Well, I may not have opened any presents yet, but I picked up some little packages from a customer on Monday. Yes, I'm hand rearing a clutch of baby cockatiels!!

I'm so excited to see them grow and develop, although cropping them is still a little scary at the moment, lol.


The two larger ones (top & bottom) are around 10 - 14 days old and weigh just over 50grams each, and the two smaller ones (middle) are around 5 - 8 days old and weigh 22 - 25g each.

I'll try to keep the Blog updated as their development progresses!

Until I post next, have a Safe and Happy Christmas!!!

I recieved a letter from the Cancer Council the other day informing me of the great success of the Girls Night In campaign for 2008, and thought that you may all be interested in some of the information it contained!

The Cancer Council Tasmania's target for this year was $72,000 - This target was reached and breached! In total there were around 300 hosts, with the top five hosts along raising over $30,000!!!

The top five hosts were:
Nicole of East Launceston, $11,600 +
Kelly of Devonport, $6,800 +
Carol of Seven Mile Beach, 4,700 +
Shirley of Triabunna, $3,200 +
Kathryn of George Town, $2,600 +

Thankyou again to all who participated in this years events. I'm looking forward to hosting another Girls Night In next year!

Remember, if you're interested in assisting the Cancer Council in its fundraising efforts, getting involved as a volunteer or any of their other programs, details are available by visiting their website at www.cancertas.org.au or calling 1300 65 65 85

Yep, I've been a little busy lately.

Broc hurt his back and has been home from work all week, plus there's a few Birthdays this week: My nephew Braedyn turned the Big 5 yesterday, Tonia & Brent's little man George turns 2, and Broc's Mum, Lateena, turns 60 today!

Of course, all little Boys want an awesome Birthday Cake, and Braedyn wanted a chocolate Motorbike cake. I went through a few different plans before I finally came up with this one!



It's a shop bought sponge cake (the big square ones you buy & fill with cream yourself), filled with chocolate top 'n' fill (the stuff you get in a can), and covered with chocolate icing. The motorbike is made from icing, which I then painted for a vibrant color (rather than coloring the icing). It's the same as the motorbike on the birthday card we gave him ;)

A pretty lazy cake compared to what I usually do, but you can't expect too much with a killer headache, lol!

I managed to score a 3ft Hexagonal fish tank a couple weeks ago, and it has since been sitting on a couple bits of pine on the dining room floor, waiting for us to do something with it. I asked Broc to take a look...

After some deep thought (see facial expession above), my lovely Broc decided he'd indulge me and build a great big cabinet spanning the full length of the dining room!! So, a couple hours and a load of sawdust later, we moved it in...

Then came the fun task of catching 5 Goldfish, 1 Bristlenose Catfish, 3 Rainbow Fish and 1 Hillstream Loach so I could drain the existing 3ft tank enough to move it without cracking the thing. And where, might you ask, did I put them while draining the tank? Well, where else of course, but in a 30L Esky! Except for the Bristlenose of course - she has a bit of an attitude problem, so I lifted her out, plant, cave and all and put her into her own tub.

So now, after much sloshing about and heavy lifting, our dining room looks kinda like this. I'll post another picture once the front of the stand is closed up, and the place isn't so trashed ;) (Err, excuse the plumber bum).

Yep, it has come and gone (last night in fact!). A smaller turnout than usual, since some people went away for the long weekend, or are away on holidays (damn you!).

Despite the low party populace, a good time was had by all... I think - I had fun anyways! :P

As requested, below the picture slideshow are the recipes for my awesomely yummeh party foods!




