Unique to New Zealand

Riannan, over at In The Headlights, wrote a very interesting article on mabe pearls, which prompted me to write about paua (abalone in USA) which was part of my life in New Zealand.




Paua ( pronounced Pa Wa ) is a species of abalone (Haliotis Iris).
It is only found in the sea around New Zealand. This marine mollusk eats seaweed and lives clinging to rocks at depths of 1-10 meters, normally along the shoreline. Paua Shell is the most colorful of all the abalone shells. Most other abalone are pale in comparison.

The Most Colorful Shell
There is no other shell in the world that has the colour like Paua Shell colour that varies from greens & pinks to purples & blues and even some shells with gold or crimson tonings.

The iridescent Colour of the paua shell changes when viewed at different angles. This iridescence, similar to that of Mother of Pearl shell, but far more brilliant, is what makes paua shell so amazing as a gem material for use in jewelry.

A Maori bone and paua pendant

It is truly one of nature's marvels. Each shell is different in it's colour tonings, and in the patterns within the shell. The black patterns in the shell come from layers of protein that are laid down between the layers of calcium that make up the shell. The brilliant colours are from light being refracted within the crystal layers. The same effect that the iridescent colour found in Opals.

Picture borrowed from In the Headlights

Paua meat is a traditional delicacy for the Maori, essential for a good wedding feast or celebration. Although it is harder to find than it used to be, most New Zealanders would rate paua up there with oysters as their preferred shellfish.

As a child, I would see the Maori collecting paua from the rocks at low tide, they were plentiful back then.

These days most paua meat is exported to Asia, where abalone has always been regarded as one of the supreme delicacies.

I remember my father bringing paua home for his dinner, he just loved paua fritters. Mum would not have anything to do with the paua until it was ground up, in a bowl, and on the kitchen counter ready to be made into fritters. My Dad, knew the only way he was going to get his favorite fritters, was to grind the paua himself. Armed with a food grinder and large bowl, Dad took himself out to the garage to get the job done.

A Traditional Taonga

A taonga is a treasure. Maori taonga are those things which have always been.

Paua shell was traditionally used by Maori to illuminate the eyes of their carving and artwork. The reddish colored shell were most prized for depicting the flashing red eyes of the warrior. The use of paua shell in all manner of jewelry and sculpture has become a distinctive feature of New Zealand artwork.

Wednesday Beauty

Another beautiful morning. Pink painted snow by artist, Mother Nature The Sun.

THE MAYONAISE JAR AND TWO CUPS OF COFFEE

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Another of my favorite bloggers

If you like to read stories from someones life's experiences, you would probably like

Musings Of An Old Man.

I have been following Ted's stories about his childhood as well as his adult life for a couple of weeks now, and have enjoyed all the great writing and humor.

Early Morning

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The view from our front deck was so beautiful early this morning, too bad my camera does not do it justice.
The cloud blanketed bluff was highlighted by the suns rays, pockets of snow sparkled, and the trees were hung with diamond drops of melting snow.

HAPPY VALENTINES

by Dave Coverly

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A wonderful Valentines to all my readers.

I gotta' go, I have 2lb12oz. of chocolates to eat, my Honey knows how much I love chocolate and had my Valentine chocolates hidden outside in his car until this morning. He knew I would have sniffed them out in the house.

Carnival of the Recipes is up at Physics Geek.

Physics Geek is hosting the carnival of recipes this week.
You will find mouth watering dishes from all round the globe.

Go take a look HERE

Sounds Of Spring

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How wonderful to be woken by the sound of a Robin singing his little heart out. I always feel a thrill of, 'spring is on the way' when I hear the first bird song after a dreary winter.
Brighten your day listen to a little music yourself. HERE

Olympic Hopeful For Gold Has Dropped Out

Michelle Kwan












I am saddened to hear,Michelle Kwan has dropped out of the Olympic Games on Sunday morning because of a groin injury, bringing her decade-long quest for Olympic gold to an end.
I have followed Michelle’s skating career for many years and was hoping this was going to be her year for a Gold at the Olympics.


