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February 28 Goodbye and HelloA few hours ago we were at the domestic airport terminal having breakfast with CC, PJ, RE, R, N & B. CC and PJ are off to Shanghai for a few yrs. The lead up to them leaving was very smooth. We were chatting and having a nice time. So we all walked down the gate. Until one of us saw Patrick Rafter walking towards the same exit were CC and PJ are going to board. B suggested to come up to him and introduce ourselves because our son would love it. I hesistated at first, but I went anyway. I came up and introduced my son P and told Patrick Rafter how my son got his name, he's crazy about tennis and that he's taking lessons. He smiled and said "That's nice." He was talking to P about tennis. He asked P who is he playing with, and P said "Lleyton Hewitt, and I'm going to be a good tennis player mum." I had to remind P that Patrick Rafter is in the game Virtua Tennis 2 to jog his memory. To which P said "Oh yes mum, Patrick Rafter, virtua tennis 2 at play station." We all started to laugh. I asked politely if we could get a photo taken, and Mr. Rafter obliged. After taking the photo PR asked when my son was born, and I told him the date. He said it's a few months after his son was born. We said thank you and left them. Lovely man that Patrick Rafter is.
A few minutes after CC and PJ had to board the plane to Sydney. It was a short goodbye, we all started crying. I remember CC almost sobbing when she walked through the gate. We'll miss them immensely. They did say they're coming back for christmas. So it should be allright..... crossing our fingers. Love you Mum and Dad. Take care.
Remember I had a photo taken of PR with P? Well, I'll be damned, when I tried to view the photo on my camera it said my cam had no memory stick in it. Arrrggh!! How unlucky was that? I should have just used my mobile, but it was too late and P was semi having a fit from seeing my phone. I said I'll try again but P would not cooperate. It would have been a nice souvenir. Darn it. February 23 Banana CakeTruthfully I am not much of a fan of banana cakes. I don't make them quite as often, even though we never run out of bananas at home. But once in a while it's nice to have something different for dessert or merienda. With the help of P, we managed to make this one from scratch and not making too much of a mess in the kitchen. P is delighted to be around the kitchen and kept asking "Is it ready yet, is it ready yet?". To which I reply, "It's getting there, won't be long now". That keeps him mum for a minute or two and then he starts asking the same question again. I've had this recipe for a while now, and I don't remember where I got it from. So if the original author/maker of this recipe happens to read my blog, I apologize profusely for "borrowing the recipe". At any rate, cheers to the author/maker of the recipe!
 Thank you for sharing it. Banana Cake
Ingredients:
Generously grease a 10-inch tube pan with the softened butter, making certain that it is thoroughly coated. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Break the eggs into a large bowl. Beat vigorously with an electric mixer at high speed until the eggs are light and lemon-colored and have tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add the mashed bananas, yoghurt, and vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Slowly, fold in the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake on a 150-180 degrees C oven untill the batter is firm to touch or when you stick a skewer it leaves no residue on it. Place on a wire rack to let it cool down. Serve when ready with whipped cream or ice cream. February 09 CoffeeI can't believe how much money we spend on take away coffee, so H and I purchased a coffee machine. Nothing fancy, not the Gaggia ones, a Breville BarVista. Since it didn't come with it's own grinder I had to get one as well, Brasilero grinder. It was cheap, and it does the job, nuff said. I think we might need to purchase a Bang Bang (knock box) and tamper as well. We've been trying to make a proper cuppa. So far it's been hit or miss. But I do know now how to make coffee the way I LIKE it. Before the machine arrived I was reading on books and web sites that would help me how to make the perfect cuppa. There's soo much information around that I drove me nuts at some point. Quite frankly there is no "how to" book. I suppose it all depends on how you would like your coffee. The other option is to enrol in a barista class. But they are a bit expensive to my liking. coffeegeek.com is wonderful website. Jump into the forum area and you can get help or just read on the different articles that they have about coffee. Everything there is to know about coffee they have it... or at least that's what I think. These people know their goods and frank about how other machines compare. So if your a novice like us, tread lightly. You can get confused. Just take their advise with a grain of salt. Anyway, it will only be a matter of time before we can master the art of making a coffee.Hmmmm...the barista course does not sound bad come to think of it.... practice makes perfect. I was advised to chuck my machine and purchase a Sunbeam Twin Thermoblock Espresso Machine, far too pricey for my range. I'm sure it makes a beautiful cuppa. I said to myself, "stuff it I'll just stick to what we have, until our palate changes". At least I can froth the milk for P's babychino, and god knows how much he loves pretending to drink coffee. He feels like a grown up, his cuppa should be accompanied by either marshmallows or biscuits. Who would have thought brewing your own coffee would be so perplexed? I was wrong, it's not as effortless as it seems. Then there's the coffee jargon that you need to understand.... aaaah! Maybe I should pick my best friends brain (she's a barista) then prolly it'll be easier. So now that the machine has been getting some workout, the house smells like a coffee shop. I have to admit though, there's only so much coffee essence/scent that I can take. Otherwise my lungs would feel like theyr'e full of ciggarette smoke, like when you've had your 1st ciggy in ages. Having the machine reminds me of the aroma that would permeate my village. I was living several blocks away from the factory of Cafe Puro. Reminds me of home. It's time to sit back and relax, put my feet up. Now where did I put my book? PS Please excuse the chip on my mug, it still does the job, so I'm not replacing it anytime soon.  February 06 ValentinesValentines is just around the corner, I wonder what's in store for me this year?  |
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