friends were doing it with me. Even though we didn't see each other throughout the week (two being in other states) it made all the difference to get an email or a text message in the middle of the day asking how I was going and sharing their struggles. Just knowing my friends were going through the same thing made it easier.<br />
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Finally I learnt that living this way is easy when you know you have a plate of bacon and coffee and oven baked pizzas waiting on the other end of the five days, which is something millions of people don't get. While what I put in my mouth matched living below the poverty line for a week I still had an unlimited supply of clean water. I still had a roof over my head and a safe place to sleep. And if worse came to worse, and I got so sick I couldn't continue, I had a support system there to take care of me.<br />
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Thank you to everyone who donated throughout my challenge, seeing the numbers climb each day made living below the line worthwhile. A reminder that you can still donate up to the 31st July so if you haven't yet, please drop some money into this very worthy cause.<br />
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Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to eat an obscene amount of bacon.<br />
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<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Please support my effors the </span><a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" style="background-color: white; color: #660000; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. Even a couple of dollars will make the difference! The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-38421372051328651162013-05-10T07:12:00.001+10:002013-05-10T07:12:12.251+10:00Living Below the Line - Day 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of day 4 - I'll be feasting on oats & eggs for my last day</td></tr>
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<br />
It's the last day of my Live Below the Line Challenge and I'm amazed by how quickly I slipped into the routine of counting everything I ate. That being said, I will be exceedingly glad to put the home brand pasta aside on Saturday and eat whatever I like.<br />
<br />
Yesterday was relatively non-eventful. With a full day in the office there wasn't much to tempt me which made it easier. I did long for a cup of tea when I got home though. One more day and it will be rivers of tea again.<br />
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I had a much easier day of it today which was a combination of being frugal with my food at the start of the week leaving me much more to eat in the last few days and the psychology of knowing it would be over soon.<br />
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<b>Breakfast </b>- a bowl of porridge and 2 poached eggs on toast (65c)<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkWYxeOVp_2iCt8HTVp-u95I-mY4jUTbforFYefe8Am8W-frYhxwon1A3KXsVbwk8XRfX43z5D53VQRj7IHhiBjWT59h6hT8SoFKrhrUYJXV49WxwyMCf-EiD996evCoHEqJPcz_4M5Q/s1600/day4-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkWYxeOVp_2iCt8HTVp-u95I-mY4jUTbforFYefe8Am8W-frYhxwon1A3KXsVbwk8XRfX43z5D53VQRj7IHhiBjWT59h6hT8SoFKrhrUYJXV49WxwyMCf-EiD996evCoHEqJPcz_4M5Q/s320/day4-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast of kings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Lunch </b>- 2 minute noodles with vegetables and barley in broth (43c)<br />
<br />
<b>Afternoon Snack </b>- 1 pear (33c)<br />
<br />
<b>Dinner </b>- Leftover pasta with zucchini & barley (74c)<br />
<br />
<i>Day 4 total - $2.15</i> (I know, I went over by 15c - but considering I ate under $1.50 all the other days of the week, I'll let this one slide)<br />
<br />
With only one day left of the challenge I'm reflecting on how lucky I am that come Saturday morning I can eat a plate of pancakes and bacon. I can drink as much tea as I like. I can pop up to the shops for fresh vegetables and free range eggs and chocolate and coffee. I was lucky enough to be born in a country where an education is easily accessible and my parents were able to put food on the table three times a day.<br />
<br />
If you can say the same thing I urge you to please donate to Live Below the Line to help give an education to children in Cambodia and New Guinea and release them from the cycle of poverty. I'm only $80 away from my fundraising goal - if just 8 people donate $10 I will make it.<br />
<br />
Thank you to the generosity of those who have donated already. I, and others you will never meet, heartily appreciate it.<br />
<br />
DFTBA every body!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Please support my effors the </span><a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" style="background-color: white; color: #660000; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. Even a couple of dollars will make the difference! The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-32981957264630874662013-05-09T07:16:00.003+10:002013-05-09T07:18:01.764+10:00Living Below the Line - Day 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScVgEEXjBQtcUVNEPidt7NL7zZJ0PgbVSYKL2E2C3vSXCsbWW-9y5eNPicVg_g4zFpL0ecMFDkfRC6XlHY6Y6qRKZO1Xjib-M4vR5cyxA4AkvdaLDlL9mE0f497cqgzUAvJpz6yRvICw/s1600/2013-05-08+19.57.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScVgEEXjBQtcUVNEPidt7NL7zZJ0PgbVSYKL2E2C3vSXCsbWW-9y5eNPicVg_g4zFpL0ecMFDkfRC6XlHY6Y6qRKZO1Xjib-M4vR5cyxA4AkvdaLDlL9mE0f497cqgzUAvJpz6yRvICw/s1600/2013-05-08+19.57.21.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of day 3 - Looks like I'm going to be fine for the last 2 days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It's officially half way!<br />
<br />
The general consensus across all my fellow LBLer's is that Day 2 sucked beyond the telling of it, but it was definitely the worst.<br />
<br />
I also came the joyous realisation that I had been rationing my food so severely that I have a metaphorical cornucopia of foodstuff for the last two days of my challenge. (2 eggs for breakfast today!)<br />
<br />
I'm also feeling particularly enthused as I submitted a major assignment last night and am now proceeding rapidly towards the end of semester.<br />
<br />
Food for Day 3...<br />
<br />
<b>Breakfast </b>- 1 bowl of porridge (getting used to the lack of sweet-stuff on it) (7c)<br />
<br />
+ a glass of boiling water (which tastes nothing like tea, but is free)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ChMrjXNRMS9z4tRL-FZNJ-lvKkrchnkgZqYVXYW7XXHOUjmlFtqlHTgtOcoKbE0KeCSUjayDHKS8f6vpeqrBqeUiFQsuntcq18fYZVgiCYRlbYIL3X1JHUmZgha-pro97KTRkPcEk9g/s1600/day3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ChMrjXNRMS9z4tRL-FZNJ-lvKkrchnkgZqYVXYW7XXHOUjmlFtqlHTgtOcoKbE0KeCSUjayDHKS8f6vpeqrBqeUiFQsuntcq18fYZVgiCYRlbYIL3X1JHUmZgha-pro97KTRkPcEk9g/s320/day3-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling water <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">≠ Tea</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Mid morning snack</b> - 2 pieces of buttered toast (13c)<br />
<br />
<b>Lunch </b>- noodles and vegetables in broth (29c)<br />
<br />
<b>Afternoon snack</b> - 1 pear (33c)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxUCKy-vD8IVTis7_msHocJM64i4wbJoOH0M_eMUCnGtxvZkZCxyyaVOK47FHyXkcnLa9_lvV1_WkHnCtBORMM-Sw9JAWO72dG1Ljo6lnIapYliSit_WCBGozxgKwNRNgB_sTiCSXRTI/s1600/day3-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxUCKy-vD8IVTis7_msHocJM64i4wbJoOH0M_eMUCnGtxvZkZCxyyaVOK47FHyXkcnLa9_lvV1_WkHnCtBORMM-Sw9JAWO72dG1Ljo6lnIapYliSit_WCBGozxgKwNRNgB_sTiCSXRTI/s320/day3-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally the best thing I've eaten all week</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Dinner </b>- a much better version of pasta where I wasn't so impatient and cooked a nice pasta sauce with fried zucchini and pear parley (74c)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtec2vG2vkR_DuAIpOCqgR4FicRHWofT7N17CEu5DZHWNq0Ro09mXRQXSzy7ysStziAhAZ_ry53fTlDXcBmsOkkGJP4gFA4zTylwLp5pOW6M7tCVQollu09uHfTpYEFKNAyoWmiHvgZcQ/s1600/day3-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtec2vG2vkR_DuAIpOCqgR4FicRHWofT7N17CEu5DZHWNq0Ro09mXRQXSzy7ysStziAhAZ_ry53fTlDXcBmsOkkGJP4gFA4zTylwLp5pOW6M7tCVQollu09uHfTpYEFKNAyoWmiHvgZcQ/s320/day3-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It could still do with some cheese - but much better than the last pasta effort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>Day 3 total = $1.56</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In just two days I'll be able to eat whatever I want, but there are people the world over that don't have the luxury. Please donate to Live Below the Line to help children in Cambodia and New Guinea break out of the poverty cycle by getting an education.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">You can sponsor me in my </span><a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" style="background-color: white; color: #660000; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-88605591352159876792013-05-08T07:01:00.003+10:002013-05-08T07:07:01.008+10:00Living Below the Line - Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSJsqS0m5-LXjECuCP_1zSzWDJdD5CRiJb0gAr-iMB6Ot2UOHpfuCgxWhytSfQIJJ8LPw8xhfJ2kHsBwICgtIl9YOiYwbUEki2p0DkhyMDix1_yp-aOw6OENmVyBNtIfW861ZiZykNKw/s1600/2013-05-08+06.43.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSJsqS0m5-LXjECuCP_1zSzWDJdD5CRiJb0gAr-iMB6Ot2UOHpfuCgxWhytSfQIJJ8LPw8xhfJ2kHsBwICgtIl9YOiYwbUEki2p0DkhyMDix1_yp-aOw6OENmVyBNtIfW861ZiZykNKw/s1600/2013-05-08+06.43.52.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of day 2 - and there still some frozen vegies in the freezer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSJsqS0m5-LXjECuCP_1zSzWDJdD5CRiJb0gAr-iMB6Ot2UOHpfuCgxWhytSfQIJJ8LPw8xhfJ2kHsBwICgtIl9YOiYwbUEki2p0DkhyMDix1_yp-aOw6OENmVyBNtIfW861ZiZykNKw/s1600/2013-05-08+06.43.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
The morning of day 2 was probably the worst I've felt so far. I felt extremely tired and light headed. I was having trouble concentrating and keeping my vision in focus. I felt so bad I wondered if I was able to go on at all. After speaking to another friend doing the challenge she assured me it would be okay to have a cup of tea and then see how I felt. So I did, and I did feel better. The rest of the day picked up from there.<br />
<br />
<b>Breakfast </b>- 1 bowl of oats and milk (8c)<br />
<br />
<b>Mid-Morning Snack</b> - cup of tea with milk and sugar & 2 slices of buttered toast (15c)<br />
<br />
<b>Lunch </b>- 2 minute noodles with frozen vegies in broth (29c)<br />
<br />
<b>Dinner </b>- the left over horrible pasta from the night before :( (71c)<br />
<br />
<i>Day 2 Total - $1.23</i><br />
<br />
After the morning slump, yesterday was easier. I didn't go to bed hungry and I got a good nights sleep. Today is the last of the uphill climb so whatever happens I know it will be over soon.<br />
<br />
I can't imagine how awful it would be to go on for the rest of your life living like this, and not having the opportunity to do anything else. Live Below the Line is not just donating funds to buy people food. They are aiming to break the poverty cycle in Cambodia and New Guinea where peoples choices are between sending their children to school and going hungry or sending their children to work and having a meager amount of food on the table.<br />
<br />
By <a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank">donating </a>you are helping to educate children in these developing countries to break out of the poverty cycle. If you can skip your morning coffee today and donate the money instead that will make a difference.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