Emily Hughes, (left, in picture, with sister, Sarah) who has filled the place on the USA team, left vacant by Michelle, will follow in the footsteps of big sister and 2002 Olympic champion Sarah Hughes when she makes her debut at the Torino Winter Games.

RECIPE: Chicken chow bake

2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 10 1/2-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1 tbs. Soy sauce
1 cup sliced celery
2 tbsp. Chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups chow-mein noodles.

Combine chicken, soup, pineapple, soy sauce, celery, and green onions. Mix well. Gently fold in 1 cup of the noodles, and turn into a greased 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Top with remaining noodles.
Bake 350F for 50 minutes or until hot.

Things got you down?

Things Got Ya Down?
Well Then, Consider These
...............................

In a hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients always died
in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 a.m.,
regardless of their medical condition.

This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had
something to do with the supernatural. No one could solve
the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to
investigate the cause of the incidents.

The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 a.m.,
all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside
the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon
was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer
books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits.

Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson, the part-
time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life
support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner.

Still Having a Bad Day????

The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the
Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00.

At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively
saved animals were being released back into the wild
amid cheers and applause from onlookers.

A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.

Still think you are having a Bad Day????

A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen
shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy,
with some kind of wire running from his waist towards
the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from
the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy
plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places.

Up to that moment, he had been happily listening
to his Walkman.

Are Ya O. K. Now? - No??

Two animal rights defenders were protesting
the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse
in Bonn, Germany. Suddenly, all two thousand pigs
broke loose and escaped through a broken fence,
stampeding madly.

The two helpless protesters were trampled to death.

What?? STILL having a bad day???

Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage
on a letter bomb. It came back with "Return to Sender"
stamped on it.

Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was
blown to bits.

There now, Feeling Better????

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

Shorts: clips from upcoming movies

Learning to work together

From The Manawatu standard

Maori nautical studies prove popular

09 February 2006

By MERVYN DYKES

When Te Wananga o Aotearoa began its Maori nautical studies course the expectation was that daring young men would predominate, but not so - the strongest interest came from young women.

Three years later, the sexes are balancing out and the course is proving so popular that it has to be capped - about 45 students each intake.

"In the beginning, young Maori men were too busy being cool to pick up a pamphlet or a brochure," says course leader Potaka Taite, so it was women who responded first.

"They tended to be professional women and were often hugely stressed out and looking for a way to relax."

Gradually males started asking their womenfolk to pick up course information for them and finally they began fronting up themselves.

The students include a mix of Maori, Pakeha (white), Cook Islanders, Samoans and other ethnic groups.

Their introductory level three course lasts 36 weeks, but the actual instruction occurs in intensive sessions lasting from Friday afternoons to Sundays at 2pm.

During this time, the students stay together as a group at a marae (meeting area) or some other accommodation centre, learning to trust and rely on each other.

"Everyone is on the waka(boat), so it's about paddling and moving in the same direction," says Mr Taite. "It is team work and you need to know who your crew members are, otherwise you will have difficulty working well together on the water."

The introductory course covers much more than traditional and contemporary navigation methods and the various types of canoe. Attention is also given to such things as nautical studies, first aid, fitness and health, water safety skills and Maori performing arts.

Mr Taite says successful students gain a certificate in nautical studies, which some use as a stepping stone to more advanced courses, while others might segue into such fields as boat building, tourism, fishing, outdoor education, marine industries and sciences.

"To some, learning is an end in itself," he says. "Others gain a sense of well-being and identity from their accomplishments."

Into the latter category he puts the occasional unemployed person who takes the course. They might feel down in spirits when they start, but they end up with a strong sense of purpose.

The basics of celestial navigation are touched on in the course, but Mr Taite says this is an area where knowledge is at a premium. Great modern-day navigators such as Hector Busby in the far north, Jack Thatcher in Tauranga and Nainoa Thompson in Hawaii are in such great demand that any information gleaned from them is treasured.

Pavement Art

Blue Dragon Sleeping on Treasure

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Ulla Taylor's original pavement artwork, has been enjoyed by thousands of people on city streets from Australia to Lithuania.

