Natter HQ - MAIN POSTING

2010-01-03T15:22:00.002+10:00

in the manner of indexed

2010-01-02T16:26:00.004+10:00

poached eggs

I am an incredibly big fan of poached eggs with salmon & avocado and balsamic vinegar, or the good old eggs benedict. Although often I found I really dislike the hollondaise sauce, such a skill to getting it right.

As I'm not one to cook, my perfect saturday morning is at a cafe with an order of a nice hearty poached eggs combination breakfast, but it's often ruined by someone overcooking my eggs ( even when I ask for it not to be)

In terms of this brekkie my pet peeves in my orders have been- are:

-people overcooking the poached eggs ( happens so many time)
- the whites of the egg being scraggly like an old man's beard
- people who put the eggs on top of the spinach/salmon/whatever so that the salmon is so overcooked that it takes extremely salty ( it's a very then salty brekkie)
- the bread being hard, or too soggy ( from the eggs on top combination), and really awkward to cut with knife and fork
- the hollondaise being too sour. (although maybe I don't understand hollandaise)

The best ones I've had so far are at Gusto (before the cook changed) and down at Babar's in a shopping centre in Canberra.... nowadays I don't order it anymore because it so often doesn't meet my expectation, and I'm not a massively fussy food person.

Marcus' wareing's 'how to cook a perfect .." cookbook, explains how to cook the poached egg, it seems pretty straightforward and actually makes the whole process for kitchens who need to mass produce these eggs very straightforward, I don't understand why my poached eggs are often such epic fails!!!

point 8 of this link illustrates how you do it, obviously time adjusted cos you're not cooking a duck egg. Apparently when you want to eat it, you put the egg cooked backed into hot water for a minute and voila!

2010-01-02T16:24:00.001+10:00

Well, I haven't posted in so long on this, I'm looking at the template and thinking that it will be incredibly difficult to change! Currently I'm supposed to make up some working days, so I can go up to Katoomba on annual leave but this hasn't quite happened yet.

2009-09-06T14:03:00.002+10:00

So...

It's been a year since my grandfather died, and a bit longer since my uncle.

Had a family dinner last night day before father's day, so it felt a little strange thinking my dad doesn't have a father, and my aunt has no husband.

Even though sometimes I feel like we hold to different ideals, am glad I can still celebrate Father's day... kindof.. even if dad is with mum on a plane to Shanghai. ( I did give him some good chocolate)

2009-05-16T06:34:00.000+10:00

Hmm...

think there be formatting issues to deal with.. it's been too long ... don't remember any of this stuff!

2009-05-16T06:33:00.001+10:00

Should really

revamp. or something.

2009-03-28T14:31:00.002+10:00

forgot about this!

Kinda :) Feeling lonely today, am at Mum's and appreciating the beautiful view, and the sunlight that you don't get in apartment living. As a consequence of some busy weeks. On the bright side, I boiled two almost perfect eggs for breakfast :) Slightly runny :) Beautiful golden yellow.

2008-09-19T23:16:00.002+10:00

What took you so long?

:) hooray :) exam over!
I'm packing my wkend.
Wrote bible study
maccas breakfast on the way to wkc?
maybe go to a party at night?
gotta write kids talk
church sunday
lunch with Jess yay
628 kids ministry at night
then either i will collapse into bed watching Westwing or I will do some work catch up
or watching.
the possibilities are endless when you finish exams.

2008-03-09T19:44:00.002+10:00

I found the keys!!!

This week was like being locked outside the front door without the keys, and needing to scale a 50ft fence to get inside.

But at the end of the week, I found my keys!!!! *

* I really did lose them, though the analogy stands.

I could explain my week, but that would detract from the power of my keys!

2008-01-27T10:02:00.000+10:00

How do you say goodbye?

I'm still trying to process how you say goodbye. Our beautiful dog of almost 12 years, we lost early wednesday morning. There has been lots of thoughts, and a lot of tears. I think I'm amazed at how much we loved him, but really how precious a member he was in a family.

Looking outside, there's the torn screen, from him trying to come in when the thunder came and he came scared. ( We replaced countless screens over his life - finally buying metal screems becuase the plastic would be ruined so quickly) The marks on the screen as he lay against the back door. His kennel still needs a clean and to be put away.

The mynas no longer come for that extra bite after he finishes. There isn't the whine as Mum cooks dinner and we go to sit down. When I get to the front door, I don't hear the jingle jangle and the floppy ears and almond eyes gazing with a little whine for attention. There's no one to race us to the back door. There isn't the head cocked to one side waiting and looking to see if we are going to come out and pat, or talk to him.