You can sponsor me in my <a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a>. The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-40052857316934099052013-05-07T06:45:00.000+10:002013-05-07T06:48:45.536+10:00Living Below the Line - Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0gh4gubWAKHRaIPD6Wgns5HjkOHfAuAur-3hKVP-A_qXCnNGhX_zlIVoMUF6Xqaio0p1lkBrYmRnuP0kovd9Lfqr942t-q5v4t0gXb3drVwAeQIPtRGSn4AknagfyGUygKNNvOkXBEo/s1600/2013-05-06+18.26.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0gh4gubWAKHRaIPD6Wgns5HjkOHfAuAur-3hKVP-A_qXCnNGhX_zlIVoMUF6Xqaio0p1lkBrYmRnuP0kovd9Lfqr942t-q5v4t0gXb3drVwAeQIPtRGSn4AknagfyGUygKNNvOkXBEo/s1600/2013-05-06+18.26.54.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End of day 1 - the pile is reducing scarily fast!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was going to post this last night but after I ate dinner I was so tired I just went to bed.<br />
<br />
Day 1 was very hard. I'd like to think that was the hardest hill to climb (shock to the system and all that) but I think that would be naively optimistic.<br />
<br />
The first few hours were okay as I usually eat a late breakfast anyway. I managed to con myself in thinking I was having comforting cups of tea by drinking boiled cups of water. It seems to have worked to some extent as I am drinking one right now as I type this.<br />
<br />
Breakfast consisted of a poached egg and two pieces of toast with butter. It was tasty, but didn't fill me up as much as I would have liked.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iHeu7KgNMgsF-s1_-8bbvNgrok1ymJgAhBZbwRdbyUwv5e45tVZs6Lh-rALYf5eRJTHnAkdHzaEb9DL8xF80HAHqsYg6U2Xfx5-2g_WIqP7dRcQYk5EFdsBo5zUPjfzzgZyW5qW2FK8/s1600/day1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iHeu7KgNMgsF-s1_-8bbvNgrok1ymJgAhBZbwRdbyUwv5e45tVZs6Lh-rALYf5eRJTHnAkdHzaEb9DL8xF80HAHqsYg6U2Xfx5-2g_WIqP7dRcQYk5EFdsBo5zUPjfzzgZyW5qW2FK8/s320/day1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poached egg on toast - 39c</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By 10am I was starving again so I made a bowl of porridge which was possibly the most uninspiring thing I've ever eaten as I couldn't but anything on it. But it filled me up quite well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kpz19TGgrl2NAsRZfh_9obnpLBSLFXBac4pcyUStmZ0d4yOXrYnLxkP536nwst5PEUmlvZ7ONuWwZViEgPuDGOKRkWOpf1JefpFgy3wEF31ko5LlCQyls5iyFtNHjiBo_1hr-q80DBI/s1600/day1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kpz19TGgrl2NAsRZfh_9obnpLBSLFXBac4pcyUStmZ0d4yOXrYnLxkP536nwst5PEUmlvZ7ONuWwZViEgPuDGOKRkWOpf1JefpFgy3wEF31ko5LlCQyls5iyFtNHjiBo_1hr-q80DBI/s320/day1-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasteless Porridge - 8c</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was trying to make it until 2ish until I ate lunch but only got to 1pm before I cracked and made my 2 minute noodles with some frozen vegetables thrown in. I left the broth in and slurped down every last drop. This was quite a satisfactory lunch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-_zZfsCQ5pMUTWJD78dIgxtXOl2QaqsdRUx-P59HGO2o1csE49HvpLrHBenfKWV-7kd2PhIy7wedGzKe6LMEWtWXmyZ1fuyrXcUbe3o5C7jHk2OO5cpErenGxqJKD8EXZirZQhMLW1c/s1600/day1-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-_zZfsCQ5pMUTWJD78dIgxtXOl2QaqsdRUx-P59HGO2o1csE49HvpLrHBenfKWV-7kd2PhIy7wedGzKe6LMEWtWXmyZ1fuyrXcUbe3o5C7jHk2OO5cpErenGxqJKD8EXZirZQhMLW1c/s320/day1-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 minute noodles + vege in broth - 29c</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dinner was... sigh... dinner was horrible. I love my pasta, but I just couldn't love this pasta. Dinner was a combination of various factors that mixed to make the most disappointing dinner ever.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8khvVai0IctDVmPOlu4K3IWtiiAB2cIGAT9a8B9pDE8wOQYmyiqcpDbVTeanYgFzSLW4v7n5EUKOcvY8D_wLZRhJaBe5eF9-4aCLbxm4yZUmpI87D_yuN2pLYH_Hd9Xi_eBq9sKjnyE/s1600/day1-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8khvVai0IctDVmPOlu4K3IWtiiAB2cIGAT9a8B9pDE8wOQYmyiqcpDbVTeanYgFzSLW4v7n5EUKOcvY8D_wLZRhJaBe5eF9-4aCLbxm4yZUmpI87D_yuN2pLYH_Hd9Xi_eBq9sKjnyE/s320/day1-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disappointing pasta - 71c</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Recipe for the worst pasta ever</b><br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Take home brand pasta and mix with a sauce created out of only tin tomatoes, onion and garlic.</li>
<li>Of course, you don't have any oil so you use a little butter to fry the garlic and onions with but that burns off so quickly your onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan.</li>
<li>You are both not wanting to waste your precious onions and are so hungry you can't wait for anything to cook properly you tip the can of tomatoes in there.</li>
<li>You taste the sauce like you would normally and are saddened to discover you can't taste any garlic or onion, just tinned tomato (and we all know how 'great' they taste).</li>
<li>Dump the frozen vegetables in and basically just wait until they thaw.</li>
<li>Now add your pasta and stare longingly towards the fridge where you have some cheese that you absolutely can't grate on to the top of it.</li>
<li>Serve and scowl at your horrible dinner that you also have to eat tomorrow night because you cooked up two batches.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then I curled up on the couch thinking I should attempt to get some of an assignment that is due tomorrow done, but felt so weak I just went to bed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And it's only day 1!<br />
<br />
<i>Day 1 total = $1.47</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Please support my effors the <a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a>. Even a couple of dollars will make the difference! The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-30322479254020925022013-05-05T18:57:00.000+10:002013-05-05T18:57:45.838+10:00What you can eat for $2 day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr21wexnnrRgoavoDxKUMbpWACuqdsR_08UHetJK4q6qorxPNXewgWHXk0da5nPX-aoFv9nbRNTduPCYaLfYypDUxMQM71LMV2-5urriF0IipNjjh5qsNfo6s21G3ipGJAByNpJXLRr_M/s1600/shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr21wexnnrRgoavoDxKUMbpWACuqdsR_08UHetJK4q6qorxPNXewgWHXk0da5nPX-aoFv9nbRNTduPCYaLfYypDUxMQM71LMV2-5urriF0IipNjjh5qsNfo6s21G3ipGJAByNpJXLRr_M/s640/shop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
So here it is. The last day of eating whatever I want before I have to survive on $2 day for 5 days. I celebrated by eating a packet of Twisties, 3 sushi rolls and a bubble tea (I have eaten more than that, but these seemed the most extravagant).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thedashinghans.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">The Dashing Hans</a> is taking part along with me so we pooled our shopping resources and managed to get some good bargains.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
My weekly list includes:</h3>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/2 L skim milk - 50c</li>
<li>2 cans of tomatoes - $1.53</li>
<li>375g oats - 29c</li>
<li>1/2 loaf of multi-grain bread - 75c</li>
<li>5 pack of noodles - $1.09</li>
<li>1/2 bulb of garlic - 30c</li>
<li>500g mixed frozen vegetables - 76c</li>
<li>6 cage eggs :( - $1.49</li>
<li>250g pearl barley - 71c</li>
<li>500g pasta - 69c</li>
<li>60g butter - 34c</li>
<li>2 pears -66c</li>
<li>1 zucchini - 25c</li>
<li>1 onion - 45c</li>
</ul>
<div>
Total - $9.81</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you see all the food laid out on the counter and it looks more like what you would have out to cook for one nights meal... that's when it hits home how little you will be living on for the next five days.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh God.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Don't forget... You can sponsor me in my<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"> Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here</a>. The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle
</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://thedashinghans.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">You can follow The Dashing Hans journey through the week here</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.thehungrybabushka.com/" target="_blank">My friend The Hungry Babushka is also participating and you can follow her progress here</a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-60108852318451690402013-05-04T18:47:00.002+10:002013-05-04T18:52:20.158+10:00Starting with Sour Dough Starter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's a good thing I'm not a perfectionist and understand when you try something new for the first time there is going to be a learning curve, because creating a sour dough starter for the first time certainly has one hell of a learning curve.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've always wanted to try a sour dough recipe. My mum did her own last year to great success, so I was eager to have a go myself. And with my <a href="http://jaffajaf.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/can-i-live-on-2-day.html" target="_blank">$2 a day challenge</a> coming up on Monday I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try something new and save some money in my piddling $10 budget for the week.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I dove straight in and read a lot of blogs about sour dough. Most of which recommended buying a pre-made starter until you get a hang of sour dough. 'Ha', I scoffed, 'I bake all the time. Just watch me make a perfect sour dough from scratch first go.' ...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hmmm, maybe I spoke too soon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I used a very simple starter from the <a href="http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/10/rustic-sourdough-the-secret-to-making-amazing-bread-at-home-5-ingredients-simple-baking/#" target="_blank">Stone Soup</a>, and even improvised by using <a href="http://www.azeliaskitchen.net/how-to-make-easy-sourdough-starter-dan-lepard/" target="_blank">sultanas</a>, which I'd read on another blog as I didn't have any yogurt. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGjf9hfBvo5lbvzjFlcIwHCEBhAe8K349mnwMJdPD6mdXyg6DQWMU82kWCtrhdpn_aPlEpT13p1XgWriHDYTAR9s2jnsuydEBGmINKWSgRf_OPM1RHNBFToZbLtmfouymA_i2OSM_1OM/s1600/sourdough02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGjf9hfBvo5lbvzjFlcIwHCEBhAe8K349mnwMJdPD6mdXyg6DQWMU82kWCtrhdpn_aPlEpT13p1XgWriHDYTAR9s2jnsuydEBGmINKWSgRf_OPM1RHNBFToZbLtmfouymA_i2OSM_1OM/s320/sourdough02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1 - right after I mixed it together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
By the second day I was feeling really optimistic. The starter had doubled in size and was starting to bubble. This is really going to work, I'm really going to be able to make my own sour dough!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACYRPMnhXDl04-7Rh21Nm8TNOnKc_PlEcCtV3vjQr_rUlbQFSXsnzRUN5rlbIJdoeEgZ_jdNeDIlHCkIKjGYobAnoHX_tVkANUa7mDBB5KrL5qXv7XyHSB2jK2-dcol8z2bvR6aQdds8/s1600/sourdough01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACYRPMnhXDl04-7Rh21Nm8TNOnKc_PlEcCtV3vjQr_rUlbQFSXsnzRUN5rlbIJdoeEgZ_jdNeDIlHCkIKjGYobAnoHX_tVkANUa7mDBB5KrL5qXv7XyHSB2jK2-dcol8z2bvR6aQdds8/s320/sourdough01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2 - my starter behaving exactly how I expected, I feel so proud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But on day 3 I started to worry. This is when the smell arrived. It didn't smell all that bad I suppose, just like something that's been left in the fridge a bit long. I read many blogs again. 'Yes', they said, 'it will smell... a little sweet... a little fruity...' Was it fruity though? I couldn't tell, what if something's gone wrong.<br />
<br />
