Happy New Year and a Bit More Work Done

Let me take this time to wish all my blogger friends around the world a magical New Year - I hope 2010 brings forth all the joy, laughter, happiness and wonder you could wish for.

Meanwhile, did some more work on you-know-who (lol) and thought I would ask for more comments; he is getting the worn look I wanted to achieve; I want him to have a slighly bored/arrogant look but that underlying acceptance and weariness of his lot; sort of hunched in on himself.

I am putting him aside for a week or so and start something new then I will look at him with a fresher view.

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Merry Christmas

Comments Please...

Working on another face - lol - seem a bit addicted at the moment!

This time it is a much younger person than I have been doing but he is a 'street' fellow and so has a lot of character, apathy and pain in his eyes. He is very dirty, scruffy and scabby but he still seems to me to have a kind of haughty arrogant power.

Tell me what you think - bear in mind that there is still a lot of painting to be done on him but just looking for general thoughts as this portrait thing is so very new to me - this is only my 6th one.

PS - Added a bit more to him so you have two pics now....rotfl

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Friday Funny

A road sign in Northern Territory, Australia

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Nanny's Brag Time....lol.

Now honestly what else can a grandma do but brag...?

My sweet little granddaughter is 3 months old already.

My turn to babysit today and we had fun laughing and playing, till it became all too much and she fell asleep.



Bit awkward trying to take a photo and hold a baby at the same time but I managed it...lol.


Had to do a little photoshop work on her blind eye as it comes out transparent red but if that is the only problem she has in her life then her life will be wonderful.


It is a wonderful feeling - her lying in my arms so trusting and safe.




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Cleaning

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Christmas Baking Day

Tuesday I finally got around to making my Christmas cakes - I know, its very late for me but I have had other things on my mind lately.

Still better than last year. Remember last year? Broken arm so no cakes! LOL

Anyway, I have had the fruits and the nuts soaking in brandy for the past week so Tuesday I tackled the cooking process. Here is one of the big containers of mixed ingredients ready to put into tins.

I have perfected my recipe over the years to the point where it is now sought after. I know people who get one tend to gloat to those that don't ... lol..... not sure if it is the taste of the cake or the taste of the plonk in them!

This one shows some of them waiting patiently to be decorated before heading into the oven.

Here is a bench full of cakes from the oven waiting to be unwrapped from their baking paper and then wrapped in alfoil.

I pour more alcohol on each cake once it is cool then wrap it in alfoil, then each week until they are given away or eaten they get another slurp of grog to make them happy.....rotfl.

I make them in all shapes and sizes depending on who they are for but one thing they all have in common - they are well soaked in alcohol - brandy to soak in prior to cooking (a bottle full) and then port poured over them weekly.

I wonder if that is the reasons everyone wants one for Christmas ...... ROTFL!!!

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Jams, Jams and More Jams

Got my grubby hands on a box and a half of very ripe mangoes - some too ripe but I knew I could use them all.

So spent a half a day chopping mangoes up and then sorting them into over ripe and ripe for cooking.


The ones that were way over ripe I turned into a chutney/relish. I love cooking Thai and Indian food and mango chutney is good to use in either. I have my own recipe that has fresh ginger and chillies in it and it always tastes great.

Last week I got my little mitts on some hot chillies and I turned those into sweet chilli jam which is a staple ingredient on a lot of Thai recipes and it also tastes great with a piece of cheese and crackers.

The remainder of the mangoes are now delicious jars of Mango jam, sweet and delectable. I got the jam urge a few weeks back and have made about 12 jars of strawberry jam; half a dozen jars of lemon butter (or lemon curd depending on where you live) and now the yummy mango jam.

My family and friends keep asking what flavour is next and have put in their orders for favourites. Think the next lot will be either more strawberry or if I wait until the new year, some tasty peach jam.

Domestic Goddess I am not but everyone tells me I am a great cook and I really do love cooking -must be the reason for the 100s and 100s of cookbooks I own. I can't seem to go past a recipe book without it finding its way into my home (kind of like Birdie and Santa Claus decorations).