Dad gave our tiles a clean, and there's that stark whiteness, and almost sterile reminder that our messy friend isn't there. I think mum finds it the hardest, that when she goes to put the laundry there, that Coffee doesn't come up and nudge her for a pat, or reallocate his position and lie in the sun. Coffee would potter in different parts of the garden as he got older but always as we headed back up through the pool fence, and inside, he would be bounding after and squeeze himself thrugh the gate, and then to the back screen. Often we would start closing the screen on him, and he would still leave his snout there and gaze longingly, and we would have to push him out the door after giving him an extra pat

There were moments when Mum was cooking dinner, and would notice that the door was ajar, and my dog ( all 32.5kgs of him) had quietly nuzzled the door open and just lay on the mat to be a part of everything. Often we would pretend we didn't see him, and hope dad didn't come down, and kick him out ( obviously we were softer). He was an expert at shaking hands, I trained him to give me his "other hand", and often when he wanted a pat, at the door, he would start offering his paws to us, and then as we put it down and started to turn he would give us the other one :)

He was pretty docile, there are funny moments like when we once took him to the vet, and instead of trying to attack the kitten, he launched with his bottom into the air, with a high pitched bark wanting to play. The time when I saw our custard apple tree shaking back and forth like a tree animated into ferocious vigour, yet everything else was still. Looking a tiny bit further, I spotted a brown boy, there were Coffee's jaws grasping a delectable fruit, moving back and forth, trying to pick it off the tree ( we couldn't help but laugh at what a pro he looked like). Times when he came sodden with mud at the back door from playing down the back in the house we rented! As a puppy I remember him climbing into my cousin's lap and then falling a sleep and my cousin trying to shove him off, he wouldn't move!!

When he was growing up we rented a house whilst we were building, which had an amazing garden, it was about a 10m drop to the back, so the landscaping zigged zagged down all the way to the fence behind which was the reserve. Coffee was an excellent sprinter, acutally we were too because we used to race him down and up, and slam the door before he could make it.. we would throw a tennis ball, and let him run all the way to the back of the garden, and we would dash up the stairs.

At the top of the garden we had a large lemon tree, continually plentiful in fruit. It bore rather sizeable lemons, the type with thick rind ( not good according to my parents - becuase the rind was very thick). A ripe fresh, lemon would be hurtled down to the bottom of the garden (after quite a few fake throws), and Coffee would fly down and back he would come in 20seconds. An incredible guzzling noise began to be start emitted from his chest. His mouth would drool as he dug into this lemon and the sour taste overpowered him. We would start laughing as the guzzling continued droning on because he sounded exactly like a digeridoo player (Coffee and the digeridoo lemon!), Obviously he was a focal point of the family talent when when guests came over!

There's probably lots of funny things I remember about him, he was just so gentle and placid, yet excitable. One of our cleaners liked him so much even though she was very scared of big dogs, and asked if she could keep a photo of him.

We will miss our beautiful boy, and even though we called him a host of rather unflattering names besides Coffee - stinky, slow pig, piggy, bad piggy ( you'll need to speak cantonese to get the gist of it - kindof like saying pumpkin), they were terms of endearment because he was loved! My brother and I used to start calling each other stinky at one stage hehe.

His ashes come back soon, and well we will then say our final goodbyes. The tears are stopping now, I don't wake in a sob of tears. It starts becoming a bit like talking about a third person when i tell people that we've been sad cos Coffee has gone. It seems a bit strange. Giving away his food. Telling people not to give us food because we no longer have a dog. Feeling strange becuase I'm telling people my dog has died ( he's just a dog isn't he!?) Moving on. Still haven't taken out the dog seat cover of my car, when I took him to the vet... I guess I'll need to throw that out.

There are moments of guilt when I'm not sure I gave Coffee enough love when was around in his final years and I grew up and had things to do.

I am very thankful to God for giving us a friend that was so beautiful to love, and learning that it's okay to grieve for lost parts of life.

Goodbye Coffee - 1997- 2008

(written the morning I was waiting to go and see him after finding out he was gone - still verbose in grief it appears, although coherent words was another matter when I got to work and was a bit of a mess)

Coffee is our first real family pet.
He is a very special brown dobe.
Mum loved him the most and really cared for him in his old age.
He was the friendliest - I kid you not guard dog most people met. He licked the firemen who came, and wouldn't jump on little kids. He never ate until told.
When he chased lemons he would chew on them like a digeridoo.

He was getting fairly old and last night he wasnt' moving much so we took him to the vet hospital and thought he would be okay overnight and it would be a lot of trauma to move him to Strathfield hospital if he didn't. It took a fair bit of effort to get a 32.5kg dog by my brother and I to the car down about 30 steps of our house. Surprisingly he walked quite a few steps outside just as we were going to take him to Strathfield and we made the call to leave him, but he coudln't make it, and we got the call at about 7am that the vet student coudln't resuscitate our beautiful boy. The vet was trying to tell me and I was rather calm, although my body was in complete shock hearing.