I discarded half the starter into the compost heap like instructed (while trying not to breath in), and fed it with fresh flour and water.<br />
<br />
I didn't take a photo because I was a little embarrassed.<br />
<br />
So here we are on day 4. I have to confess, I actively tried to ignore my starter today. Every time I went near it I'd catch a waft of the smell and my heart sank a little further and I averted my eyes. Eventually I bit the bullet and had a good look. It wasn't very promising - there was a layer of stagnant water simmering away on the top.<br />
<br />
I madly Googled sour dough starter trouble shooting and read further. Expect it to smell, just keep feeding it and discarding half each day. Let it get past the smelly phase.<br />
<br />
I don't know though... I've got my doubts that this is going to work. And I certainly don't think I'll be baking with it in the next couple of days.<br />
<br />
Looks like it's $1 bread from Aldi then.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4XVCXH0jX_hiMlx43lslo5m0KCxf9XxcfF_GfLtTXfkrPlKcktKI-3hmeT9L8wtqyhqmswW0UvvrV1gGmpp-3uQ2Y_fW12A5Y9dcI_8Cj4EV-vrS0ciuPxvoopt7ALiB42luBa6pu1c/s1600/2013-05-04+18.28.34.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4XVCXH0jX_hiMlx43lslo5m0KCxf9XxcfF_GfLtTXfkrPlKcktKI-3hmeT9L8wtqyhqmswW0UvvrV1gGmpp-3uQ2Y_fW12A5Y9dcI_8Cj4EV-vrS0ciuPxvoopt7ALiB42luBa6pu1c/s400/2013-05-04+18.28.34.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 4 - the sour dough starter from the black lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
Has anyone made their own sour dough starter before? Please share you tips (or condolences as I feel it might be).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or... share you baking disasters, sometimes it's better to grieve together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOz2Xn8rmplnpir0oTpKYLZrTtQoCsN22MU3pBEp6N-FWLm4kdlTjyxIDs2oPEczGSABC-c394nhNGCQclRPKnQS-6zZ6h92i77jgI80aEu-fqZKDWGhZTTVcdtUix6OD2MAcw_JpPwM/s320/livebelow+the+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Don't forget... You can sponsor me in my <a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank">Live Below the Line Challenge by clicking here.</a> The money raised goes towards educating children in Cambodia and New Guinea in order to break the poverty cycle</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-71260316746567262732013-05-01T10:31:00.002+10:002013-05-01T10:32:47.726+10:00May Blogging Challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now and then we all need a little motivation, which is why I will be taking part in a blogging challenge this month to get into the swing of posting regular blogs.<br />
<br />
As you all know, I will have some daily updates coming next week while I struggle along surviving on only<a href="http://jaffajaf.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/can-i-live-on-2-day.html" target="_blank"> $2 a day</a> (which, I am absolutely terrified about). But I will also be adding a few extra projects I've had up my sleeves including some more Brisbane Staycation ideas and a couple of Pinterest Roadtests.<br />
<br />
I do have a list of ideas for these but I'm calling out to you as well...<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
1. If you have a place in Brisbane you've been wanting to check out or want to recommend let me know in the comments.</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
2. If you've seen a project on Pinterest and thought 'hmmm, would that really work?' I want to know that too.</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'll be seeing you regularly over the coming month :)</div>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-14105661008232145962013-04-24T15:40:00.001+10:002013-05-05T20:27:01.636+10:00Can I live on $2 a day?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0g_ufV8vWLtkK73hvYqQlK9vOMPRIXTDaa78kfYs5Nr00bKEnvzOKT6yWLPgoMC4DhwIcwyd5Pa1jfVa9gPhzhzqH6pkOaDM8Pgs4kOysoGFGfXsCBre50bw6-F71xK4t_R2AX8JOqc/s1600/livebelow+the+line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0g_ufV8vWLtkK73hvYqQlK9vOMPRIXTDaa78kfYs5Nr00bKEnvzOKT6yWLPgoMC4DhwIcwyd5Pa1jfVa9gPhzhzqH6pkOaDM8Pgs4kOysoGFGfXsCBre50bw6-F71xK4t_R2AX8JOqc/s1600/livebelow+the+line.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0g_ufV8vWLtkK73hvYqQlK9vOMPRIXTDaa78kfYs5Nr00bKEnvzOKT6yWLPgoMC4DhwIcwyd5Pa1jfVa9gPhzhzqH6pkOaDM8Pgs4kOysoGFGfXsCBre50bw6-F71xK4t_R2AX8JOqc/s1600/livebelow+the+line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
There's days that I whinge and complain a lot about not having enough. I want to buy new clothes but I can't afford them. I want to buy expensive cheese, but I have to get the tasteless home-brand stuff. I want to drive down the coast for the day, but have to wait a couple of days until I can afford to put petrol in my car.<br />
<br />
At these times I feel like I've got it so bad. Why can I not just have a little bit more to make my life easier? It's just not fair.<br />
<br />
Well, no actually, it isn't fair. It isn't fair at all and I'll tell you why.<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you are lucky enough to earn $50,000 a year you are in the top 3% of world wealth.</li>
<li>If earn $20,000 a year (basic starting wage) you are in the top 13% of world wealth.</li>
<li>Even if you are on Newstart and only earn $13,000 a year you are in the top 19%.</li>
<li>1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty and survive on the equivalent of $2 a day</li>
</ul>
<br />
If we were to live in a fair world a lot of the luck that we have would be spread a little more thinly. We are lucky we have so much.<br />
<br />
So I feel it's important to spend some time doing our part for people who have no choice in where they live or what luck they've been dealt. <a href="http://www.thehungrybabushka.com/" target="_blank">The Hungry Babushka</a> directed my attention to the <a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/" target="_blank">Live Below the Line </a>challenge that is coming up in a couple of weeks (6-10 May). The goal is to live on $2 a day for 5 days and experience what is like to survive on the extreme poverty line.<br />
<br />
What can you do to help support Live Below the Line?<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/" target="_blank">1. You can sign up and try to live for $2 a day yourself </a></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/me/debbie_lindsay" target="_blank">2. Or you can donate here to help the Oaktree Foundation raise money for those living in extreme poverty.</a></h3>
<br />
Let's all be grateful for what we have and spend some time thinking about others who aren't as lucky as we are in Australia.<br />
<br />
DFTBA<br />
<br />
Debbie x<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ihVUUrhRi8g?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you do sign up share the links to your page below so we can support each other going forward.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'll be posting thoughout the week my trials and successes.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-72266457286232606132013-04-15T08:34:00.001+10:002013-05-15T17:34:41.210+10:00Post Secret in Brisbane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMHwDOw-d0uFDIiTqCqFIIIAzLNtwepUX8dMfVmkYh4ufaNYxFQUspv8gAQ_ouxqYRxTbAz9XSs-06t8Jtjyg0Y_32zEvaUXPqTBMY9_pjgmZcjcNi7My8oV8CnCJOXr-VBRC4MrO0Qc/s1600/postsecret-15-4-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMHwDOw-d0uFDIiTqCqFIIIAzLNtwepUX8dMfVmkYh4ufaNYxFQUspv8gAQ_ouxqYRxTbAz9XSs-06t8Jtjyg0Y_32zEvaUXPqTBMY9_pjgmZcjcNi7My8oV8CnCJOXr-VBRC4MrO0Qc/s1600/postsecret-15-4-0.jpg" /></a></div>
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I had another entry I was going to post today, but last night something happened and I wanted to talk about that.<br />
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Last night I went to the first <a href="http://www.postsecret.com/" target="_blank">Post Secret</a> event in Australian tour. The first time he's been in Australia actually. I felt like I've been waiting for this since I first opened a Post Secret book nearly 10 years ago.<br />
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Post Secret is an internet community founded by Frank Warren where people post in their secrets. They can be big or trivial, but something I've learnt from reading these secrets over the years is that not one of them is unique. If you have a secret, you can pretty much guarantee someone else has got it too.<br />
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I first discovered Post Secret in a little book shop in The Rocks, Sydney. I picked it up, flicked through the pages and immediately bought it. It seemed like the most amazing thing I had come across - all these peoples secrets laid bare for my voyeuristic eyes to pore over. I devoured the book and occasionally would pull it back off my book shelf to flick through it again.<br />
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Later on, I discovered the website and signed up to receive updates from Frank. Now every Sunday, after lunch, an email arrives in my inbox with a handful of new secrets. It's become my Sunday ritual to sit down at my computer, open up my email and read the secrets that have been delivered to me. At the bottom of the emails there would be a list of upcoming speaking events - but these were always in America.<br />
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When Australian tour dates appeared I immediately booked two tickets, and I'm thrilled that I did as it sold out amazingly fast. I gave one of my tickets to <a href="http://thedashinghans.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">The Dashing Hans</a>, who was with me when I bought that first Post Secret book.<br />
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I had an idea what the night would entail - a talk by Frank on how he started Post Secret, the sharing of secrets and what they meant to him and others - but I had completely forgotten about the fact that he invites people to share their own secrets at the end of the night.<br />
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Some of the secrets that people shared were big, hairy, monstrous secrets. After the event I saw some of those who had told their secrets getting hugs from strangers.<br />
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One common theme that came up was people who had bought two tickets intending to take their 'one' with them... only they didn't meet them in time. Or people who were convinced they would meet their 'one' there. I've never been to an event before that had so many people who attended for such loaded reasons. It felt like most of the audience was there not because they just wanted to go, but because they had this great weight that meant that <i>had </i>to be there.<br />
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Did I get up and share a secret?<br />
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No, I was way too chicken - I also couldn't think of anything good.<br />
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Do I have a secret I want to share?<br />
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Maybe...<br />
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Afterwards I looked at the <a href="http://statigr.am/tag/postsecret/#/list" target="_blank">#postsecret tag on Instagram</a>, I felt like I was going through it all over again and feeling that connection with other people that Post Secret is so good at doing.<br />
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<a href="http://instagram.com/Tamazapan" target="_blank">@Tamazapan</a><br />
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@Tea_and_books</div>
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<a href="http://instagram.com/Jemma_gorring" target="_blank">@Jemma_gorring</a><br />