PS HERE ARE THE REQUESTED RECIPES - (Especially for Lindi...lol)

Sweet Chilli Jam

1 med sized capsicum

12 chillies (I actually use about 12 little ones and three or four big ones)

1 1/12 cups apple cider vinegar

6 cups caster sugar

1 pkt jamsetter (you can use Pectin if you can get your hands on some)

Take off the stalk end of the capsicum and chillies (NOTE it is a good idea to wear rubber gloves when using chillies). Throw the capsicum and chillies into a food processor and blitz until chopped.

Throw the blitz chilli mix and the vinegar into a large heavy bottom saucepan/boiler and heat until boiling; stir in the sugar and jamsetter and keep stirring. Add a nob of butter (this reduces the amount of 'scum' you get on the top. Turn the heat down until a slow boil and stirring all the while cook until soft ball stage. Skim off the scum (lol).

Easiest way to test is to drop some onto a plate then let it cool and hold sideways - if it runs off the plate it ain't thick enough...rotfl.

When thick enough (remember it will get thicker as it cools and refridgerate) put into sterilized jars and either seal with 'sealing' paper or cook in a water bath for 10 mins.

I cool mine upsidedown before throwing it in the fridge. Remember there is no preservatives in this so it must be kept in fridge, especially once opened but will keep for a reasonable length of time.

Mango Chutney/Relish

6 Mangoes

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups brown sugar or 1 1/2 cups brown and 1/4 cup palm sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup fresh grated ginger

1 dspoon mustard seeds (if you haven't any you can use 1/4 cup seeded mustard)

3 chopped chillies

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (as hot as you like)

Chop mango pulp into manageable pieces and throw into a heavy based saucepan with everything else, bring to boil then turn down and cook down till thick stirring regularly to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom and make you go "bugger!"; will probably take about an hour. Bottle as per Sweet Chilli Jam.

I always cool any jams, relishes, chutneys etc upside down and then store in fridge especially in hot weather.

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Giggles and Laughs

Eight weeks old and already a very cheeky girl!

Lots of giggles. She seems to spend most of her time laughing at everyone.

She seems either laughing or amazed at things she sees; such a wonderful time in a beautiful young babe's life.

Oh well, it runs in the family, her Dad is such a cheeky fellow and her gorgeous mum is always smiling. And yes she has her Nanny's dimples!

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A Day in the Sun

Instead of staying at home yesterday and ...er, um wallowing (lol) I drove up to the Central Coast (a 95 km drive) to see B11 and his kids and spend the day at the beach.

The weather wasn't all that crash hot - misty rain all the way on the drive up but it cleared up although the sky was grey so off we went to one of the local beaches, Killcare.

Now I always take my painting gear whenever I go out, you just never know what you may see and yesterday was no exception. The seas were rough and the sky grey but it was beautiful. I took a pile of pictures to use as reference, there is a nature rock pool where lots of people take their children; at one point it was hard to find a clear spot in the water where there wasn't kiddies or parents.

Anyway then I did a couple of quick 10 min watercolour sketches to remind myself when I come to actually using the photos. It was a great day but I did get a little sun despite coating myself liberally in sunscreen.

On drive to the beach I spied a tree in someone's front yard and so on the way back to B11's I made him stop while I took a couple of quick photos. Hopefully it will turn into an artwork of some kind - painting or maybe quilted.....lol.

This tree was amazing, sadly on the way back when we stopped the sun wasn't shining as it had been and the colours weren't as stunning. The bark was a burnt orangey/red, and the tree twisted and turned it's way to reach the sun; it was enormous.

One of our many eucalypts. I think it was a Eucalyptus spathulata or Swamp Mallee but not 100% sure because I am no expert on gum trees - I just like them - I am probably 100% wrong ....lol.

I will have to go back and take more photos of it when I know the sun will be shining and in the right place to try and get that magnificent colour on film.