Things will be a bit quiet without our adorable friend by the gate, the little whimpers at the side, and when we had dinner, the boy who races us to the back door, the beautiful eyes, and the insistent nudges for our pat.

There are moments of me who wishes or wonders if I made the right call, but I prayed to God about it during the night, and I think he decided that it was time for him.

So as the sun rises for another day of God's beautiful creation, we will say goodbye to one of his beautiful creatures, and I hope that the tears don't flow much more and that mum is okay. I'm not sure how you say goodbye to something that doesn't move or respond. You can't really. I didn't say goodbye last night because I thought that I could see him today.

Our beautiful Coffee.

2008-01-20T23:09:00.001+10:00

Missing

I want my holidays back!!!!!
I realllly miss the fellowship of some beautiful girls from beach mission and summer school :(

2008-01-13T21:51:00.000+10:00

Obedience even when it seems foolish

Lovely Summer School Week :)

8 Lovely Girls - 1 lovely house
the thin walls where you could hear somoene bump their knee through the walls
Chocolate shop visit 1, 2, 3
Mangoes
Horse Riding in Megalong
Dappled sunlight drive to Megalong behind the silly car that drove in the middle of the lane
Iced Chocolates at Megalong Tea Inn!
Jess Green and Anita time
Doing the stops on Cliff Drive at Sunset and seeing God's amazing Creation!
Chops at Caffe Zuppa and the funky lights
The 30 random ppl who descended for bbq...
The drool worthy stationary shop in Leura - just like a lolly shop
Meeting Sarah and Karol!
Karol and Sarah's awesome Campsite spagetti and pavalova!
Elsie's fear of the gigantic huntman
The discovery of the universal love of SET ( I am not alone finally)
Nic and Jess's patting story
Afternoon runs down to Echo point
Our delicous home cooked meals

I felt like I didn't have a church to belong to, and that felt hard at times, feeling like I didn't belong, and that no one actually cared, but welll obviously God had a lovely plan for me with 7 beautiful women! :) Hehe so lovely! :)

And the best bit for me was..... not just the fellowship but the talks! It's a comfort having heard 1 Samuel and thinking about Obedience and knowing it may look like foolishness to the world's wisdom! :) How amazing, that there is one who has obeyed fully! Hearing this was a great comfort to me!! As people enjoy sharing with me how they think my decisions are i.e. you've made a foolish decision, I know my obedience is what matters no matter what others think!

2008-01-13T21:27:00.001+10:00

A little slip of snow white

One of the things that sticks out for me on beach mission is this one little girl. She didn't have much teeth, and her clothes were rather bedraggled. I spent about 20mins making sure she didn't get lost one morning after our kids program. When she returned in the afternoon, dressed in a faded-snowwhite for mini-olympics she came and gave me a hydrangea and a page of writing that she was practicing. Something so simple as rolling in the grass, and singing songs would elicit such a response from a girl that I felt I barely knew.

She was yearning to be loved. So was her sister. We took her and her sister home that afternoon, and she begged that perhaps I come over and play with her sister and sleep over. As we turned to leave, she had run to get all the baby kittens to play with, she put them down and said, you can't go yet, I have to give you a cuddle. And ran and can gave me a cuddle. I couldn't really give her one, since there were child protection issues, so I lifted my arms as she grasped tightly onto me... but I really wanted to give her huge one.

My heart really aches for her that she might know who God is because her world is so broken. :( She didn't come for our last day, and I'm wishing that I could have given her something before we left... her now seems so sad, and it's hard to know what the future beholds... I don't know if she was going to be sent away to better care, but I wish I got to say goodbye if that was the case.

2007-12-26T13:25:00.000+10:00

la la la

washed two loads of clothes
hand washed 2 dresses, 4 shirts
washed 3 bags,
cleaning room

Still sso much to do!!!! My mother commented I have no time. I agree with her!!!!

I really don't like cleaning. In heaven I think everything will be nice and clean? Is it bad to think too much of heaven, cos that is very exciting. I am very excitable, I think I'm too old to be that. Strangely enough 3 characteristics I've been described as recently is loyal, misunderstood and hyper!!! Why can't I just be mature and graceful ? :) Oh well not a chance!

Actually I think loyalty sadly is a concept that just doesn't exist these days. I want to grow old with faithful friends. That would be beautiful. Anyhow. I'm procrastinating. And don't want to see ham for a while.

I like these words. They make me smile :)

"And who am I that I should know
This treasure of such worth
My Savior�s pure atoning blood
Shed for the wrath I�d earned
For sin has stained my every deed
My every word and thought
What wondrous love that makes me one
Your priceless blood has bought"

2007-12-26T13:22:00.000+10:00

I have no telfast!!!

dying here. Really really need drugs.