Crispy Bat Wings
1.5Kg Chicken Wings
2 Tbsps Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsps Soy Sauce
2 Tbsps Honey
1 Tbsp Barbeque Sauce
1 Clove Garlic (crushed)

• Place chicken wings in a large lightly oiled/greased baking dish.
• Mix together sauces, honey and garlic and drizzle over wings.
• Bake in a moderate (180°C) preheated oven for 1 - 2 hrs, turning a few times until chicken is well glazed, starting to crisp on the outside and is cooked through.
• Serve hot or chilled. Makes approx. 12


Witches' Fingers
2 Sheets Puff Pastry, slightly thawed
¼ Red Capsicum
200g Shredded Ham
200g Pizza Cheese (mixed Cheddar, Mozarella and Parmesan)
Can of Sliced Water Chestnuts (optional)

• Cut Capsicum into thin strips. Could substitute oven roasted peppers, tinned capsicum or semi-dried tomato.
• Cut pastry sheets into 4 thin rectangles.
• Place capsicum strips, cheese and ham along one edge of the pastry, and roll into a tight roll.
• Cut each long roll into three finger-length sections, and twist to form gnarled fingers. Mark knuckles with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining pastry.
• Bake on a tray in a moderately hot oven (220°C) for 15 - 20 minutes or until pastry is crispy golden and cheese is melted.
• Drain Water Chestnuts and slice into fingernail shapes. Stick one into the end of each finger.
• Serve hot from the oven with Tomato sauce. Recipe can be easily doubled or halved. Makes 24.

As you may (or may not) know, last week I had a molar removed - that nasty, skanky thing in the back of my mouth that's been broken since college.


Anyway, it started to heal up OK, and the pain had subsided a bit by Wednesday. Thursday onwards was a whole other story. The pain got worse - a throbbing ache which even Panadiene Forte and constant heat packs could not quell. Plus there was this little sharp bit which I thought was a piece of tooth. No. It wasn't (I checked - more ouch).


An emergency visit to the Dentist first thing Monday morning confirmed my worst fears - a dry socket, and a nice sharp piece of jaw bone that would hinder healing and needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.


Back in on Wednesday morning at 9AM for some more local anaesthetic and the dentist got to drilling and filing the protruding piece of jaw down, then proceeded to stitch up my gum. Apparently, I have pansy girly thing gum tissue, so this took awhile.


Thankfully it's all over now - the stitches are dissolvable, the mouth wash is revolting, but at least the two different types of pain relief seem to keep on top of everything.

With the outstanding support of those who were able to come, and extra Raffle Ticket purchases from my gym-mates and staff at the PCYC, we had a great night in and raised important money to aid in research into Womens' cancers.

Grand total for this year is $179 !

Thankyou again to all who were able to donate to the cause, and a big thankyou to the businesses who supported this event:
Harvey Norman
Paul Rosetto Pharmacy
Fancy Fingers
The Mowbray Hotel

And the Girls Night In corporate sponsors:
Coles
Curves
UnderCover Wear
Singstar
Paramount

So here's looking forward to an even bigger and better night next year!

It's here once again, and as per usual we're having a party :)

Yep, Broc will get his license back at the end of next week!

Why is this worthy of its' own post? Because I don't have to drive him places anymore!!!

And remember folks, it's not just the Police who are flogging these anti-hooning laws, it's the courts too.

So just remember, next time you think about being polite to and officer or in court, don't bother - they're going to slap you with the maximum anyway. Be an asshole - at least you'll feel better afterwards.

:D

As some people will be unable to make it on the night, and not everyone will win an item in the Silent Auction, I have decided to run a Raffle aswell.

Tickets can be purchased from me and are $2. I'll draw the raffle on the night (16th Oct) at 8.30PM.

There will be 3 prizes:

First Prize: Avon Illuminating Tranquility Fountain, Valued at $29.99

Second Prize: Lavender Bath & Body Gift Set, Valued at $19.95

Third Prize: Avon Pamper Pack, Valued at $19.95

I'll take a photo later today and put it up here :)

So yo might be asking - what the hell is a Girls Night In ??

The concept is simple! Get a bunch of your girlfriends together for a night in, and ask them to donate the equivalent of what they would have spent on a night out to the Cancer Council to support women's cancers. It's that easy!

Girls Night In is your opportunity to have a night of fun that also helps to raise money to conduct research into and provide support for breast and gynaecological cancers.

I'll also be running a Silent Auction on the night. Bidding will be open for a limited time on the night, and you simply write down your bid on the paper provided at the bidding station. Before the night ends, the bidding will close, and the highest bidder will pay their winning bid and recieve their prize!