The Cream Trip

Today was one of those days where I started out, caffein low. This was a huge emergency, we had run out of coffee beans and did not have any instant coffee, not that I like instant, but I will choke it down if I have to. I was also out of ideas for a post for Keewee’s Corner. Mr. Completely suggested something from my childhood , geeez that’s a long time ago! Anyhow, after some thought, I do remember one special holiday in the Bay of Islands.

First, a little about New Zealand, The early Polynesian settlers called the country Aotearoa, meaning Land of the Long White Cloud. It is a name by which New Zealand is quite often known.

New Zealand consists of two large islands, North Island and South Island, plus several smaller ones of which Stewart Island is the largest and often referred to as 'our third island'. North and South Islands are separated by the 32km / 20mile wide Cook Strait. To the north and east lies the Pacific Ocean and between ourselves and Australia lies the Tasman Sea.


New Zealand's Climate
As a general guide, the North of New Zealand is subtropical and the South is temperate. New Zealand's seasons are opposite to the Northern hemisphere - the warmest months being December, January and February, and the coldest months June, July and August.

In summer, the average maximum temperature ranges between 20-30ºC (68-87ºF) and in winter between 10-15ºC (50º-60ºF


This graphic gives you an idea the size of New Zealand compared to United States of America.


OK the geography lesson is over, now on with my story.

One year, in the 1950’s, for our annual holiday, we went to the Bay of Islands and stayed at a nice campground at Paihia, which is 773km (480 miles) and a 11 hour drive from Palmerston North( my home city). Palmerston North is about 90 miles North of Wellington, New Zealand's Capital city.
.
During our stay at Paihia the family enjoyed going on a cruise around some of the many islands, this is called the Cream Trip, named because in the early years, the milk, cream, and butter, along with other staples were delivered to the residents of the islands by boat.

In the 1950’s ,the Cream Trip was a leisurely cruise on a fair size motor launch, these days you go on a luxury catamaran.

The Cream Trip meanders in and out of many of the smaller bays, calling on locals and delivering their stores and Royal Mail as it has done for over 100 years. The trip passes many different points of historical interest relating to both early European and Maori settlement. You may also see seals, dolphins and sometimes whales, as well as bird and fish life. I remember seeing a large hammerhead shark swimming alongside the launch, pretty exciting stuff for a youngster.

The trip takes about five hours and I can personally recommend it, especially as this is one of the few official Royal Mail runs by boat left in New Zealand.

If you go on the cruise now, you are served a delicious lunch at Otehei Bay Cafe on Urupukapuka Island during your island stopover,the sumptuous menu consists of:

- Fresh seafood mix
- A selection of cold meat cuts
- Hot, tasty chicken nibbles
- A variety of fresh salads
- Home baked bread
- Tea/ coffee/ milo

What I remember, from our trip, is a brown-bagged lunch with a sandwich, a couple of biscuits, (cookies) and a piece of fruit, can’t remember the drink, it was probably milo.

Doggie Wisdom

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
-Ann Landers

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
-Will Rogers

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
-Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare.
And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.
-M. Acklam

Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
- Sigmund Freud

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
-Franklin P. Jones

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
-James Thurber

If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise.
-Unknown

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money.
-Joe Weinstein

Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from
a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler



If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you;
that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
- Dave Barry

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.
Phil Pastore


My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.

Carnival of Recipes#77

Chocolate is the theme of this weeks carnival, you gotta go over there and check out the recipes at Prochein Amy's

"Scientists reported preliminary evidence recently that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy."

I am sure you will gain pounds just reading the recipes.

Power Outage

Whew! the power has finally been restored.
It is 10:54pm the power has been gone since around sometime near midnight last night.

We had experienced a very strong wind storm overnight and most of Saturday.

Early saturday morning, I called the owner of the spa, where I work, and asked if the power was on over there, as I was to work all Saturday, she said yes, so off to work I went.
On the drive in, there were trees down, branches and debris all over the roads, of all three roads I could have chosen to get to work, I was lucky enough to choose one which had been cleared of fallen trees.