Me: "I really need telfast"
Mum: "I got you two packets, and you finished them all.. "
Me: "yes, that's cos I take one a day"
Mum: "Do you think it's good you take it that often"
Me: "erm, I have been taking some form of drug, I had clarityne in Year 7, besides, you take stuff for high blood pressure every day" ( actually I'm sure I had a break at some point or a mth or two here and there)
Mum: "but I'm taking it whilst I'm a lot older"
Me: "Hmm, oh well"

I really need telfast, if I don't find a shop today I will cry :( Okay I won't hehehe :)

2007-12-25T22:10:00.000+10:00

Merry Christmas! My first hitchiker, and let's get a head start on the count down to the new year

I'm really glad that there is Christmas. Because if there was no Christmas, there would be no hope of being saved! :) Seriously.

One of the hardest things for me was to sit in church at Christmas, without family. I don't think I noticed it as much before. But there was a moment last night. Then this morning.. as I sat down in a pew late to be asked to move as it was reserved for family. There was an emptiness I think as I sat a little, that I had none with me. I want them to be there too :( I wish I wasn't so weak, I never cared if I was by myself before.

Anyhow, I picked up a boy ( he just finished yr 12, that counts) on the road today. My first... hitchhiker. Except he wasn't because I offered him a life. He looked harmless, thankfully he was. I think I was praying that I wouldn't be dead or something after picking it up. He was kicking the bus stop sign because he was angry. His father kicked him out of the house ( momentarily it seems) as he was going to go visit his gf in mittagong, so he was stuck on the road waiting for the bus. So I hope that things get better.

Oh well!!

Things to thank God for this year!
- good girls bible study at Marty's
- being able to go back and work with kids plus
- for his faithfulness
- things are slowly getting a bit better at home, still really really hard,
- being able to drive, and not feel inadequate
- for getting me through the year

I think I hope that 2008 will be more wonderful and perfect, but I guess in God's sovereignty everything that happens is in his perfect will for us, and I pray that I would continue to trust him, and love him and serve him with my whole heart.

It's been one of the most incredibly lonely and hard years, studying, working and at church. I'm not sure if the year before was harder or this year was, but one thing that has remained constant is God! But still God is good, and his love is unfailing. :) And I guess that's something that I'm continuing to learn :) All the time :)

And now I realise I'm really tired and need sleep :) Becuase I am gabbling! And have nothing done I need to. :)

On the bright side!!! I finally played a proper game of set. Kind of. Except for the fact that... my cousins' husband mucks up the rules a little bit. :) We established that the girls thought different to the guys, and that the guys saw different patterns. They were also very relaxed and not really playing the game. I also won the first set of Mah Jong but I have absolutely no idea how to play!!!!

Goodbye 2007 :) yay!!!

2007-12-18T22:34:00.001+10:00

Congrats guys!!!

You know who you are :) So excited for you both!! Does this mean a compromise of the afl teams you follow? (I think not somehow)

2007-12-16T21:52:00.000+10:00

:)

ahahhaha I got lots to do!!!

*falls over*

The lion and a lamb is such a stark contrast but what an awesome reminder of the great restoration.

2007-12-13T00:06:00.001+10:00

2 weeks

To Christmas!!!

ARGH!!!!!!

2007-12-11T14:46:00.001+10:00

SET

49seconds!!!

2007-12-10T21:44:00.000+10:00

Pure

What does it mean to be pure in heart? :)

Matthew 5:8.

2007-12-10T15:14:00.000+10:00

Oh yes!!!

Broke the 4 minute barrier!! 1 min 33 today! What a fluke!

daily set puzzle

2007-12-10T12:19:00.001+10:00

Yellow Brick Road

Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long

Psalm 25

2007-12-09T21:48:00.000+10:00

Hmmmmm....

Woke up this afternoon after a long nap and just felt really yucky! And it wasn't that I didn't know God's love, nor that his plans for me were perfect. I do. It was just a sudden realisation that I felt very lost and alone in this world and that my life was not only a bit different to what I expected but different from all my friends. I think everyone's climbing the corporate ladder. I'm trying to figure out what God wants for me and I don't have any plans in particular... and I just wish he would tell me!!! It's hard though when you look at everyone's plans to think that yours are different because that's not what you want. And suddenly a little overwhelming and lost and tired... becuase you have no direction and even the plans you have for the next year are in his hands and subject to you have no idea!!!

I like this verse :)

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Yay! :) Hebrew 12:2-3

*hugs self* *waddle* *waddle*

2007-12-09T18:27:00.000+10:00

Reflections

I have an inability to concentrate.
I am exhausted.
I am not going to pass this and I'm beyond caring.
I need time to spend with family and friends.
I need to properly move out.
I need a break from study.
I am not in control of my future.
God loves me heaps and is teaching me that he has my life in his hands.

I think it's only taken me a year to figure this out.