The other thing I learnt from the day is to put in a beach umbrella whenever I put my art gear in the car.

Then later in the day I was looking through a catalogue from a toy shop and spied this great sun shelter, 3m square and 1.8m high. It would be perfect for me - I could spread gear, my chair; have any number of guests and we would all be safe from the sun and able to enjoy the day.....lol.

So today off I went and purchased one - bought it home and put it up (just so I knew one person could do it) and now I want to go off somewhere and use it for real!

Mirthful Monday

Health Questions And Answers

Q: Doc, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my booze intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take water out of fruity bit; get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: If you have body and you have fat, ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Cannot think of single one, sorry.

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods fried in vegetable oil. How getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only do sit-ups if want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: You crazy? HELLO ... Cocoa beans! Vegetable!!! Cocoa beans best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.


AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the last word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies:

1. The Japanese eat very little fat...and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat...and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine...and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4 The Italians drink a lot of red wine...and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats...and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION.....
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Birthdays and Cuddles

My grandson turned 7 yesterday and on Sunday he came over with his Dad for a BBQ lunch before his Mum picked him up late in the afternoon. Other son and wife called in with birthday wishes for him and he got to cuddle his new cousin.

She was quiet happy to sleep through all the excitement and loved being held by her cousin....lol.

Time goes so quickly and they are grown before you know it.

I do think my two lovely grandkids are cute? Okay I know - I very biased......rotfl.

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Bonding Day

Yesterday I babysat Abigail for the day - her mum had to work for one of her clients - so I went to her house from early in the morning until late.

We had such a fun day, 5 weeks old and already giggling!!

We had such a great day bonding and giggling and lots and lots of cuddles and kisses.

Think I exhausted her because she slept for ages and I had to wake her for one of her feeds ... lol.

Then when her daddy came home it was bath time - such funny faces she pulls and then she giggles from the water splashing.

Mr Black and White ..... and a question

Been working on another face - this time I decided to only use shades of grey; I thought it would help with my problem of right eyes.....lol. Have to say it is really weird that I haven't been able to paint right eyes when you consider that Abby's right eye is the one that is blind ..... spooky....lol.

Anyway, back to Mr B&W - I think that both eyes are reasonable this time although I don't like the way the white highlights have photographed - still have a lot of work to do to get them right but am heading in the right direction. I am searching through old photos and on line for another picture - I love old faces; they have a character about them that only years can add. This fellow was a homeless man who seemed world weary but still managed to smile. His eyes were sunk into his skull but they still have life and passion in them.

In an earlier post I posed this question but got no suggestions - probably because the very next post was all about Abby and the worries we had; so I am posing it again and hope for some responses - okay I know I shouldn't have but I bought some more brushes and now am desperate to find some way of keeping them all safe and sound.

The last thing is a question - I have lots and lots of brushes (100s) and have folder/pockets that I keep them in except the ones I am using; those I stand in an old coffee cup. The folder/s is full to overflowing and it is annoying me. There has to be a better way to store the brushes. The picture is of one of the folders/rolls I use. I actually put rows of stitches on the front clear plastic bits so I could push more brushes in.

I have a couple for my watercolour brushes and another couple for my oil/acrylics brushes. Much to the annoyance of B11 I cannot pass an art shop without investigating and invariably I come out with a few more brushes ....lol.

I have tried using a little tool box container but then you have to rummage through it to get the brushes you need and it is hard on the bristles.

So if you have any ideas I would love to hear them.




PS Keep the suggestions coming -

Ali - I did think of making a really long calico roll or maybe a few one for thick, thin, wedged, etc. I only store the ones I am using in an old coffee mug and always wipe them before I put them back into it.

Jules - the idea of the cardboard tubes sounds great as does the wine rack idea - may be able to combine somehow.

Have searched online without success for what other people do.


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The Pirate Princess

Avast there me hearties.

Where's me bottle o' milk, ya swabs?

ROTFL!!