We had just got our first guests all settled in at 10am when the power went out again, and
continued to stay off , many guests called in cancelling their appointments.

I decided to shut the spa down at 3pm and come home, as by then it was starting to get too cold in the spa for comfort. Most of the inn's guests had checked out and left the island to go home where they may have had power, unless of course they lived in the Seattle area , and of course, the Seattle and surrounding areas also had power outages.

Mr. C and I decided it was best to go to bed early, pile on extra blankets, and wait for the power company to get electricity back to us, " bless their little wooly socks!" the workers at the power company have spent many hours restoring the power to us, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cat blogging

Hi my name is Chico.

Over the Christmas holiday, Keewee came over to my house every day, for two weeks, while Mum and Dad were away on vacation.

I looked forward to Keewee coming over to give me my kitty food and a treat, but best of all, Keewee played with me.

We played with a string toy, (a piece of string with ribbons tied on the end) I loved to pounce on it when it was pulled by my hiding place under the couch.
When keewee left the house every morning, she would leave a different toy for me to play with. I was never bored.

I nearly forgot to tell you, Keewee brought me turkey on Christmas day, she really is thoughtful, I like her a lot.

How To Speak Kiwi

Amejen - Visualise

Recipe: Very Fat Fudge Cake

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This cake is so rich and moist, hence its name. You can also make mini-muffins from this recipe. See instructions at the end.

Ingredients
1 package (about 18.25 ounces) sour cream fudge cake mix
or devil's food cake mix (NOT Jiffy mix)
1 3-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 6-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, chilled
Confectioner's (powdered) sugar (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat all ingredients except chips together in a large bowl for 5 minutes at medium speed. Fold in chips by hand. Grease and flour a bundt or angel-food cake pan. Bake for 55 minutes.

Let cake cool completely on a rack, then sift powdered sugar over the top, if desired, or make your favorite chocolate frosting for the top.

To make mini-muffins:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare batter as above. Line mini-muffin tins with muffin papers. Fill 2/3 full. Bake 13-14 minutes.

Groundhog Day

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter!

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/06 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

It occurs to me, when I see on TV, Phil the groundhog, being dragged out of his winter retreat, blinking his eyes, and looking bewildered, he is not thinking 'six more days of winter'.

What I think he is really saying to himself is " What the heck do you think you are doing, are you all nuts, how would you like to be dragged out of bed to make a season prediction? put me back and come check on me in another five weeks, you bunch of idiots."

Pavement Drawing

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For your pleasure today, another chalk drawing by talented artist, Julian Beever

A Happy Childhood Memory

This morning, as I was sitting at the kitchen table watching, sparrows, juncos, and chickadees at my birdfeeder, I was reminded of a small bird I used to be fascinated by when I was growing up in New Zealand.

This small bird is called a Fantail, they mostly live on forest edges and in scrub habitats, but can often be seen in town in parks and gardens. We were lucky enough to have many trees around our home so the fantails were plentiful.

Fantails occasionally eat fruit, and berries, but they mostly eat insects.

It was when the fantails are catching insects that they are most interesting.

When catching insects in the air they are true acrobats, as they could change direction very quickly, they would dive and swoop, their tails would fan out, and they would almost come to a dead stop.

I spent many happy hours watching fantails in our yard.

I AM SO LUCKY

My honey, Mr. C made my birthday a special day indeed.

On Saturday morning, after my usual kiss and hug goodbye from my honey, I left the house to put in my half day at work.
Upon my arrival back home, Mr.C met me at the door and said, " you had better go check your email" My first reaction was, what has happened, my brain was not in the 'birthday mode yet'.

As I entered the den, the first thing I noticed was an envelope propped up on my computer keyboard leaning against a black monitor. "BLACK MONITOR, wait a moment, this is new, it is a flat screen, this is my birthday present !!! " Whoo Hooo!!!

When I had finished jumping up and down, I opened the envelope, to find a computer created birthday card, how cool, how special.

As all this excitement was going on Mr.C was standing there with a smile on his face, enjoying my reaction, he then told me to check out his blog as there was a message there for me.
"A message for me on his blog, I wonder what that is all about."

