fear

i've always been scared stiff of mice, rats, snakes and sharks.  it's fairly easy to avoid the snakes and sharks but unfortunately the former two have been plaguing me of late.  it started when i noticed poop on the back veranda.  could it be rats?  yes it could.  we have had a very wet winter in adelaide and as i live next door to a cemetery and a park my theory is that the vermin got flooded out and moved into my slightly dryer shed.  there's lots of poop in there too.  today, between loads of washing, i leaned on the couch and looked out the window into the back garden just thinking about nothing in particular.  it's a little courtyard garden with a pond and lots of pot plants.  then i saw it.  out of the corner of my eye.  was it my imagination?  no it wasn't.  a mouse (i hope it's not a baby rat) ran out of the shed and into the back garden and it was horrible.  it's out there now.  running around the pots.  very sneakily and quick.  omg.  what to do???  i can ask my dil to put more baits in the shed i suppose.  i wanted to go in there and get the lawnmower out today but now i don't think so.  i was out there last night to water.  did i mention that a month or so ago there was a large dead rat out there?  luckily my dil removed it for me.  she's from the country thank goodness and not a fraidy cat like me. telling me that they are more afraid of me than i am of them isn't helpful.  i know this to be true but it doesn't help.  in my defense, i am not afraid of spiders.  there are red backs in the front garden. 

the beetroot incident x 3

ahh, what can i say.  beetroot is a bitch to clean up.  esp. when it's all over the bench and most of the things on said bench.  luckily, it didn't go on the floor or cupboard doors.  phew.  firstly, i tipped a container of beetroot over in the fridge the other day.  you don't want to know about that cleanup.  :(  today, i was making a delish salad wrap for lunch when ...  i tipped over the container of beetroot.  it went everywhere.  but that's not the best bit.  i picked up the container and it slipped out of my hands and went all over my wrap.  another sad face :( lol. i think on reflection that it is the container that is at fault here.  i need one with a tighter lid.  so i cleaned it all up.  the dish washing water looked a bit ominous.  then, a very sharp knife got knocked off the bench and onto the floor.  this is where i think the accident fairies were looking after me (where were they before?).  it missed my foot by mere millimetres.  phew.  i had thongs on (my feet) and it could have been nasty.  so, it's all cleaned up and i've had a cup of coffee.  i don't know whether to go outside and sweep up some more or go up and have a shower.  my son and dil came over yesterday and we shifted some pot plants and garden stuff.  it's a mess but it's better than it was.  we did lots and were dirty and tired when we finished.  i was supposed to go up and see the kids for lunch today but my daughter couldn't make it so i went back to the garden.  might be time for a shower and a nana nap.  :)  enjoy your sunday

i found this lovely blue and white ball at the shop the other day

my son and g/daughter having a swing after gardening yesterday

lovely son and lovely dil Sharlene

remember the tree the council cut down recently?  it's growing again. my dil said i should have shade again in about 15 years. to be fair the tree is starting to rot from the inside.  it's not very healthy

me gardening.  i'm such a klutz at times

the beetroot mess, well some of it anyway

 

i'm going to give it another try

i'm going to try these even though my last attempt was pathetic.  call me a fool for punishment and wish me luck.  there's lots of cheese though.

Lasagne "Cupcakes" from http://www.emilybites.com/2011/07/lasagna-cupcakes.html

Ingredients: ½ lb 95% lean ground beef 1 ½ t Italian seasoning 5 oz mushrooms, chopped 16 wonton wrappers, 4 oz fat free Ricotta cheese, 1 ½ oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 1 c pasta sauce, 4 oz reduced fat 2% shredded Mozzarella cheese Directions: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. 2. In a sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and Italian seasoning and brown beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until mushrooms are browned as well. 3. Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Using about half of the ricotta, spoon evenly into the wonton wrappers. Follow by spooning some of the meat/mushroom mixture into each cup (using about half the total mixture) and then splitting ½ cup of the sauce between each cup. Sprinkle about half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients. 4. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Yields 8 lasagna cupcakes.  we shall see.  i'll let you know how they go.  sans pics this time i think  :)  sorry it's in imperial measurements not metric.

Emily

this is what they are supposed to look like :)

i'm watching Baz Luhrmann's version of romeo and juliet.  it blew me away when i saw it on the big screen all those years ago, 1996 in fact.  it still does.  it's an amazing movie. it's stinky hot here and i'm just about to make a milo smoothie. the movie is quite long i think and i worked today so  will probably be a late one.

a new post

thought i'd better write something new up here as it's no longer 'new year' is it? my heart goes out to the people of queensland who have been affected so badly by the floods at present. a major tragedy. there are numerous sites where you can donate. i just hope that it doesn't get any worse. we, in adelaide, are expecting a lot of rain apparently, as are some other states. i think all of australia will ultimately pay for this disaster in the supermarkets etc in the months to come.