Items up for auction so far are:

• Tiffany Electric Steamer - Harvey Norman
• WAHL Personal Trimmer - Harvey Norman
• $30 Fancy Fingers Voucher
• $50 and $20 'The Mowbray' Pub Cash Vouchers

So come along, have a glass of wine (or two!), some nibblies, have a chat and enjoy a night in with the girls.

On Friday, I met Casey in Newstead after the gym (and cake - Happy Birthday Bruce!) to go and check out wedding and bridesmaid dress styles at Catherine's and Fashion and Bridal Direct.

Of course, I inevitably ended up trying on some gowns - talk about terrifying!!! I didn't find anything in the shop that I loved on sight, but I did find something they will have in stock soon that is exactly what I dreamed of ;) I also found my Bridesmaids dresses at Catherine's - beautiful pale lilac with a bias cut on the top layer of material on the skirt - to match my dress ;)

The weekend on the other hand was not as nice. On Sunday, we (being Broc, Casey and myself) we supposed to drive to Port Sorell to suss out accomodations and check out Hawley House and Ghost Rock Vineyard for the ceremony and reception. But needless to say we didn't quite get that far. After eight years together, you really learn how to push each others buttons, so we ended up back at home even before we had picked Casey up! :o(

Anyway, these things happen! I plan on checking out Josef Chromy at Relbia and Marions Vineyard at Deviot sometime this week.

On a date for our wedding!!! Talk about excited - and terrified all at the same time.



Now I just have to get started on planning >.<

I've already drafted out all the things I need to do, and spaced them out over the next 12 months.

First up, need to pick a location. Broc and I both want the ceremony to be held in the grounds of a vineyard, with the reception preferrably held there aswell.

It will all come together :)

My Mum came to stay with us on Thursday night, so we took the oppourtunity to go out for dinner and then on to some music from local bands. After some deliberation - Mexican, Italian, Indian or Other? - we finally decided on Royal on George (formerly known as the Royal Hotel).

While their menu wasn't extensive, it did offer a few tasty-looking tidbits, and we finally decided on a bottle of Tasmanian Sparkling for the table (read: me - lol), and some bread for nibbles. The bread was served with two little dishes of dipping condiments - a balsamic reduction, and basil oil - drool!

For mains Broc chose the Polenta Crumbed Chicken Breast with Ham and Cheese, and a side order of Herbed Chips. Mum chose the Ocean Trout, and I picked the Roast Chicken & Leek Pie, with a side of Braised Baby Spinach.

Broc's Chicken Breast was exactly that - a chicken breast, served on a small salad. A small serving, but the quality was excellent. The chips were crispy & yum, and came with a creamy lemon sauce to dip them in.

Mum's Ocean Trout looked divine - a reasonable serving, perfectly cooked, and on a bed of salad including yummy olives and other goodies.

But my Chicken and Leek pie was the pièce de résistance! Served in its' own little cast iron skillet, with a beautiful golden crust of puff pastry, and containing a drool-worthy, rich creamy centre with little chunks of chicken thigh and shreds of leek throughout. The side of Spinach was perfectly cooked too, and not over-seasoned.

After we finally finished up that lot, Broc decided to impose dessert on me! He ordered Cheesecake for me and Chocolate cake for himself. The cheesecake was a lovely Lemony creation, served with a scoop of Lemon Gelato - yum! The Chocolate cake was a chocolate and berry creation, served with mixed berries in syrup, and a big dollop of Meander Valley Cream. Needless to say, Broc finished most of mine, lol.

Total cost: $135 - Not bad for starters, dinner, dessert, a bottle of wine and a glass of coke for three people, but I feel the meals could have been better for the price. The service was OK, but the waiting staff were a bit lax on a couple of points, most notedly checking if we wanted drink refills - our bottle of water ran out about half way through the meal, and Broc was never asked if he wanted a refill for his coke.

We then journeyed to the Royal Oak to listen to Invisible Boy, but we were first treated with an opening band - Slippers for Shoes. Both were awesome, and we spent a good few hours there listening and sipping our drinks!

All in all, a pretty good night out, although I must say, I feel I'm getting to old for the pub scene - lol! It must come from living this quiet existance at home :)

Today we said a final goodbye to our mate Ross Collins.

