Wide eyed kitty

Yikes! what was that? you startled me.

AAADD (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder)

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye . . . they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
- the car isn't washed
- the bills aren't paid
- there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
- the flowers don't have enough water,
- there is still only 1 check in my check book,
- I can't find the remote,
- I can't find my glasses,
- and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Hard Yakka: hard work, associated with labouring.

Yesterday it was hard yakka shoveling all that dirt into flower containers and lugging them into position.

Want to see what I did all day?

I did as planned and spent my day out in the yard getting my gardening gloves dirty.
Dirt was moved, pots filled and plants planted.

Push this BUTTON to see what I did.

So Much Sun So Little Time

Kia ora tatou — Hello everyone

We have a glorious day to enjoy. The temperature is already around 49F in the shade and I know it will be in the upper 60F's by late afternoon.

There is so much I want to cram into my day, where do I start? I have a backhoe bucket of compost/topsoil mix, flattening a patch of grass, which needs to be shoveled into my various garden containers. I have mentioned before, that we have a dear friend in the landscape business, who is generous in giving me soil, mulch and leveling out the ground so I can have a garden.

There are pictures to take of my gardening endeavors, and my Keewee's garden blog to update, and of course all the household chores which I could ignore, Can't I? Thanks, I heard that affirmation, consider the household chores ignored for now.

I need to wander the grocery store aisles searching for food to stock the pantry so I can spend more time outdoors instead of wasting my time at the grocery store every couple of days, and of course you know my car always veers into the garden center all of it's own accord as I drive by, that must mean I have to stock up on new plants to color the yard, right? It is very important for a kiwi to have a colorful yard, that is my excuse and I am sticking to it.

OK enough of this blogging, I am off to play.

Ka kite ano — Until I see you again (Bye)

Pavement Artist Kurt Wenner

There are several pavement artists out there. Kurt is one of my favorites.

Click on picture for larger view

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Kurt Wenner born in Ann Arbor, Michigan is an artist best known for his street painting and chalk murals using a projection called anamorphism. These 3D chalk drawings on pavement have been featured in many newspapers and on several television shows.

Not exactly as I planned, but good all the same.

Well so much for gardening today. Mr. C and I left the house this morning to stop by one of his customers, do some grocery shopping, and see what our local thrift store had to offer, then come home so I could get outside in my garden and get my hands in the dirt.

We managed to check in on Mr.C's customers, stock up on groceries then we hit the thrift store.

I had been wanting a treadmill for a long time, as walking around here is a little risky due to the traffic situation and the weirdos out there make me nervous.

As we walked up to the thrift store door I noticed an older treadmill for $35. I thought to myself if it works Ok then $35 is not that bad if I get just a little use out of it.

One of the volunteers plugged the machine in for me and I jumped aboard and took it for a test run, well, actually it took me for a run! It worked perfectly, had all the features I wanted so I went back inside and handed over the $35 plus tax. About the time the cash was being put in the till, Mr.C came over to me and said that another treadmill which was more modern, smaller and in better condition, had been delivered and was waiting to be checked over and priced.

As Mr.C does some computer work for the thrift store he knows who to talk to to get a good deal. After about five minutes he came back downstairs and said we have the newer treadmill for the same price. Whoo Hooo what a deal.

We brought our treasure home, plugged it in, gave it a thorough check over and pronounced it ready for use. It is set up in the downstairs bedroom in front of the television so I can watch the morning news and get my workout at the same time. Perhaps after a few weeks my jeans will be a little less tight, I hope.

Good to Be Alive

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
Iv'e got a beautiful feeling, everythings going my way.

I think this is from the show Oklahoma

I just felt like singing, ( just to myself, that is. I would not want to ruin anyones day) The sun is shining, there is no wind, the hummingbirds are at the feeders, sucking down the nectar as though it will be their last meal, and many other kinds of birds are enjoying breakfast at Keewee's breakfast bar.

All the plants in my garden are growing almost before my eyes, and maybe I will get out in my garden and replant the strawberries. They have been in wooden planters and not doing as well as I want them to, so perhaps they will do better in a very large old galvanized tub I have kept for plants of one kind or another.

