Happy Birthday Dad...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD FOR TODAY

and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAV FOR YESTERDAY

Hope you enjoy your day!

This is a photo of Dad, Tracey and I on our way up to Exmouth in 1967

Sandy

Tori's school report...

On Friday Tori came home with her school report for the first half of the year. She got an A in dance, B's for English, Math, Music, Health, Phys Ed and Technology & Enterprise. She got C's for Science, Society & Environment and Art. Her teacher wrote the following:

Tori has continued to be an exemplary student. She is respectful, polite and well mannered and she has a highly developed sense of responsibility. She has been an excellent faction captain carrying out all her extra duties in a responsible and reliable manner. It has been important to her to be a good role model and she has achieved this by being a caring class member, a conscientious and commited faction captain and a fully involoved member of the school community.

She is a very focused and motivated sutdent who has demonstrated the ability to set goals for herself and achieve them. Tori is an independent learner and a very cooperative team member. She applies herself fully to her tasks and takes pride in all she does.

She is very conscientious and she strives to do her best in all she undertakes. She has maintained excellent standards in the presentation of her written work and her dedication to achieving high standards is evident in the excellent homework routine she follows. She has a highly developed sense of right and wrong and she constantly shows positive values.

Well done Tori.

I am very, very proud of her. She has always loved school and is doing so well :)


Sandy

Wheat free lemon cake....

Years ago - pre children - I used to live with Sonja. A couple of weeks ago I bumped into her in the local shopping centre. Her and her husband have bought five acres and built a new house. She rang on Sat morning and invited me to afternoon tea on Sunday, both her parents were also going to be there.

Sunday morning I made this wheat free lemon cake (I have been wheat free for about 3 weeks, hoping to fix stomach problems) to take. It is really nice and you would never know that it wasn't made from ordinary cake ingredients! Honestly!

Wheat free lemon cake

200g butter , softened
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
175g ground almonds
250g mashed potatoes
zest 3 lemons
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Syrup

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

zest from 1 lemon

3 tblspns lemon juce

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas. Butter and line a deep, 20cm round cake tin. Beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, then gradually add the egg, beating after each addition. Fold in the almonds, cold mashed potato, lemon zest and baking powder.

Tip into the tin, level the top, then bake for 40-45 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Wait 10mins and then place on serving plate.

Put syrup ingredients into a saucepan and boil for approx. 4 mins until thick and syrupy. Using a skewer poke holes into cake and then pour syrup over cake.

Yummo!

I think it would be really nice warm for dessert, with cream or yoghurt.

Sandy

Melbourne...

Mum, Brody, Tori and I went to Melbourne in March for 1 week, before Mum flew over to NZ. We were lucky to be able to stay with our friends Leonie and Graeme, who put up with us, fed us and drove us around!

These are some of the photos that Tori took.

Sandy

A new chook house...

I finally went and bought a new chook house. Have been looking for something secondhand for ages, or even wood offcuts or bits of tin for Jay to make one. No luck...so I went and bought a lge dog kennel from Better Pets and Gardens. I had to paint it to make the wood more weatherproof...picked a lovely shade of green!! The roof is hinged and lifts off to one side, which I thought would make it easy for collecting eggs. Will be able to see any creepy crawlies!! Brody made the ladder for me, from some wood we got off the lady accross the road. I thought if it was off the ground, they would have a bit of extra shade and shelter underneath. At the moment it is just sitting on two milk crates.

The first night 3 of my 5 chooks made their own way up the ladder and inside and I 'helped' two. Last night, all five managed to find their way inside :) Clever girls!

Yesterdays eggs...

Daily egg output is around about three now, so getting five was a bonus!!

Sandy

My first day at work...

was okay....little bit boring. But that is what you get with filing! and there is lots of it!!

It will get better, as I learn more and they give me more to do. The staff are all nice anyway, and that is the main thing, isn't it?

Came home anyway and Tori and Jemma (Brody's girlfriend) had dishes all done and nice and tidy, that was good :)


Sandy

I got the job...

I just got back from a job interview and I start on Monday at 9.30am with this company www.siteprojectsgroup.com.au

Initially I will be doing reception, as a couple of ladies go on holiday, then I will be on the admin side. I am looking forward to it, actually.

Now, off to buy some shoes :)


Sandy