He's been such a wonderful part of our family, and we miss him very much. Whenever we've needed him, he's always been there, especially for Troy to whom he was more like a Dad than a mate.

Our thoughts are with Brad, Jeff, Tracey, Amanda and the rest of the family.

Love Always,
Broc, Annette, Troy, Jess, Lateena & Kids

RIP Ross Collings - 10th June 1962 to 16th July 2008

Last night we said goodbye to dear sweet Ebony. As some of you know, she was a troubled animal, and despite govong it our all, we couldn't bear the thought of her living the life she had for another day. While we could handle it, and keep going along the way things were, it just wasn't fair on her. So after consulting with our vet on what options we had, we finally (after 16 long months of trying to improve her life) came to the decision to say goodbye.

Goodbye little girl - we Love you so much.

Ok, so it's not real Tandoori, but it's still damn tasty. At my local Farmyard Chicken, they have marinated chicken breasts in assorted flavours, 4 for about $11.

Creamy Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:
2 x Tandoori Marinated Chicken Breasts (approx. 350 - 500g) diced
1 x Can Coconut Milk (I use Light, but you could even use Coconut Cream or normal Cream)
1/4 Red Onion - Finely diced
1/2 Cup Green Veggies - I used Baby Spinach, Green Beans and Broccoli
Olive oil

Optional:
1/2 Teaspoon each of:
Ground Turmeric, Cumin Paprika & Coriander
Handful Cashews

Method:

• If you are serving with rice, put it on first. The dish should be done by the time the rice is cooked!
• Preheat large saucepan or wok, and add Olive oil. Fry onions, cashews & spices for about a minute.
• Add chicken to pan and stir-fry until no pink flesh remains.
• Pour in Coconut Milk and reduce heat. If your vegetables are uncooked, add them now, except for the baby spinach. Simmer over a very low heat for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, and the sauce has thickened.
• Add in Spinach and pre-cooked vegetables and heat through - about 3 mins.
• Serve over hot rice, with a side of Garlic Naan bread!

Notes: Serves 2 - 3 people. Any veggies can be substituted, and the spices are optional. Add some cayenne pepper or chili powder, or even fresh chillies for a bit of a kick - this recipe is quite mild.

As you can see under 'Our Auctins' to the right, I have finally started listing all my old business stock on Oztion. I'm just going to add a few items every couple of days - and with Oztion having free listings, if it doesn't sell - oh well!

Ebay also have no listing fees from the 12th, so I'll stick a few bits and pieces up on there aswell... Even though they are money hungry bastards, I'm not gonna pass up a free listing!

Oh, and if you haven't signed up to Oztion, please use my username as a referral if you sign up! alternative_you

A quick plug for Oztion - they are a wholly Australian owned and run auction site - I joined way back in the early days (member # 285!) when they were just getting started, and they have come along in leaps and bounds since then. Auctions are free to list, and if your item doesn't sell, you don't pay a cent. There... Nice and quick, see? :)

Well, nothing much exciting has been happening... are you shocked? lol

I still have a cold (same one I've been trying to fight off for the last couple of months), it's still cold, and I'm still bored. However, I have learned how to prepare a few new recipes, and also managed to un-trash the house a bit.

Broc has done very well in his bid to give up smoking, and aside from the occasional puff from a friends' cigarette, he hasn't smoked for the last ten days! He's not been the most agreeable person to live with but hey, neither am I!

Went for a trip out to Petland today and bought myself a new fishie. It's a little Dwarf Gourami, and seems to be settling in well with the two Swordtails, four Kuhli Loaches and the lonely Flame Tetra. Once he's settled in a bit more, I'll take a picture of him.

Well, that's about it for now. Ciao!

I have a cold, and we had left over chicken - what could be better?!