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So you still want to hear my secret?<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Do you have a secret you want to share?</h2>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-50342560035429657162013-04-06T15:15:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:29:52.391+10:00Black Tea Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Icing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eKi0maId4CwNM58bkiPYhLo7yVQlth7QFFiiDKTe896WEkQyE4KvcN6BCzdww65Ioir2hKerwnyOuzyKdgDOS8hQBmrN_DosZF8S4ZEjB819eMJdmHjyOdwsdaGJdbAYf4he6Gc2zzw/s1600/DSCN1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eKi0maId4CwNM58bkiPYhLo7yVQlth7QFFiiDKTe896WEkQyE4KvcN6BCzdww65Ioir2hKerwnyOuzyKdgDOS8hQBmrN_DosZF8S4ZEjB819eMJdmHjyOdwsdaGJdbAYf4he6Gc2zzw/s640/DSCN1758.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the last few months I've spotted a few cake recipes that use tea to flavour the cake. I have been dying to try it out and was not disappointed with the results.</div>
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I'm a big tea drinker (and a bit of a tea-snob actually). I have a large collection of different leaves so I can always select the tea that I feel in the mood for. I also shared my cake with <a href="http://thedashinghans.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">The Dashing Hans</a> who is another tea connoisseur and who has shared many tea-related journeys with me. We both agreed that the flavour wasn't as tea-ish as we would have liked, so next time I bake this cake I will replace the regular Assam leaves with something a bit stronger (like a Russian Caravan or a Lapsang). But other than that this cake was delicious!</div>
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This recipe comes from <a href="http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/black-tea-cake-with-honey-buttercream.html" target="_blank">Pastry Affair</a> and I found it worked perfectly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwNabYRF-MGlWRXOo53wAeqbeMVermJwPqbW3S7f83XenfYYpwnWwQ9-wMifaPFWaPxbtKhb1Cr6WVLhpxiGDpXVtSZhDW9pMWQaVJyPbd2IfDPELAZomqfE4w4uqGbRx9fxMqACEa5A/s1600/DSCN1743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwNabYRF-MGlWRXOo53wAeqbeMVermJwPqbW3S7f83XenfYYpwnWwQ9-wMifaPFWaPxbtKhb1Cr6WVLhpxiGDpXVtSZhDW9pMWQaVJyPbd2IfDPELAZomqfE4w4uqGbRx9fxMqACEa5A/s400/DSCN1743.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ingredients</h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 cup milk </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">3 tablespoons black tea (or the contents of 3 tea bags)* </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">55 grams butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 cup granulated sugar** </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">2 large eggs </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1/4 cup vegetable oil </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 3/4 cups plain flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1/2 teaspoon baking soda </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">*As I mentioned above, I used a regular Assam blend (<a href="http://www.daintreetea.com/" target="_blank">Daintree Tea</a> to be exact). This tea is quite full bodied so I was expecting the flavour to come through stronger. I'll be sure to update when I've tested on different blends of tea.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">**I felt this gave the cake a much more caramel flavour that may have been why the tea flavour was lost. Next time I bake this I will be using a finer blend of sugar.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;"><b><i>Bonus Baking Tip - Get your eggs, milk and butter out early as you should always bake with these at room temperature. Having the butter at room temperature makes it easier to beat and if you bake with cold eggs and milk it can cause your mixture to shrink when baking giving you a tough cake.</i></b></span><br />
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Method</h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare you baking pan (about 20cm will be fine).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Warm you milk up close to boiling point (you can do this on the stove or the microwave). Then add your tea leaves directly into the milk. If you are using tea-bags, don't just dunk them in but cut them open as you want all the leaves in there. Set aside to cool.</span></span></span></div>
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Cream together your butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg. Now add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract.<br />
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In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.</div>
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Add 1/3 of your flour mix to your wet mix and mix until just combined. Resist the urge to use electric beaters to mix your flour this over-beats the mixture and results in tough cakes. Add 1/3 of your milk/tea mix and stir to combine. Continue until you've added all your flour and milk/tea. You should have a smooth batter - I had to add a little more flour to get a nice cake batter consistency.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Pour your mix into your pre-prepared cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack before icing.</span></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
</h3>
<h3>
Honey Cream Cheese Icing</h3>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">250 grams cream cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1 cup of icing sugar (give or take for taste and consistency)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">1/2 cup of honey </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">(give or take for taste and consistency)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Beat together cream cheese, icing sugar and honey until you have a flavour and consistency that you like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Note: the more you beat the more this icing will become runny. To obtain a stiff icing you can pipe with, use really cold cream cheese, add more icing sugar and beat as little as possible.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Drizzle over cake</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">I added some lemon zest as well :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.671875px;">Enjoy with a good cup of tea.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-10315982194123466102013-04-02T09:40:00.004+10:002013-04-06T19:26:29.131+10:00How I lived without internet for 47 days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I decided to give up all non-essential internet for the 47 calendar days that is Lent I thought it would be difficult but that I would manage it. I knew I relied very heavily on the internet - for entertainment and the generally making-of-my-life-easier. But I didn't realise how <i>much </i>I relied on it. The first night of my internet fast I dreamt about checking my Facebook page. I found myself questioning my decision when I had to stand in the queue at the cinemas to buy my ticket instead of having it ready from ordering online.<br />
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I had visions of breaking my internet habit quickly and using my free time to read copious amounts of high brow literature, finish several embroidery projects, bake fresh bread every day, finally commit to running regularly and starting to meditate. What really happened wasn't as serene and self-empowering. The first week I replaced the internet with junk food, downing an entire packet of chocolate biscuits and a large packet of chips the first day at work when the internet wasn't so easy to ignore.<br />
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Once I got past the junk food phase I replaced the internet with television where I watched hours of The Block and My Kitchen Rules. I also watched the entire seven seasons of Buffy resulting in the Facebook dreams being replaced by Buffy dreams and I got the songs from Once More With Feeling stuck in my head for a fortnight.<br />
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This suggested to me that I may have a bit of problem disconnecting from technology and that by replacing the internet with television I may have missed the whole point of what I was trying to achieve so I set up some new rules. I had five weeks left of Lent at this stage and so decided to wean myself off television one hour at a time. The first week I was allowed five hours a day, the next week four a day and so on until I would, theoretically, be down to one hour a day by the last week of Lent.<br />
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This proved to be more difficult than I suspected.<br />
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It was fine during the working week, but the first Saturday was a nightmare and I had the horrifying realisation that I was using all this technology to quite the voices in my head. You know the ones... They spend all their time second guessing you and bring up all the things you've done wrong in your life. There weren't any dreams about Facebook or Buffy that night, instead I kept waking up anxious about work, money, uni, life in general. I had about three hours sleep that night. The next day I re-wrote the rules again and gave myself a Sunday reprieve. Once a week I allowed myself as much TV as I wanted. I also let go of the idea of getting rid of technology all-together as it was literally sending me mad without.<br />
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Instead I officially crossed the line from youth market to adult and spent the remainder of my Lent listing to an awful lot of ABC Radio National. I started to bring up current affairs topics I heard when listening to Amanda Vanstone (maybe the sleepless anxious nights or Buffy induced ear-worms weren't so bad).<br />
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There were a couple of slips along the way. I had a couple of sneaky Google searches (one to double check how long Lent actually went for in case I got it wrong... I didn't). I listened to some old podcasts on my ipod during a early morning flight. And I checked my email a little more frequently than was allowed by my predetermined rules. But am proud to say I didn't access social media once and didn't watch any on-demand tv.<br />
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I did miss a lot of things happening in the world. Mostly things happening in my friends lives. A visit with The <a href="http://www.thehungrybabushka.com/" target="_blank">Hungry Babushka</a> interstate made this plainly obvious when not a conversation went by where the phrase, 'did you hear... oh yeah, you're not on Facebook' came up. For all it's intrusiveness this website is clearly essential to my social life and without it I felt very cut off from my friends. I also discovered too late there was a Ted X conference at my university so I missed the registration. And that for the first time in my degree three of my classes decided to integrate social networking as teaching tools.<br />
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But I think this has been a good experiment. I'm very glad I did it. I did manage to finish a very large, very dull high brow novel (Czech actually, which I think gives me bonus points). I did bake a couple of batches of bagels and a batch of biscuits. I did one week of running before it started to rain for a month and I caught the flu. I've actually got a fairly good head start on my uni assignments. And I can comfortably walk away from my computer without feeling the need to compulsively check Facebook, Pinterest and my blog analytics.<br />