I very quickly, click, click clicked my way to Mr Completely's blog and found, well I am not going to tell you, you are going to have to go there to find out for yourself click HERE

Thank you Mr. C for a wonderful birthday.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

SQUIZ: as in " Have a squiz" to take a look at something;

"Giz a squiz" - to ask for a look at something.

Happy Birthday To Me

Last night, I went to dinner with five women I work with.

We all share the same birth sign Aquarius, so you can imagine the fun we had.

This morning I have the pleasure of working half the day. OK, so I lied, it is not exactly a pleasure, then this afternoon, my sweetie is taking me out to dinner.

Recipe: Hot Chicken Salad

Triticale the Wheat/Rye Guy
is going to be hosting Carnival Of Recipes, a Potluck, over at his place. You are all invited.

I am taking Hot Chicken Salad which seems to be a crowd pleaser.


2-3 cups cooked chicken cut in chunks
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups diced celery
1 small onion, minced
1 cup mayonnaise
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
3 tbsp. Lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
3 cups crushed potato chips

Mix all ingredients except potato chips.
Put in casserole and top with potato chips.
Bake 375F for 25 minutes.

Variations:
Add 1 4oz. Can diced green chiles to chicken mixture, and top with jalapeno flavored chips.

Top with cheese flavored chips.

Spring Is On The Way

After all the wet dreary weather we have had, it is wonderful to see all my primroses in bloom.
I have to really control the urge to rush to the garden center and buy new plants, as it is, no where near time for planting yet.

I am sure most gardeners would agree, the first sight of flowers after a long winter, makes you quiver with excitement. You start looking through all the garden catalogs, and even stop by the garden center to see what is new.

Primroses (Primula) provide you with early spring blooms in almost every color of the rainbow. They prefer cool temperatures, a rich humus soil (lots of compost and leaf mold) and partial shade. They appreciate full sun in the spring, but must have semi shade as the temperatures warm. They are quite tolerant of being transplanted, even when they are in bloom.

Tuesday Chuckle

Walmart announced that they would soon be offering customers a new discount item:

Walmart's own brand of wine.

The world's largest retail chain is teaming up with E&J Gallo Winery of California to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $2-5 range.

Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of Walmart brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for cheap wine," said Kathy Miocene, professor of marketing. She said, "But the right name is important."

Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the Walmart brand. The top 10 surveyed names in order of popularity are:

10. Chateau Traileur Parc

9. White Trashfindel

8. Big Red Gulp

7. World Championship Riesling

6. NASCARbernet

5. Chef Boyardeaux

4. Peanut Noir

3. I Can't Believe It's Not Vinegar!

2. Grape Expectations

1. Nasti Spumante

The beauty of Walmart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (possum) or red (squirrel).

Hat tip to GrampaPinhead

GOOD LUCK SEAHAWKS

RAH ! RAH ! RAH ! GO SEAHAWKS

RAH ! RAH ! RAH ! GO SEAHAWKS

Mr. Completely and I will be watching the game and cheering the Seahawks on. We are not huge football fans, but we do like to see our Washington State team win.

Update:

WE WON ! NOW, ON TO THE SUPER BOWL

The Carnival of Recipes #75

The Carnival Of Recipes is up over at Morning Coffee & AfterNoon Tea.

Christine, you have made a 'scrumptious' journey, collecting and organising all these wonderful recipes into a feast for our eyes.

Thank you from one chocoholic to another.

click HERE to visit and drool !

Getting Older

Getting older is like visiting an all-you-can-eat Buffet

What should be hot is cold

What should be firm is limp ...

And

The buns are bigger than anything else on the menu~!

How To Speak Kiwi

Ear roebucks - Exercise at gym

Adults Only Brownies

These brownies are not for those of you, who are *faint of heart* when it comes to cholesterol or calories!