I can smell my fresh brewed coffee, so I wish you all a wonderful day, and I am off to see what adventures lie in wait for me.

April Palette

Want to see what is blooming in my garden right now?

Sure you do. So go check out what keeps me out of trouble for the most part.

Click HERE and HERE

New Zealand Whitebait

I was lucky enough to grow up living within a half hours drive from the beach, in fact when our new house was being built in the city we lived in our beach house until it was completed.

My Dad and his friends, spent many hours at the river mouths with their whitebait nets waiting to bring home enough whitebait to make fritters.

New Zealand whitebait are the juvenile of certain galaxiids which mature and live as adults in rivers with native forest surrounds. The larvae of these galaxiids is swept down to the ocean where they hatch and the sprats then move back up their home rivers as whitebait.

Whitebaiting in New Zealand is a seasonal activity with a fixed and limited period enforced during the period that the whitebait normally migrate up-river. The strict control over net sizes and rules against blocking the river to channel the fish into the net permit sufficient quantity of whitebait to reach the adult habitat and maintain stock levels. The whitebait themselves are very sensitive to objects in the river and are adept at dodging the nets.

New Zealand whitebait are caught in the lower reaches of the rivers using small open-mouthed hand-held nets although in some parts of the country where the whitebait is more plentiful, larger (but not very large) set nets may be used adjacent to river banks. Dad's net, if you looked at it from the side, was almost triangular in shape.
Whitebaiters constantly attend the nets in order to lift them as soon as a shoal enters the net. Otherwise the whitebait quickly swim back out of the net. Typically, the small nets have a long pole attached so that the whitebaiter can stand on the river bank and scoop the net forward and out of the water when whitebait are seen to enter it. The larger nets may be set into a platform extending into the river from the bank and various forms of apparatus used to lift the net.

The New Zealand whitebait is small, sweet and tender with a delicate taste that is easily over-powered if mixed with stronger ingredients when cooked. The most popular way of cooking whitebait in New Zealand is the whitebait fritter, which is essentially an omelette containing whitebait. Purists use only the egg white in order to minimise interfering with the taste of the bait. The whitebait are cooked whole, not with the heads cut off, as my Mother would have liked. She did not like those eyes looking at her, and never did eat the fritters.

This recipe uses frozen whitebait, fresh whitebait, as always, is best.

Whitebait Fritters

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
250g (8oz.) Whitebait
2 eggs
butter

Directions:
Defrost whitebait naturally. Once defrosted place in bowl and add two eggs (without the shell). Using a fork, whip whitebait & egg mixture vigorously for approx. 15 seconds or until slightly frothy.
Add butter to pan, ensuring pan is nice & hot, and add small amounts of mixture to pan.
Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute each side, or a little longer if you like them browned.

Maori Whakatauki, or proverb

Whakatauki have a translation and a meaning. The meaning is usually based on Tikanga or history. This only gives the translation of the whakatauki.

Nau te rourou naku te rourou

Your basket and my basket

Hokey Pokey Biscuits (cookies)

More biscuits from my mothers recipe collection.
Mum had many recipes which used golden syrup. I had tried using karo and Lyles syrup but the taste I was wanting wasn't there.
Just recently, I discovered Steens Syrup which is very close in taste to golden syrup, so now I can bake all my favorite cookies and cakes from Mum's collection of recipes.

4oz. Butter – I used Smart Balance
¼ cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Milk
1 tbsp. Golden Syrup – I used Steens Syrup
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 cup Flour.

Cream butter and sugar.
Warm milk and syrup, (10 secs. in microwave) add the soda, lightly stir
Pour bubbly mixture into butter and sugar then add the flour and mix.

Roll into balls, (flour your hands) I prefer to use my cookie scoop, you don't get sticky fingers, though if you like to lick dough off your fingers when you are finished, use your hands.
Press with a fork dipped in flour.
Bake 10-15 mins. 350F mine take about 9 mins. check on them, they brown quickly.

I Have been Waiting Forever!!

"Where is everyone, what is taking you so long? I have all my toys here ready for you play with me!"