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It seems important to remember how easy our lives are. With so much to entertain us, and inform us, and aid in our communication. So many shortcuts to make our lives easier. 'Struggling' without social media for a couple of weeks is not very high up on the list of difficulties I could be facing.<br />
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This has given me an idea for a future project, but I am going to file that one away for a later date. In the meantime, I am very glad to have my internet back, but may still try to not use it quite as much as I was.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
So how did everyone else go? What did you give up for lent? Were you successful? Do you feel different?</h3>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-17539858863974137892013-02-12T09:01:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:28:27.076+10:00The Tea Tree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today I got an email from Threadless (the super cool crowd-source t-shirt website) that my design was accepted for scoring. I'm major excited!</div>
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Does this mean it will be printed and available for purchase? Maybe... but that's where I need your help.</div>
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In order to get printed my tee needs to gets lot's of high votes and positive comments. At the moment it has 10 scores and I have no idea what they are.</div>
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Please, please, please go to <a href="http://beta.threadless.com/threadless/the-tea-tree/" target="_blank">THIS WEBSITE</a> and vote for my t-shirt. </div>
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I know you all want a chance to get a hold of this shirt but without votes it just won't happen. </div>
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Thanks for your help team</div>
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x Debbie</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-38147916200526763032013-02-10T10:44:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:28:38.267+10:00An atheist's approach to Lent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This time last year I was contemplating whether I would participate in the 40 days fasting that is Lent. I had read lots of blog articles and Facebook posts about what people were going to give up and I was seriously considering whether I would do the same.<br />
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In the end I didn't take part as I thought, being an atheist, it would be hypocritical to do so. I wouldn't be forgoing something to bring myself closer to god, using it to pray, or as a penance for my sins throughout the year. If I participated it would be just to see if I could and that seemed a bit shallow.<br />
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Then I heard Alain de Button talk about his book <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Religion-for-Atheists-Alain-de-Botton/9780241144770" target="_blank">Religion for Atheists</a> and he raised the point that perhaps those of us non-religious-types can co-opt religious traditions simply for bettering ourselves. This wasn't a new perspective to me as I'd argued this point myself while I was trying to make my to-Lent or not-to-Lent decision. As I listened to the points he made I found myself nodding my head and regretting the decision not to take part in Lent.<br />
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While the tradition of Lent in Catholicism focuses on prayer & penance why could I not take these 40 days that were already marked in the calendar and use them to make myself a better person. For me Lent would be about discipline, bringing myself closer to the values I hold (even questioning those values), living, and ultimately appreciating, my life in the present moment.<br />
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This year I am taking part. I am going to give up the internet for 40 days. This is going to be hard, but I wanted to find something that would be hard, would challenge me and hopefully have me coming out the other side as a different person (even if it is only that I spend my nights reading instead of on Youtube).<br />
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I do have to build in some strict rules as I currently work in web design so the Internet is my job. I'm also about to go back to uni in two weeks so I will have to use the internet to access my course information. But aside from my paying work and essential university internet I will be turning it off.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Rules</h3>
<b>1. No Facebook </b><br />
At all. Not for work, not to check my news feeds. Not at all.<br />
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<b>2. No Pinterest, Instagram, Blogging or other social media. </b><br />
This means I can't view it (on any computer or mobile device) and I can't post to it.<br />
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<b>3. Essential Internet Only</b><br />
<u>Work internet</u> will be restricted to the hours when I am working and will be limited to only websites I am working on. I cannot access the internet in my breaks or sneak a look at non-work internet while at the computer.<br />
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<u>Uni internet</u> will be restricted to UQ websites only - Our course listings and library database. The only exception is sites that have been given to us in class that we must access for assessment.<br />
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<b>4. Restricted Email hours + Internet Banking</b><br />
Emails can only be accessed for 1 hour a day for essential correspondence (bills, university notices, online shop orders). All internet banking must be done in this hour.<br />
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<b>5. No Online TV</b><br />
Iview, Youtube and all on-demand TV is banned.<br />
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<b>6. No Podcasts</b><br />
This is going to be the hardest. My Podcast playlist on itunes will not be accessed. I will not listen to them at work or on my ipod. No streaming of them on Stitcher either.<br />
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Reading back this sounds like it is going to be a very difficult 40 days - It's only when I started to catalogue what I won't be able to do under the 'No Internet' heading that I realised just how much time I invest in this thing. But I am determined to get through it, and honestly, I can't see how spending a few weeks without the internet could leave me worse off.<br />
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I haven't yet read Religion for Atheists - perhaps I'll read it over the next 40 days, I'm pretty confident that I will get a lot of reading done.<br />
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If you haven't come across Alain de Button before I recommend watching this talk... he's an interesting man with interesting ideas.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W9UrPrXv3s4" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Is anyone else planning to give up something for Lent (for whatever reason, religious or reasons similar to mine)? </h3>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Let me know in the comments... I still have a few days to read them :)</span></h3>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Edit - completely forgot to add Lent is from 13 February - 30 March this year</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-67109921908126423432013-02-03T09:27:00.003+10:002013-04-06T19:30:25.172+10:00DIY Window Herb Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love cooking with fresh ingredients so have had setting up a herb garden on my to-do list for a while.<br />
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In the past my herbs have sat outside, but this usually results in them getting feasted on my the punk teenage possums that live in the tree next door.<br />
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This time round I hatched a plan to keep my herbs possum-safe and close at hand for when I am cooking.<br />
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I don't have much space in my kitchen so getting the pots up off my counter was essential. This is a very easy project and I finished it in a couple of hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw5AW0nL3Lez5fJnwfiP_gZOjLETY5u1bEHbnFTWZkKAdHDQpbNXS3YMnI_yi7e0EA7k5-fN8oMlQlYQJ3HAA-ajk-w2pYty3DRu_AtvMco2iD30TWfCKSil3MXn-4E1Nh3AW9HdIA8c/s1600/herbgarden3-2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw5AW0nL3Lez5fJnwfiP_gZOjLETY5u1bEHbnFTWZkKAdHDQpbNXS3YMnI_yi7e0EA7k5-fN8oMlQlYQJ3HAA-ajk-w2pYty3DRu_AtvMco2iD30TWfCKSil3MXn-4E1Nh3AW9HdIA8c/s400/herbgarden3-2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 1</h3>
Measure up your window and cut a piece of dowel to fit. Make sure the dowel is thick enough to bear the weight of the plants you are going to hang there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp6rOuhWrE3TxYZz1bYzuZLdR_eTL9pex5tXBvaVN7JnnEz_tguSz9RDMwRr6glIpcgi7Yy-fzGi4mC0Il_QYYGd4c03lAi0PuXM-5jsQLtAl6ueDuiRut7RnlPhjJp0dB2qlIKoJ__I/s1600/herbgarden3-2-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp6rOuhWrE3TxYZz1bYzuZLdR_eTL9pex5tXBvaVN7JnnEz_tguSz9RDMwRr6glIpcgi7Yy-fzGi4mC0Il_QYYGd4c03lAi0PuXM-5jsQLtAl6ueDuiRut7RnlPhjJp0dB2qlIKoJ__I/s400/herbgarden3-2-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 2</h3>
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Measure out the number of hooks you will need for your pots and space them out out evenly. Cup hooks are easy to screw in by hand. To make it easier hammer a guide hole (usually only 2-3 taps then take the nail out) and use pliers to twist the hook in once it gets too tight for you.</div>
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Alternatively you can use s-hooks - no screwing in of hooks necessary!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaegaU5BXpT0z3soJU4_2PIg3uYm_JxVr0BN_SE555WsrOZ3Yq34DxTQx4FbMyTsQW_1SG8iSDTNcRIn-vg0U59UgkTm4XqjrXHgToIfvR__yB7n8vD7IbOqHX82J4sXdL-CCxLM2UhZs/s1600/herbgarden3-2-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaegaU5BXpT0z3soJU4_2PIg3uYm_JxVr0BN_SE555WsrOZ3Yq34DxTQx4FbMyTsQW_1SG8iSDTNcRIn-vg0U59UgkTm4XqjrXHgToIfvR__yB7n8vD7IbOqHX82J4sXdL-CCxLM2UhZs/s400/herbgarden3-2-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Step 3</h3>
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Measure up your window sill how high you want your pots. Remember your pots will hang lower than the dowel and you want them to be at a comfortable height to access the pots, but not so low they are in your way - especially if they are over your sink.</div>
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Drill in curtain brackets on either side of the window and place your dowel in the brackets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcLIdn1Dnpfk8x5GdZGBQ6EQ8mjUR7evfYC8QmNh8-XOo7bhZjcSKe6v9VeYQmiGANhHpncFeFW4fKViBQjElqSu64Ti8a4UOGPn0j0Fr6qxFZBCKFYdJPgjj_Tk2LyZXqSIZhedJ_Z0/s1600/herbgarden3-2-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcLIdn1Dnpfk8x5GdZGBQ6EQ8mjUR7evfYC8QmNh8-XOo7bhZjcSKe6v9VeYQmiGANhHpncFeFW4fKViBQjElqSu64Ti8a4UOGPn0j0Fr6qxFZBCKFYdJPgjj_Tk2LyZXqSIZhedJ_Z0/s400/herbgarden3-2-7.jpg" width="361" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 4</h3>
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You can purchase pots that are designed to be hung from hooks, but if you don't have these you will need to drill your own holes. Ensure the hole is big enough for your hook and they are in the same place on each pot to keep them hanging straight.</div>