2 sticks butter
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
6 eggs, separated
1 tbsp. Of your favorite coffee liqueur
1 c. sifted flour
2 c. nuts

Cream butter, blend in sugar and cocoa. Stir in egg yolks; when well blended, fold in by hand sifted flour, chopped nuts, egg whites which have been beaten to stiff peaks and liqueur. Pour into long pan (8 x 12 inch or similar). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. After cooling, spread with coffee icing.

COFFEE ICING:

1 stick butter
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. cold coffee, (the stronger the better.)
1 tbsp. of your favorite coffee liqueur
1 box powdered sugar
Pinch of salt

Cream butter until whipped light. Alternate sugar, coffee and cocoa (cocoa depends on ones taste for cocoa, up to 1 cup can be used). Add liqueur and pinch of salt and blend thoroughly.

You may use more liqueur if you wish, if you do, adjust the amount of cold coffee or add more powdered sugar to get the desired consistency.

OK! If you must serve these brownies to the kids, substitute vanilla for the liqueur.

Thursday Chuckle

How to retire in style

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a cruise ship. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back-to-back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises." She replied, "Yes, that's true." I stated, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home."

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations on a Princess and I can get a long- term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.

2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast-in-bed every day of the week).
3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.

4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.

5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.

7. T.V. broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No Problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.

8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.

9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go?

Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.

PS : And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side -- at no charge.

I am making my reservation ahead of time!

Just a Thought

Ladies, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could save up our * hot flashes* and recall them, to use when we felt cold.
This idea came from my honey, after I complained of being very cold, after a day at the gun range.

A Chilhood Memory

CHOCOLATE

Isn’t there a rule which says? “ you must consume chocolate every day?” No, well there should be.
Why I love chocolate so much today, is probably a result of not getting enough chocolate during my childhood.
OK, I thought this was a good excuse, it is my story and I am sticking to it.

When I was a child, chocolate was kept for ‘special occasions’. Every Easter my two brothers and I would receive a large hollow Cadbury’s egg. The boys would have theirs eaten that very day, but mine would last a whole lot longer.

I always unwrapped the beautiful colored patterned foil very carefully and smoothed it out so I could keep it with my other kid treasures. I would then nibble a small hole in the top of the egg, just enough so I could reach one finger inside and break off small bite size pieces from around the hole. Over the next few days I would break off small pieces, enjoying each morsel, until the egg was finished.

When my brothers would ask me for some of my chocolate, I would always tell them, in true kid fashion, "you should not be so piggy, and make yours last longer!" Of course, this led to all kinds of name calling, which Mum had to come and stop before it led to blows.

Christmas was one other time the family enjoyed chocolate. This time it was a large box of ROSES chocolates, mmmmm soft cream centers, nuts, caramel, etc. and Mum held out the box so each of us could choose our favorite, foil wrapped chocolate, thereby stopping any squabbles between us kids.

Christmas was always when my family went on vacation. Here in USA, in some states, we freeze our buns off at Christmas, in New Zealand we enjoy the warm days of summer.

This one particular vacation we did not have the usual box of ROSES chocolates, instead Mum brought out this humungeous block of SOLID CHOCOLATE, it seemed it was about eight inches by eight inches by one inch thick, you can imagine the look on us three kids’ faces, I am sure our chins, covered in drool, hit our chests.

Mum then proceeded to break off nice large chunks of the chocolate for us, ooooooooh I still remember the feel of that chocolate melting in my mouth, and that much chocolate at one time, if this was heaven, I had arrived!

No wonder I am such a Chocoholic

Chalk Drawing

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For your enjoyment on this Monday, a sidewalk drawing from a talented artist.

I ain't telling!

Next week's carnival will be hosted by Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea.
It is suggested that the recipes include, tea, coffee or Chocolate.

This afternoon,I whipped a batch of the "goodies' I will submit for the carnival, and of course I had to eat a couple of the "goodies" ooooh! I think I just gained several pounds. I also made Mr.Completely eat two, so I would not feel so bad.

I did not have any dinner as the two ?????'s I ate filled me up, and supplied enough calories for two meals.

You are just going to have to wait until friday to see my recipe.

PRISON VS. WORK

Just in case you ever got the two mixed up. This should make things a bit clearer.

