Feijoa and other stuff

Today I have been brave and made feijoa chutney. Only a small amount because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. And after last years disastrous attempt at feijoa jam I thought I'd go slow and easy. It looks pretty good but the proof will be in the eating. I'll give my little mother a small jar to try, she's not too keen on the fruit but might enjoy it made into something different. Apparently it tastes a little like pineapple, but it's not like any pineapple I've ever tasted. Wikipedia says it is a type of guava native to South America. I think it is an acquired taste, unless you grow up eating it, which I didn't. I do enjoy it a little more each time I have it though. 

The weekend has been busy, starting on Friday night with an outing to 10 pin bowling with the youth group and then a craft afternoon and fish n chip tea with the Sunday school kids on Saturday. That was a lot of fun but very tiring. Sunday School yesterday and today was a day at home. Just mucking around doing what I wanted when I wanted.

I just love this picture of the snow owls the kids made. They are all so different and so expressive. As it was the night of the Matariki lantern  parade in town we also made lanterns and after tea tested them out so that the parents and kids could see how they had turned out.  They were really effective in the  dark but  my photo didn't turn out so, sorry, I can't show you.    

There is still a lot of this white stuff hanging around making it very cold and yukky. You may guess that I am a warm weather person. A few days before this dumped we had torrential rains for over 2 days causing floods and slips nation wide.  Bridges and roads were washed out and people evacuated from homes where the ground was falling away under them. We had one day reprieve and then the snow started. After 3 days of non stop snow moving up the country people have again been cut off and there have been more road closures, slips and power outages. Over a metre of snow has fallen in some places and while that is good for the snowfields it is a disaster for the farming community. Here where I live on the Taieri Plain it never settled on the ground and while that made me happy it meant the kids didn't get any snow days from school and were very disappointed. I just think we were extremely lucky when I see what has happened elsewhere.

And just to finish, here is a shot of the so called super moon, through the trees and as the clouds parted briefly earlier this evening. 

Happy Matariki

Diana

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

... it's been raining solidly for over 48 hours,
and the state highways north and south are closed again
 - this time by flood waters. 
But that didn't stop me going out

 for lunch today with my good friend, Bon.

About once a month we head over to Green Island

 and have lunch together at the Trading Post.

outside the Trading Post today

We usually have a toastie and tea (for me) and Bon has a cappuccino or latte or some such drink with hers.

You can't let a little weather stop you from having fun.

One year, it was going to be this one but wasn't,

 I am going to take part in the midwinter polar plunge. 

Well that's my plan anyway, part of my bucket list.
 It was like this the day it was held 
and I didn't realise it was on. 

That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

When I got home who was sitting, 

all wet and bedraggled, on the step?

Just Claude...who wouldn't come in, 

because strangely we like our doors shut 

when the weather is is wet and cold and windy.

He likes the doors wide open in case 

he spots a set of legs he doesn't recognize 

and wants to make a bolt for it, 

regardless what it is like outside. 

Feijoa tree

There is an upside to all this frightful weather though.

The neighbours feijoa tree is dropping fruit 

left, right and centre, over our fence.

Eldest daughter is coming over  to take some home, tomorrow, and I think I will make some into chutney this year. 

Not jam, last years didn't turn out too well.

There has just been so many windfalls

and the tree is still laden. 

You can see the fruit in the photo.

I can do a jigsaw or two without feeling

 as if I should be doing something more productive.

 This one is interesting and a bit of a challenge.

It has 11 pictures on the box

 and none of them are what you put together

...but are all in the completed puzzle somewhere

And I don't fell guilty about reading a book or four.

The first two in this pile are good stories

 but quite hard to read,

 a little strange I guess, 

and a bit different to what I normally read.

But that's not a bad thing.

And if all else fails, and there is nothing on telly, 

we can always hunker down and watch a DVD.

Have a good week,

Diana

Playroom rules

My GKB were out for lunch today and we saw a poster on the wall entitled Playhouse rules.

 I couldn't help but write it down. It went as follows.

PLAYROOM RULES

Everyone is welcome

BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER

LAUGH & GIGGLE

Clean up after yourself

SAY PLEASE AND THANKYOU

PLAY FAIR

USE KIND WORDS

DANCE, SING

use your imagination

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TOYS

HAVE FUN

ALWAYS SHARE

******************

Personally I think they are pretty good rules for life after the playroom as well. What about you?

Have a great week,

Diana