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Steer clear of ceramic or glass pots (if you are drilling your own holes) as you are likely to have a broken pot instead of one with a hole in it. I used galvanised metal pots from ikea, but you could also use plastic ones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFmlpKnk1-f9ZyhNqO-ry0M0qUHbV7HuujfSw8qbNZGkBucLuIw2lKiQd29q9ltBeOmPbR4Tv3kWpW9-IQid9gfvY0zjFX9dMVjoDMryVjzmgi-agT5lhNHzT22g8tOZkC_O5ybSNqw4/s1600/herbgarden3-2-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFmlpKnk1-f9ZyhNqO-ry0M0qUHbV7HuujfSw8qbNZGkBucLuIw2lKiQd29q9ltBeOmPbR4Tv3kWpW9-IQid9gfvY0zjFX9dMVjoDMryVjzmgi-agT5lhNHzT22g8tOZkC_O5ybSNqw4/s400/herbgarden3-2-8.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 5</h3>
Pot up your herbs in pots that will fit inside your hanging pots. You don't want to pot them straight in there for a couple of reasons:<br />
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1. You won't have drainage (believe me, you don't want your pots dripping water all over your kitchen) so your herbs will get way too soggy and will die.<br />
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2. While your herbs will do well in a sunny window eventually you are going to have to give them a holiday outdoors. Or if they are annuals you will just compost them and replace. This is much easier if you can just take the interior pot out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AjEAAHMxUZLR_Uz5XhZobGJVi9tEXaseANb8yn6fymkZNKrXe63DaIoaH6X2EzL-Jqd1fPIMl3dNU0jHlonLfcL1ls7IEnkHGLPWBhBEni7LxwlCp9pQyWDH4ZQoDjBu078A5XuLCGQ/s1600/herbgarden3-2-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AjEAAHMxUZLR_Uz5XhZobGJVi9tEXaseANb8yn6fymkZNKrXe63DaIoaH6X2EzL-Jqd1fPIMl3dNU0jHlonLfcL1ls7IEnkHGLPWBhBEni7LxwlCp9pQyWDH4ZQoDjBu078A5XuLCGQ/s400/herbgarden3-2-9.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Ta-da</h3>
Now you have your kitchen herb garden. I have been using my fresh herbs regularly in my cooking and nothing tastes as good as food you have cooked with fresh herbs, especially ones you grew yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud6jopuVXEHDOAFOdBfxwN3mpBlffz9rJ7R7D_9BR7WajNLSMvxpdFl8B7b4qr04ephedW6ZVZH1clq9OUJ7Tda0BsGFYKQq13ZHlKG_0GVpVBP3o6BrrGeuVikIA7M1tq-jUvx-rxt0/s1600/herbgarden3-2-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhud6jopuVXEHDOAFOdBfxwN3mpBlffz9rJ7R7D_9BR7WajNLSMvxpdFl8B7b4qr04ephedW6ZVZH1clq9OUJ7Tda0BsGFYKQq13ZHlKG_0GVpVBP3o6BrrGeuVikIA7M1tq-jUvx-rxt0/s400/herbgarden3-2-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some tips - I have got another group of herbs outside (in a place where the possums can't get them) ready to swap over when my indoor herbs are ready to replace. This rotation schedule makes it easier to keep your indoor kitchen herb garden looking fresh all year round.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjTy8loZghWxzfypuNhdOjXxx_2jMXN63IJC3q7pGWaHPwB_hB0SMB7rKhM8xcS2LvnaA39cWTLNMqbXWNVWg-qNhGRg-wshOErViiJ9fS82wcjnK_6KpG1lSuUjhj2vT-utjC7p7Kjs/s1600/herbgarden3-2-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjTy8loZghWxzfypuNhdOjXxx_2jMXN63IJC3q7pGWaHPwB_hB0SMB7rKhM8xcS2LvnaA39cWTLNMqbXWNVWg-qNhGRg-wshOErViiJ9fS82wcjnK_6KpG1lSuUjhj2vT-utjC7p7Kjs/s400/herbgarden3-2-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU11m4LKzTrgcpI7wE_GzwWqaMt2LJLZhGEa8cR4DVkZTfjGGmEXYGjpJhyQg5tf17KbLkjyyyAv8xqQVJ6f_jSp3ukhQyjoPNU7tJz3cPy7ZqeZmmPP4vaRlN2gQNW-yZR_lOWrbk0NY/s1600/herbgarden3-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU11m4LKzTrgcpI7wE_GzwWqaMt2LJLZhGEa8cR4DVkZTfjGGmEXYGjpJhyQg5tf17KbLkjyyyAv8xqQVJ6f_jSp3ukhQyjoPNU7tJz3cPy7ZqeZmmPP4vaRlN2gQNW-yZR_lOWrbk0NY/s400/herbgarden3-2-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-55442482307237476572013-01-29T14:19:00.003+10:002013-04-06T19:26:59.122+10:00I have no power<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have no power and I feel like a complete diva complaining about it given I have at least one close friend and one relative who live right in the middle of cyclone-land and deals with this every year. I know I need to grow a pair, but I want to have my whinge.<br />
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I don't mind storms, but I have a real issue with high winds. And on Sunday night the winds were high!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556370_10151241898671022_271352357_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556370_10151241898671022_271352357_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank god for kerosene lamps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The lights went out at about 9pm and I decided to go to bed. Then I decided to worry about all the things that could happen like the windows imploding, or something tearing my roof off, or the tree next door falling on me. I didn't get much sleep. <br />
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I got up and checked my yard and apart from a couple of small twigs there wasn't much going on there. I felt like a complete wuss. Then I walked down the driveway and saw a tree in my neighbours yard had crashed through their fence.<br />
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Then I walked a bit further counted about six other big gum trees uprooted on my block. So I wasn't over-reacting, I was just lucky. Then I got scared of the wind and ran back inside.<br />
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I decided to go to my grandparents. I just couldn't sit around the house all day on my own worrying about the second lot of storms that were supposed to hit later that day (they never came, but I still worried about them).<br />
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So I had a stressful drive down to the Redlands where I dodged several more uprooted trees, navigated four or five non-functioning traffic lights and was detoured around someone's roof that was inconveniently blocking the road.<br />
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Nothing would have made me happier to have stayed there again today, but I had to get back to work. I had planned to work safely from home as I was not relishing the idea of getting stuck in the city while the river flooded (been there, done that). But when I walked in the house there was no power... just a bad smell coming from my fridge.<br />
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After a frantic drive around for ice, long-life milk and two-minute noodles I decided to drive into work. I dodged another couple of uprooted trees, went through more non-functioning traffic lights, but gladly didn't come across any more house parts not connected to houses.<br />
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As I drove to work I spotted my local power substation... with a tree lying across it. This is possibly the reason I still have no power. <br />
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But, my house will not be flooded. I don't have a giant tree lying through my roof. And everyone I know is safe. So I'll suck it up and get on with things.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/734910_10151244483916022_1697036936_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/734910_10151244483916022_1697036936_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank god for the primus</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0Brisbane QLD, Australia-27.4710107 153.02344889999995-29.2752747 150.44166189999996 -25.6667467 155.60523589999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-48639424970792289452013-01-13T18:02:00.003+10:002013-04-06T20:47:15.884+10:00Today I rode the train with no pants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't remember how I came across <a href="http://improveverywhere.com/" target="_blank">Improv Everywhere</a>. It was probably during a trip down the Youtube rabbit hole. But the moment I did discover it, I promised myself that if I ever got the chance to be involved in one of their missions I would do it.<br />
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I did cross my fingers and hope that the <a href="http://improveverywhere.com/2013/01/07/global-no-pants-subway-ride-2013/" target="_blank">No Pants Subway Ride</a> wouldn't be the first opportunity that came my way though.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A4WJKto0FmfwRaEQVzqCHlCEzPk-k4C8skB7WJrx2ntSmmYCVe12L4638e6-RHCzqae30bzxKG3EDgERYCWTwG32PlAEKp0T_J7ziCFzMIMnpR_xfjmbSEN2I0Ewf6dBI9uCCNEc-O4/s1600/npsr13-1-13-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A4WJKto0FmfwRaEQVzqCHlCEzPk-k4C8skB7WJrx2ntSmmYCVe12L4638e6-RHCzqae30bzxKG3EDgERYCWTwG32PlAEKp0T_J7ziCFzMIMnpR_xfjmbSEN2I0Ewf6dBI9uCCNEc-O4/s400/npsr13-1-13-3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pantless changing trains at South Bank Station</td></tr>
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<br />
It seems that the comedy gods had other things in mind however because last week (strangely about half an hour after I was once again browsing the Improv Everywhere website) I got an email announcing that the annual No Pants Subway Ride was happening again and it was going global.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-AjGEl27OWtm7MQHzprx9_3oVPEY0Rq5v88GvBJycJY2T6VJqNJEtJzBTZfVa8SpZuzSykI8WP1A1lZ4gYnKPy4sfDpdnNO06I_zZThLa0g4inFrG7iKMBTw6QSHYxWwHE0X828gcko/s1600/npsr13-1-13-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-AjGEl27OWtm7MQHzprx9_3oVPEY0Rq5v88GvBJycJY2T6VJqNJEtJzBTZfVa8SpZuzSykI8WP1A1lZ4gYnKPy4sfDpdnNO06I_zZThLa0g4inFrG7iKMBTw6QSHYxWwHE0X828gcko/s400/npsr13-1-13-4.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting on the train at South Bank</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Founded in New York in 2006 this year the No Pants Subway Ride took place in over 70 cities around the world - Brisbane being one of them.<br />
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I psyched myself up and committed to myself that whatever happened I was going to take part - no chickening out. I bought myself a new pair of undies (a pair of modest Bonds boylegs) and made my way to Central for the ride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t59yf3RFt2E/UPJonBml6KI/AAAAAAAAAf8/qxZ8Y6a9Aro/s1600/npsr13-1-13-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t59yf3RFt2E/UPJonBml6KI/AAAAAAAAAf8/qxZ8Y6a9Aro/s320/npsr13-1-13-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof that I did, indeed, go pantless</td></tr>
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There wasn't as many people as I expected (about 20), but I stuck to my guns and got on the train. The hardest part was taking my shorts off once we left Roma St. I sat just up from a couple of other girls that were taking part and it looked like they were going to pike, but I went ahead - like ripping off a band-aid - and they soon followed. The guy sitting opposite me didn't know where to look and it was extremely difficult to keep a straight face.<br />
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QR and the Queensland Police were really supportive. They announced us at South Bank station, which kind of ruined the spontaneity of the event, but was still nice. And the cops had got some guys to ride on the train to make sure everyone was safe. One copper even came dressed for the occasion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHjTLOCQ4znZsH9Wwhxt0v8-6Lc1q1zooxgviBLBoyM54iVORGbHhJm1-OUxIh45MQmX0yTQNXAga4r3L4i6NXCg9iM_KoDUpySnut3yXUiIg-gmlfoCcZsWi0o2ltMQxoe8Atn4qEZs/s1600/npsr13-1-13-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHjTLOCQ4znZsH9Wwhxt0v8-6Lc1q1zooxgviBLBoyM54iVORGbHhJm1-OUxIh45MQmX0yTQNXAga4r3L4i6NXCg9iM_KoDUpySnut3yXUiIg-gmlfoCcZsWi0o2ltMQxoe8Atn4qEZs/s320/npsr13-1-13-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cops getting into the spirit of the day</td></tr>
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I'm so proud of myself for getting involved. As someone who hates being the centre of attention I didn't know how I was going to go.<br />