IN PRISON.. you spend the majority of your time in an 8X10 cell.

AT WORK... you spend the majority of your time in a 6X8 cubicle.


IN PRISON...you get three meals a day.


AT WORK...you only get a break for one meal and you pay for it.


IN PRISON...you get time off for good behavior.

AT WORK...you get more work for good behavior.


IN PRISON...the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.

AT WORK...you must carry around a security card and open all the doors for yourself.


IN PRISON...you can watch TV and play games.

AT WORK...you get fired for watching TV and playing games.


IN PRISON...you get your own toilet.

AT WORK...you have to share with some idiot who pees on the seat.


IN PRISON...they allow your family and friends to visit.

AT WORK...you can't even speak to your family.


IN PRISON...the taxpayers pay all expenses with no work required.

AT WORK...you get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.


IN PRISON...you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.

AT WORK...you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.


IN PRISON...you must deal with sadistic wardens.

AT WORK...they are called managers.

Have a Great Day at WORK

Hat Tip to my blogger friend, Grampa Pinhead

Carnival of the Recipes #74 has arrived.

The Common Room has done a wonderful job of putting together a whole bunch of recipes from breakfast to dessert.
To see all the recipes click Here

Where are my Gumboots?

Yikes! we have had 26 days of rain, I am considering finding plans for building an ark.

It is not so much the rain, as the lack of sunshine. It is sooooo gloooomy, I think buying some of those special UV lightbulbs and installing them around the house may brighten things up a little.

I am complaining about the rain, but, I would rather splash around in the puddles than slip and slide on ice and snow, been there and done that!

There are folks over on the mainland who are dealing with flooding and mudslides, so I had better quit my whinging (kiwi for whining) find my gummboots, (kiwi waterproof boots) and count my blessings I am not having to deal with floodwater and mud.

KIWI WORD OF THE WEEK

You ain't wrong: That's right, yes.

Aztec Chili Salad

1 pound ground beef
1 package chili seasoning
½ cup water
15 ¼ oz. Can kidney beans, undrained
14 ½ oz. Can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained and cut up.
½ cup sour cream
3 tbsp. Mayo
1 fresh medium tomato, diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp Lawry’s seasoned pepper.
1 head lettuce
1 red bell pepper, sliced
¼ cup sliced green onions
1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup olives.

Brown ground beef, drain. Stir in chili seasoning, water, beans, and canned tomatoes; blend well. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

For dressing, in blender or food processor, blend sour cream, mayo, fresh tomato, cilantro, and seasoned pepper. Refrigerate until chilled.

On 6 individual plates, layer lettuce, chili meat, bell pepper, green onions, cheese, and olives. Drizzle with chilled dressing.

Sliced jicama wedges go well with this salad.
You can also use ground turkey or shredded chicken instead of the beef.

LOVE LIVES ON:

As a kid, I would see this gentleman riding his bicycle around town, and was always impressed how a blind person had the courage to be out on the road with all the cars going by.

He would ride alongside a sighted person with one arm reaching over and resting on his friend's shoulder for guidance.

Jack Shortt never let anything, or anyone, hold him back from what he wanted to do

Jack Shortt has named his birthday gift for his wife. She was a shorthand typist who learnt braille and he learnt to type so they could send love letters to each other.


It's the blind leaving to the blind. Jack Shortt's 90th birthday will be celebrated on Saturday, but the Palmerston North man is doing the giving.

Mr Shortt, who has been blind since he picked up an Army shell at Foxton Beach when he was 12, is giving his life savings of $45,000 to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind to fund more talking books.

Reading is one of his main "time fillers", says the Savage Crescent resident, along with ham radio, his garden and working with cane. He also played cornet in the Blind Institute Band of the 1930s and '40s and is an indoor bowls and rowing champion.

He's a fit 90 year old.

The story goes that several years ago he was told off by his neighbours for climbing the 15-metre tower in his backyard when the aerial cable for his short-wave radio set came undone.

He climbed down, waited for nightfall when no one was around and went back up again to fix it.

Mr Shortt has made the donation because he loves reading.

