mosaic road

A Fabulous Combination !!

Yesterday I made apple, banana and white chocolate muffins, adorned with yogurt frosting. Such a combination of healthy fruit and naughty white chocolate  means a perfect outcome surely. This muffin is not so bad it makes you feel guilt stricken and not so healthy that you feel bored and unsatisfied. So, why stop at one, I ask myself ?? Life is short !!

From Tree to Plate

A few weeks ago I posted pictures of my olive trees laden with a huge crop. Now they have been picked, salted and marinated and are ready to eat. And they taste fabulous - a little bit bitter but salty and lemony too. I cannot take any credit though as Anna, a gorgeous Greek grandma in my street took on the project. She appears on a daily basis with a bucket and then heads back to her kitchen to work her magic.

Bon Voyage Jessie

Lucky girl - she is headed overseas for 9 weeks !! She will miss a whole Melbourne winter. I am very envious but the main reason for my  intense jealousy is she is off to walk the Camino de Santiago. She will probably cover on foot 800 kms over 35 days, carrying her pack, sleeping in hostels en route and bandaging her blisters.  

She will commence in France and finish up in Spain , an intense and tough personal pilgrimage. It is certainly one way to clear the head of 21st century fol de rol and one I am very keen to embark upon, sooner rather than later. Every time I head out for a walk I will be thinking of her putting one foot after another and wishing her Godspeed .

 

Bon Voyage Jessie

Lucky girl - she is headed overseas for 9 weeks !! She will miss a whole Melbourne winter. I am very envious but the main reason for my  intense jealousy is she is off to walk the Camino de Santiago. She will probably cover on foot 800 kms over 35 days, carrying her pack, sleeping in hostels en route and bandaging her blisters.  

She will commence in France and finish up in Spain , an intense and tough personal pilgrimage. It is certainly one way to clear the head of 21st century fol de rol and one I am very keen to embark upon, sooner rather than later. Every time I head out for a walk I will be thinking of her putting one foot after another and wishing her Godspeed .

 

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake is popular in Australia just like every where else but only to my mind has it heavily featured in magazines and cup cake stores over the last 5 - 10 years. It certainly was not a cake my mother made and we were a cake eating family. Apparently it dates back to the era of the Great Depression, World War 2 and the 50's when baker's used boiled beet juices to enhance the colour of their cakes and these juices helped them retain their moisture, the cakes that is, not the bakers !!!  So we really do learn something every day. The wonderful cake above was made by S . It was a special birthday request adorned with cream cheese frosting and it was , as you can imagine, delicious .

Hamburgers

I am not a big meat eater so a hamburger rarely passes my lips. But we had a celebratory dinner this week and the birthday girl requested hamburgers. Luckily not the homemade variety but the take away type from Grill'd . This chain specializes in healthy options and has a very big menu.

There are lots of bread choices including gluten free and sweet potato chips  can be ordered as well as the normal variety.

The burger I ordered was very spicy with a generous smear of harissa along with the usual components of salad and cheese. And before I knew it I had eaten the lot. This burger was certainly a far cry from anything emanating from that certain place known for its golden arches !!!

My Clever Sister

My sister has just had her first exhibition. It has been an enormous success. She shared a great space in a pop up gallery in the CBD. She is a talented photographer and exhibited wonderful photos taken over the last year on two trips to various parts of India. She made many sales and all proceeds will go back to India, to an orphanage in Calcutta that rescues street children . I have her to thank as if it was not for her I would not have a blog and I would not have a clue how to use a camera. Six years ago she handed me a very basic digital camera and took me out to a lemon tree where I practiced taking pictures of lemons until I mastered a few basics. Also she got me blogging after giving me an inspirational book , Blogging for Bliss . She is so talented and works so hard but always has time to help others. I am so lucky she is my sister.

A Message to my Three Children

Yes, I am a mother but I don't subscribe to Mother's Day. As my mother always said to me, everyday should be Mother's Day.  Also today was shared with my oldest child who turned 29, a fact I need to move on from pretty quickly here !!!! I was given a lovely card though and there are three words on the front that for me say it all . So from me to them, every day not just today -

Field of Women 2014

 

 

 

 

This evening I had the honor  of wearing a pink plastic poncho and standing with my youngest daughter  amongst 15,000 other pink plastic poncho wearers. Together we formed the Pink Lady , the symbol of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia, on the hallowed turf of the MCG . Ariel shots were taken by a helicopter flying overhead. I was proud to stand amongst current survivors and sufferers of breast cancer as we stood for a minute of silence also remembering those who have sadly succumbed. As the evening closed in and the moon came up we shone torches skyward, casting an amazing pink glow. This event was totally poignant and meaningful for me given that I have 3 close friends living daily and bravely with breast cancer. The statistics are frightening and money raised through events like today that help with researching a cure could not be better spent. A cure can not come soon enough.

A New Form of Torture

This bag weighs 10 kgs and this morning at gym, my trainer had us all running laps with this horror bag across our shoulders. There seems to be no end to what forms of torture these personal trainers can dream up. What's more I and multiple others pay for the privilege !!