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The best part was overhearing peoples reactions. At first I had my earphones in, but then I decided I wanted to experience everything that was going on. The looks on peoples faces and their confusion about what was going on. One of the coppers even told a passenger that everyone had to take their pants off if they wanted to ride the train today - priceless.<br />
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Who needs to jump out of an aeroplane when you can just ride public transport in your undies.<br />
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DFTBA Everyone!<br />
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p.s. I'll post the official video later on when it's available.<br />
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<a href="http://improveverywhere.com/" target="_blank">Check out Improv Everywhere here</a> - seriously, if you ever need cheering up, spend some time on their website and I challenge you not to smile.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yF9FM6KqCu4" width="560"></iframe>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-31120461864140363362013-01-08T16:04:00.003+10:002013-04-06T19:27:42.129+10:00Things I learnt while painting my bedroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y54eGRbrtUy_q7RUofQA_OZwl75ULqFbu0vnNvsuaNivb4gnIk3K3M934QR2Xf02uYwoZ4jtdIwshHZCOw6oweV2zUgWXZKVx2YXuM-eLh0XK-sRuRvUXZdsK8GS0POTJiyv0JCp2hw/s1600/painting8-1-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y54eGRbrtUy_q7RUofQA_OZwl75ULqFbu0vnNvsuaNivb4gnIk3K3M934QR2Xf02uYwoZ4jtdIwshHZCOw6oweV2zUgWXZKVx2YXuM-eLh0XK-sRuRvUXZdsK8GS0POTJiyv0JCp2hw/s400/painting8-1-13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>1. Painting in the middle of a Brisbane summer isn't smart</u></h3>
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I've nearly passed out couple of times and had to force myself to take some time out. I have drunk about 3 litres of water, but that seems to have made me feel more unwell.<br />
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I've also revived an old trick I learnt while working in a fish and chip shop in my youth - wet a hand towel and roll it up like a sausage; Pop it in the freezer for an hour; Take it out and drape around your neck until it thaws. It's a good idea to have at least two on the go so you can swap them over when the one you are wearing feels more like some kind of sweaty fur stole.<br />
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<u>2. I hate sanding</u></h3>
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As simple as it sounds. I freaking hate sanding. My apartment has lots of heavy gloss trim that I have to wear down so the paint will stick to it. Plus there is a sliding door that separates my bedroom and the bathroom that I'm afraid to take out because I know if I do I will never get it back in again. So this had to be sanded while in situ... not fun.<br />
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<u>3. Don't stop to Instagram half way through the second coat</u></h3>
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Yes, you may feel inspired to take a photo of your new fresh white walls (see photo above). But when you come back you will have forgotten where you were up to, the paint will be drying on your brush and roller and you will realise you just posted a picture of essentially a blank white wall with paint drying.</div>
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<u>4. Sometimes it is smarter to just turn the fan off</u></h3>
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Heavily related to point 1. It may be 32 degrees and your t-shirt rapidly becoming more sweat than fabric but if you intend to stand on a ladder to reach the fiddly bit at the top of the wall, turn the bloody fan off. I know it's a tight race between heat stroke and a concussion, but all in all I'd say it's smarter to turn the fan off, at least just for the duration of the fiddly high painting*.</div>
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<u>5. I REALLY hated the colour of my bedroom </u></h3>
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You know you've made the right decision to repaint when you find yourself doing a little dance of joy as you cover up the last of the old paint job. I still have a bit to go before the bedroom make-over is complete, but if I only get as far as painting over the nausea inducing cream that my apartment is covered in I will be one happy girl. </div>
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And I think I've earned a glass of wine.</div>
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*I am pleased to say that I intuitively figured this out before I gave myself a concussion.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-41192114212928325992013-01-04T15:01:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:19:37.710+10:00DIY Terrarium<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My bathroom was in desperate need of some greenery so it was time to knock me up some terrarium.</div>
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The only thing I had to buy was the sphagnum moss so this whole project only cost me $10, and I'll be able to use the moss for other potting projects.</div>
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<b>You will need...</b></div>
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1. A glass jar, vase, bowl or any other vessel to plant your plants in</div>
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2. Some rocks, pebbles or sand for drainage</div>
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3. Sphagnum moss</div>
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4. Potting mix</div>
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5. Some little plants - cacti, succulents, ferns and moss are perfect</div>
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6. Little things for decoration - pretty rocks, shells or ornaments are perfect</div>
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and... 7. If you are putting a lid on your terrarium you will need some charcoal to help filter the air</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj4H3duCDSOH71ZrxRov521Rl394XGDC4yaOeW-E5y3nTpotuYlL8SqFwewOo6pV6pqERdP6j0JtAgU3F5Cnp4Cn5yup_ldkA_eKytl4vUYApDi9Cr1W80LsuwssOcpG4hbK2aqNj7og/s1600/DSCN1650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHj4H3duCDSOH71ZrxRov521Rl394XGDC4yaOeW-E5y3nTpotuYlL8SqFwewOo6pV6pqERdP6j0JtAgU3F5Cnp4Cn5yup_ldkA_eKytl4vUYApDi9Cr1W80LsuwssOcpG4hbK2aqNj7og/s400/DSCN1650.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I had a glass jar that was given to me years ago. The paint's been progressively chipping off and the lid got broken somewhere along the way so it seemed like the perfect option for my terrarium.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg8Z_qSgB8UBqH4Qjt_LC563hRz1HLmuFLFgSjcV6USkbGu7q-fBmjCWe8NQOUyjIqNUqwzpOqj9JgAFKrK9Z2QcTlxrlay0NyBAeqNqSAgeDJJye5B0I73zxqqfcSKdUpckQCtLk3zo/s1600/DSCN1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg8Z_qSgB8UBqH4Qjt_LC563hRz1HLmuFLFgSjcV6USkbGu7q-fBmjCWe8NQOUyjIqNUqwzpOqj9JgAFKrK9Z2QcTlxrlay0NyBAeqNqSAgeDJJye5B0I73zxqqfcSKdUpckQCtLk3zo/s400/DSCN1653.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I scraped off the remaining paint with a blade and cleaned it up ready to go.</div>
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Add a layer of rocks, pebbles or sand.</div>
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(If you are putting a lid on your terrarium add your layer of charcoal next)</div>
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Add a layer of sphagnum moss.</div>
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Add a layer of potting mix.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcRrRL-uiUr1O9JpjcHhMbGBxhc8gjkZBfSS5_0vOy8-8lyFfLZxdArJW3RHPwE6d2vY6RpwMm8qAQEi5s-6_WtQUhizQAN5OsWeCzLvQRZelR8ZujypfAksUSdVoIhrl6z8rdqaI-6M/s1600/DSCN1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcRrRL-uiUr1O9JpjcHhMbGBxhc8gjkZBfSS5_0vOy8-8lyFfLZxdArJW3RHPwE6d2vY6RpwMm8qAQEi5s-6_WtQUhizQAN5OsWeCzLvQRZelR8ZujypfAksUSdVoIhrl6z8rdqaI-6M/s320/DSCN1654.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQmWnTSPuX-OzXlaDyrDM2w0xD7Q7zv0aVgNJK-BoVcpDq_SrE_GjsqjU9cXhOclIgwcJTtZylcnJN97omPGhYFOu0gHAE7oIQmvFylHVFt1J9ThnOKSmYwfOmWYxEZINPjOdVz_CgHo/s1600/DSCN1655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQmWnTSPuX-OzXlaDyrDM2w0xD7Q7zv0aVgNJK-BoVcpDq_SrE_GjsqjU9cXhOclIgwcJTtZylcnJN97omPGhYFOu0gHAE7oIQmvFylHVFt1J9ThnOKSmYwfOmWYxEZINPjOdVz_CgHo/s320/DSCN1655.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpp28vY6HJ4_oSlnLecVJZ4V1YQMNsf8iT6eyJt4hnqTigTPTCehYXTWZ2Hsb_YedxuJqCt0MYVjeh_iVZ3fPPASAGlYRhs1R-sfIvfvdKgmapAybt6R1qvjxTB9wlSZNk_GoapwooZs/s1600/DSCN1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpp28vY6HJ4_oSlnLecVJZ4V1YQMNsf8iT6eyJt4hnqTigTPTCehYXTWZ2Hsb_YedxuJqCt0MYVjeh_iVZ3fPPASAGlYRhs1R-sfIvfvdKgmapAybt6R1qvjxTB9wlSZNk_GoapwooZs/s320/DSCN1656.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2zCB9GhFcV2DU5TSDS2XUFCtP4oE5q2zfCqJpiSm1e3Gsc0SKvcWS9c90om1cP0A0KX6iDpiqdI6sIOgCuA0BWQmIXJ7zyWY85qNvR1vEP8YeUS3z7fTaCZy_KhUMBdei8pvwyh3vEo/s1600/DSCN1657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2zCB9GhFcV2DU5TSDS2XUFCtP4oE5q2zfCqJpiSm1e3Gsc0SKvcWS9c90om1cP0A0KX6iDpiqdI6sIOgCuA0BWQmIXJ7zyWY85qNvR1vEP8YeUS3z7fTaCZy_KhUMBdei8pvwyh3vEo/s320/DSCN1657.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I took some cuttings from a few rangy succulents that are on my list of garden to-do's on the holidays and planted these in the potting mix.</div>
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Tip - use a pencil or stick to poke a hole in the potting mix first so you don't damage the bottom of your cutting when pressing it into the soil</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNUBkN3sDdMv-4NuhKzrcawmEUP0pMP2HY6YWyyuoGM1tITA0L9fVLfK6_IvXKyomvDlUPdjh2YcNf3i4gk8q6_B23nl1RdqSXCkdLCW_ACef4g3iombQ2oZ6KYTvTmah_CTMUg03PH8/s1600/DSCN1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNUBkN3sDdMv-4NuhKzrcawmEUP0pMP2HY6YWyyuoGM1tITA0L9fVLfK6_IvXKyomvDlUPdjh2YcNf3i4gk8q6_B23nl1RdqSXCkdLCW_ACef4g3iombQ2oZ6KYTvTmah_CTMUg03PH8/s400/DSCN1658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I added my two little ornaments: a rabbit my Aunt brought me back from Greece and a tiger I bought in Japan - very international.</div>
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Water your plants in with a little amount of water and you are done. Easy!<br />
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Perfect for my bathroom</div>
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Happy DIY'ing</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-79163665216506007472013-01-03T15:15:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:30:44.143+10:00Baking Day - Low Fat Dog Biscuits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last year I made my puppy Peanut Butter dog bikkies and after Christmas she put on about 5 kilos. So this year I decided I should go for a low fat option.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7zzUJnvI9t2jcARJGGyosXt2JjOCTtnOvlhRbkcu5YN5rdQobOqW1YkKYhLxN1JxoodQsN-i5TDEnsH9tp1NAilTsjZXT_hxVz48isSJ1vwvKukoSQDHpw3u9TPgZ2xMBeeDpmR7T1M/s1600/doggiebiscuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7zzUJnvI9t2jcARJGGyosXt2JjOCTtnOvlhRbkcu5YN5rdQobOqW1YkKYhLxN1JxoodQsN-i5TDEnsH9tp1NAilTsjZXT_hxVz48isSJ1vwvKukoSQDHpw3u9TPgZ2xMBeeDpmR7T1M/s400/doggiebiscuits.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Low Fat Oatmeal & Wheatgerm Dog Biscuits</h3>
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b></div>
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<li>2 cups wheat flour</li>
<li>3 cups oatmeal</li>
<li>1/2 cup wheat germ</li>
<li>6 tablespoons low fat margarine</li>
<li>1/4 cup golden syrup (or molasses)</li>
<li>1 cup evaporated milk</li>
<li>1 cup water</li>