News from Down Under

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Now, how often do you find a piano on your local beach? This one was found on a beach not far from where I grew up.

PIANO MYSTERY:

The Piano
10 January 2006

It may not be in quite the same league as Jane Campion's movie masterpiece, but the discovery of a piano on Turakina Beach, about 20km south of Wanganui, has local residents wondering what's going on

Writer and actor Peter Hawes, pictured, who lives at the beach, said news of the find at the weekend spread quickly and it is already becoming an icon. The origin of the Walter Collinson upright is a mystery, but Mr Hawes says a piano of the same make was recently offered for sale on the internet trading site TradeMe by a Palmerston North resident.

Kitty Heaven

One day a cat dies of natural causes and goes to heaven. There he meets the Lord Himself. The Lord says to the cat, "You lived a good life and if there is any way I can make your stay in Heaven more comfortable, please let me know."

The cat thinks for a moment and says, "Lord, all my life I have lived with a poor family and had to sleep on a hard wood floor."

The Lord stops the cat and says, "Say no more" and a wonderful fluffy pillow appears.

A few days later 6 mice are killed in a tragic farming accident and went to Heaven. Again the Lord is there to great them with the same offer. The mice answered, "All our lives we have been chased. We have had to run from cats, dogs, and even women with brooms. We are tired of running. Do you think we could have roller skates so we don't have to run anymore?"

The Lord says, "Say no more," and fits each mouse with a beautiful pair of roller skates.

About a week later the Lord stops by to see the cat and finds him snoozing on the pillow. The Lord gently wakes the cat and asks him, "How are things going since you have been here?"

The cat stretches, yawns, and replies, "It is wonderful here. Better than I could have ever expected. And those Meals On Wheels you have been sending by are the best!!!"

Birdie House Bargain

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I was going to tell you all about our weekend adventures but you can go read about it at Mr. Completely's.

On the way out of Washougal we stopped at a Bi-mart.

On my first sweep up the sale aisle, I noticed the Christmas bird houses , which were priced at $7.99 , down from $22, I thought it was a great price and maybe I would buy one after I had checked out all the other goodies.

On my second trip down the Christmas aisle, I mentioned to one of the sales associates, who was standing near by, that the price on the bird houses was really good. She told me ALL Christmas items were selling for 25 cents each, I could hardly believe I heard her correctly.

We came out of the store with all four bird houses which were left, a few other decorations, and four tins of Danish Butter Cookies for 25 cents, which Mr. Completely discovered, just as we were about to leave the store.

Oh! how I LOVE a bargain!

Mini Vacation from Blogging

I will not be doing any blogging until probably Monday.

Mr. Completely and I are heading down to the Portland area for both business and pleasure.

On Saturday we are meeting up with one of our blogger friends, Rivrdog, and will get in a little range time. We will also work over some of the final details and equipment for the pin shoot to be held on March 11th.

Sunday all day will be spent in Washougal, Washington, a small town just over the border from Oregon, installing a computer system and training the employees how to run it all, then back home late Sunday night.

I Got to Choose!

BackPack Picnic Set

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Once a month, at our Fishin' Club's meeting, we raffle off several cool prizes. Mr.Completely always buys a bunch of tickets, I buy a few, depending how many dollars I have in my pocket.

Last night when we arrived I went to see what I could win, and there was a cool picnic set, I mentioned to Mr.C "I would like that"

When the tickets were drawn Mr.C was lucky to be the first winner and told me to choose what I would like to have, of course you know what I chose.

I was lucky to be the third winner, so I chose a very nice flashlight. Can't have too many flashlights around the house when you live in an area of frequent windstorms resulting in power failures.

The picnic set includes, 4 place settings featuring, knives, forks, spoons, plates, picnic wine glasses and fabric napkins. little wooden salt and pepper shakers, a cheese knife, wooden cutting board, multi-function tool, including a bottle opener, corkscrew and blade.

The backpack has two storage pockets, an insulated inner pouch, and a detachable insulated wine bottle holder.

I can hardly wait for warmer weather to get here so we can go on a picnic.