Quick Thinking

A man walked into the produce section of his local supermarket, and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy working in that department told him that they only sold whole heads of lettuce.

The man was insistent that the boy ask his manager about the matter.

Walking into the back room, the boy said to the manager, "Some old b****rd wants to buy half a head of lettuce." As he finished his sentence, he turned to find the man standing right behind him, so he quickly added, "and this kind gentleman kindly offered to buy the other half."

The manager approved the deal, and the man went on his way.

Later the manager said to the boy, "I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation earlier. We like people who think on their feet here. Where are you from son?"

"New Zealand, sir," the boy replied.

"Well, why did you leave New Zealand?" the manager asked.

The boy said, "Sir, there's nothing but hookers and rugby players there."

"Really," replied the manager? "My wife is from New Zealand!"

"Your kidding??" replied the boy. "Who'd she play for?"

Thanks to Lou Gunn

Pohutukawa

The pohutukawa or New Zealand Christmas Tree, is one of the most outstanding plants of the entire New Zealand flora. It is an extremely tough tree and is found growing along coastal areas.

Photograph from Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Artist Noeline Grant
click on picture for larger view

I remember looking out of the car window at these magnificent trees as our family drove a coastal road, in the northern part of New Zealand, on one of our vacations. I was impressed by how the pohutukawa’s roots gained a foothold in the most inhospitable of rock crevices where continual lashings of salt-laden winds and drenchings of salt water are the norm, and life giving fresh water and nutrients are scarce in the extreme. On very exposed rock faces where conditions are extremely barren it will at times grow little more than one metre, (about 39 inches) but will still flower profusely.


In the coastal forests the pohutukawa can grow into a spreading tree 20, metres or more in height. The leaves of the pohutukawa are thick and tough, a shiny dark green on top and silvery white on their softer undersides. The spectacular dark crimson flowers occur just before Christmas and the flowering period extends well into January. The first settlers used pohutukawa blossom to decorate their homes at Christmas time, regarding it as a New Zealand substitute for holly, and it was they who first applied the now common name of Christmas tree.

The pohutukawa was used by the early pioneers. The potential of its strong durable timber for ship building was soon realized, and in the early days of colonization shiploads of pohutukawa timber were exported, severely depleting the magnificent stands of trees which at one time dominated the northern coasts.

The leaves and bark of the pohutukawa were used for a variety of medicinal purposes by the Maori people, and many an early settler drank a decoction of inner bark of the pohutukawa tree to cure dysentery.

STREET PAINTING ARTIST: TRACY LEE STUM

Click on picture for larger view

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A professional artist from Ventura, CA, Tracy has been participating in street painting festivals since 1998. For her, street painting is an art form that instantly captures an artist's creative essence and produces a unique dynamic between the viewer and the artist. Tracy has participated in street painting festivals throughout the country and in Europe and has created commissioned street paintings for public art and corporate clients.

Anzac Day : Lest We Forget

Anzac Day in New Zealand is held on 25 April each year to commemorate New Zealanders killed in war and to honour returned servicemen and women.

The day has similar importance in Australia, New Zealand's partner in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli. The ceremony itself has been continually adapted to the times, but has also steadily acquired extra layers of symbolism and meaning.

Monday's Chuckle

Start your day out with a laugh.

1. If you let a smile be your umbrella, then most likely your butt will get soaking wet.
2. Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.
3. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everyone has the same size bucket.
4. To err is human, to forgive--highly unlikely.
5. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have millions of old ladies running around with tattoos?
6. Money can't buy happiness--but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than in a Kia.
7. Drinking husbands see double and feel single.
8. After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching somewhere, you may be dead.

Thank you Hostagirl

Carnival of recipes #88

April awareness month is here at Everything and Nothing with great recipes in each of these themes.

April is Humor Month
National Volunteer Week
Teacher Appreciation Week
National Poetry Month
Cancer Control Month
Foot Health Awareness Month
National Home Inspection Month
National Smile Month
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Week
The third week in April is Egg Salad Week
Stress Awareness Month
Keep America Beautiful Month.

Head on over, check out all the great recipes.

From The Land Of the Long White Cloud

KIWI BIRD

KIWI FRUIT

KEEWEE