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<u><b>Method</b></u></div>
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1. Preheat oven at 160'c and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.</div>
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2. Mix wheat flour, oatmeal and wheatgerm together in a large bowl.</div>
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3. Then mix in margarine, golden syrup, milk and water.</div>
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4. The dough will be stiff to stir. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 1/2 hour.</div>
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5. Roll teaspoons of the mix into balls and place on baking trays. The don't spread too much so don't panic about spacing them out. Flatten with a fork. </div>
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6. Bake for 1 hour rotating 1/2 way through. Cool on a wire rack.</div>
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Happy baking.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-78352127368806679812013-01-02T15:01:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:28:02.724+10:00Pizza Oven - the first firing!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The building of mum and dad's pizza oven has been a major project for myself and my dad this year. It's been a while since we've worked on a project together and it has been great to do something and have it turn out so splendidly.<br />
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For its inaugural fire up we cooked pizzas for Christmas Eve, which I have to say were AMAZING!<br />
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Dad lit the fire early in the morning as we par-cooked the meat for Christmas Day lunch and the oven got very hot very fast.<br />
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At one point we checked the thermometer and the gauge was at the very limit (500'c) so it was probably hotter than that. Once the flames burnt down and the coals started to cool the oven got to a more normal temperature. By the time we were ready to cook our pizzas it was at 170'c so just right to pop the pizzas in.</div>
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We made one Hawaiian, one Meat Lovers and one Veggo and they were all pretty damn good. Next time we will make our own pizza bases when we have a bit more time.</div>
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The pizza and garlic bread cooking away in the oven. You can see that all the coals have burnt down and there isn't any flame. If you have a flame you will burn the back of the pizzas and need it to be a steady heat - just like an indoor oven.</div>
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The very first pizza out of our oven!</div>
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Dad got the first slice. Thanks Dad for heaps of fun building the oven :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-54206134993516247632013-01-01T09:36:00.002+10:002013-04-06T20:48:54.848+10:00Brisbane Staycation - Palace, Garuva & the banks of the River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy New Year everyone!</h4>
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I hope you all had a lovely night last night, that the day (and year) is looking bright and full of promise and that you aren't feeling too under the weather.<br />
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I've had a bad run of New Year's Eves so I tend to avoid them. This year I decided I wanted to do something that was fun, but not too filled with aspirations so as to inevitably fall flat. I think I found the perfect itinerary to the evening and certainly enjoyed myself.<br />
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Palace Cinemas & <i>Hitchcock</i></h3>
The night started with a premier screening of <i>Hitchcock </i>at the <a href="http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/centro/" target="_blank">Palace cinemas on James St</a>. We arrived to a glass of champagne and a very long queue of people waiting to go into the cinema. Instead of joining the end of the queue we collected our wine and scoured through the upcoming film brochures only to discover that Quentin Tarantino has a <a href="http://www.djangounchained.com.au/" target="_blank">new movie</a> coming out in a couple of weeks - the perfect start to 2013!<br />
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As the queue filed into the cinema we joined the end and felt like celebrities with our glass of champagne in the cinema (all movies should include this). <i>Hitchcock </i>was a great movie. Biopics can sometimes leave me feeling a bit... blah, but this one was very well done. Combining the story of Hitchcock's marriage with his production of <i>Psycho </i>made for a very interesting view. The scenes where they shot <i>Psycho </i>were so perfect to the original you could tell they must have watched it over and over again. Now <i>I</i> feel like I want to watch it again. The film was also bookended by two Hitchcock monologues straight out of <i>Alfred Hitchcock presents</i> that were so compelling I felt like I was ready for a sequel. Made with much love for the great Hitchcock, I'm very glad I got to see it.<br />
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4 stars<br />
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Garuva</h3>
This is my second visit to <a href="http://www.garuva.com.au/" target="_blank">Garuva</a>. The first being quite some years ago and back then the food wasn't that great, though the atmosphere was really what made it. So I approached this visit with trepidation.<br />
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Garuva is one of those places in Brisbane where everyone likes to think they are the only one who know about it, but it's been around for so long that everyone has already been there. </div>
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The unsigned restaurant is hidden away down a little lane-way filled with green lights and ferns. You are met by large Balinese doors that open up to a softly lit room filled with muslin curtains that wrap around each low table. You sit on cushions nestled inside these curtains and though the restaurant can be very full you still get a sense of intimacy.</div>
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I had the Cajun chicken and a very delicious lime cocktail. The food was much better than I remember which is a good sign. As the evening wore on the other diners started to leave for their next New Years' destination and the restaurant took on an ethereal air. You could see silhouettes skitting through the curtains and this is where the magic of Garuva happens. I would recommend this restaurant on a mid-week night when it isn't so busy and sitting amongst the curtains in the hushed dark is much more atmospheric.</div>
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Banks of the Brisbane River</h3>
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We left Garuva at about 10pm with plans of finding a bar to grab a drink at and see in midnight. However, Garuva is in Fortitude Valley which meant all the bars were loud, obnoxious and filled with 18 year olds. We decided to head over to South Brisbane and find a spot to watch the fireworks then head home and enjoy a wine there. South Bank is always ram packed on fireworks nights like New Years, but I had the idea that most people would be on the Parklands side of the Queen Victoria Bridge as that is where the fireworks display is focused. </div>
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We took up position in front of the art gallery which was surprisingly quiet and had a great view down to the river. The display included a giant laser countdown on the casino hotel so we could see everything and when the fireworks went of we had a great view. Our position meant we missed some of the smaller fireworks, but it was worth it to avoid the body-jam in South Bank.</div>
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I apologise for not taking a better photo, but I decided to watch the fireworks instead of documenting them.</div>
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We were lucky to beat the rush to public transport and walked straight onto a train which got us back home with our wine and a deck of cards in half and hour.</div>
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Easily my best New Years ever.</div>
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Wishing you all the best for 2013</div>
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x Debbie</div>
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<a href="http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/cinemas/centro/">Visit the Palace Cinemas</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.garuva.com.au/" target="_blank">Visit Garuva</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.visitsouthbank.com.au/" target="_blank">Visit South Bank parklands</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788724704407461564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4481602021682342169.post-53414614993953636042012-12-30T14:49:00.000+10:002013-04-06T19:21:30.538+10:00Christmas on Instagram wrap-up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been five days since the big day, but I feel like I've only just stopped today. Only, now I feel like I should be getting stuck into the pile of projects I want to get done before I go back to work in two weeks. I did have plans on trekking off to Bunnings today but instead I've spent the day eating chocolates and watching Youtube videos. Oh well.<br />
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I took many photos on the lead up to Christmas Day, but was too busy drinking on the day to take more (oops). We had a lovely lunch, I made a lovely rum punch and we laughed ourselves stupid - everything a Christmas should be.<br />
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I feel sad that I only get to wear this shirt for a couple of weeks every year.</div>
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Despite every intention of sleeping in on Christmas eve it wasn't to be. I was a awake at 4.30 to watch the sun rise which turned out to be worth the early rise.</div>
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Christmas Eve starting with a cup of tea and a book.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hAGBalMUhx3ab4Ig8wcH2f1vq3VxYFyBPj89Qll6jIsxeDv8CxXF3tl7lxOlwXJvMmUz3qOoEiWVnra1JclXriMYamFCUwQzNiNyWy7K2cKk_FCy2X7Om9tgv8XboyzR7BG76xlf6u4/s1600/baking2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hAGBalMUhx3ab4Ig8wcH2f1vq3VxYFyBPj89Qll6jIsxeDv8CxXF3tl7lxOlwXJvMmUz3qOoEiWVnra1JclXriMYamFCUwQzNiNyWy7K2cKk_FCy2X7Om9tgv8XboyzR7BG76xlf6u4/s400/baking2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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2 batches of Ginger cookies, a batch of rum balls, a batch of chocolate biscuits, 2 batches of mince pies, 2 cherries pies and 2 bottles of bubbly made for a great day of baking with mum</div>
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Mum's chocolate biscuits - she's been making these as long as I can remember</div>
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My Cherry Pie (deeeelicious)</div>
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Grandma's knitted Mrs and Santa Claus</div>
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The Pizza Oven gets fired up for the first time</div>
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Lamb Souvlaki ready to go in the oven</div>
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Our very Australian Christmas tree<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas filled with family and laughter :) x Debbie</div>
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