Ingredients
1 Cup Shredded Cooked Chicken
4 Cups (1 Litre) Chicken Stock - I used Massel, but I think the Tetra Pak stuff would be nicer
1 Carrot, Finely Diced
1 Stick Celery, Finely Diced
1/2 Cup Small Cauliflower Floret's (if desired)
1/2 Red Onion, Finely Diced
~100g Bean Vermicelli (Also known as Glass Noodles, Rice Vermicelli would work too)
Olive Oil
Black Pepper, Chilli Powder & Salt to taste

Method

• Saute Onion and Celery for a few minutes in the Olive Oil, then add Carrot and Black Pepper, continuing to saute until the Onion is translucent but not browned.
• Add Cauliflower Floret's, Chicken Stock, Chilli Powder and Salt to taste, and simmer until Cauliflower is tender.
• Add Chicken and warm through.
• Serve piping hot with a dash of Soy Sauce.

This is a very simple recipe, which can be easily adapted to other vegetables, or omit the chicken for a veggie noodle soup. Other seasonings and fresh/dried herbs could also be added, depending on what you like and have available.

Enjoy!

Well, the week started off OK, couple of job prospects for Broc, but today was terrible.

Broc had to appear in court for a driving offence (under the lovely new anti-hooning legislation), and even though it was his first offence (and a minor one at that), the judge imposed the maximum penalty, which was a $400 fine, and suspended his license for 4 months. For doing a pissy, 1-wheeled burnout while stationary at a set of traffic lights, with no other vehicles or pedestrians around. What a joke.

In comparison, another defendant recieved the same penalty for their second drink-driving offence. Someone else there recieved a $150 fine for a drink driving charge, and another person recieved a $150 fine for speeding.

I understand that these new legislations are here to deter dangerous offences, but really all they've done in this matter is show how ignorant the system is.

Because he is unemployed and we don't have kids to take to school, he can't even apply for a hardship license. So if my Nan needs to go to the doctors, we will need to get a taxi/lift there, to her doctors, back to her place, then home again. Yeah. That's gonna happen.

Also, my driving log book has to be scrapped because of the suspension.

Maybe he deserved it. Maybe not. Either way, all they've done is encouraged me to drink and drive and speed instead of doing a harmless one-wheeled burnout. In the end, you'd be let off for a lot less.

We had a meal out last night, between running my Nan from the GP to A&E and catching a few hours rest at home before picking her up again. Nothing major, just the joys of getting old!

Anyway, I talked Broc into a counter meal or something instead of the usual choice of McD's, and we ended up at The Newstead Hotel. Broc chose the Restaurant section: Olives.

After a thorough look at the menu, and the specials board, I decided on my standard of Smoked Salmon Ceaser Salad ($17) and an Iced Chocolate, and Broc ordered his stand-by favorite of the Roast of the Day: Lamb, with roast veggies and a bowl of chips. Total: $42

My Iced Chocolate arrived first. What a work of art! In a biiiiig glass, with a HEAP of whipped cream on top, as well as those tubey chocolate wafer biscuits, and a generous drizzle of chocolate syrup. Hiding under the cream was a big lump of vanilla ice-cream, icy-cold chilled milk, and more chocolate syrup. Bliss! So, Broc ordered one aswell! Price: $3.50

Our meals arrived shortly after Broc's drink, and for a small pub restaurant, very late in the evening, I was pretty impressed! The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth, the servings generous, and plenty of salmon in my salad. Loads of bacon and Parmesan in it too - a bit too much perhaps!

All in all, a fantastic meal, good service and a nice atmosphere. I'll definitely be going there again!

Broc and I went out to Gibbo's Birthday Party last night - Happy Birthday!!!

First night we've been out in a long time, and it was great to catch up with old friends, meet a few new people, and get to know others we had met before. I had the honor of sampling some of Gibbo's finest home brew (several large glasses of it in fact!), from tasty Ginger Beer to yummo Apple Cider.

Gibbos Birthday Party

Well, Broc and I are waiting eagerly to hear about a very promising job. If he gets it, Wedding plans will be back on the agenda, as will our neglected house renovations.

I've been pretty bored lately; feeling directionless mostly. I've been thinking about what sort of things I might like to study... But I have so many interests! Where to start? Which institution do I go with?

I've come up with a bit of a short-list:

• Legal Studies
• Sociology/Psychology
• Business Studies
• Computer... something (hey, it's been a while)
• Journalism/English
• Science/Biology (or something)

Okay, so it's pretty broad... and I'll probably add to it, but hey... It's a start!