Banana Bread

Today I have been making banana bread.

One of the mums at school gave me some while we were waiting for ballet class to finish; I wasn't overly fussed on hers, I thought it rather bland, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

The recipe is from the latest 4 Ingredients book on page 37.  It doesn't have any eggs in it, just bananas, flour, sugar and whole egg mayonnaise. Different.

Due to copyright restrictions I can't put the recipe online, but you could borrow the book from a friend or the library, or buy it yourself I guess.

Mine has just come out of the oven and I can smell it - yum.

The Princess and Little Man are playing with friends so I'll sneak a piece, slather it in butter, then eat it before anyone realises it's done!

I finished mowing the second paddock this morning.  I got an early start on it and was done by 10am.  I've got one more paddock to go and it's the one I hate doing the most - the creek paddock.  The creek banks are so unstable I'm afraid I'll get too close to the edge and fall in.  

Mmmmmmm, cake beckons...

Thoughts for today

Outside my window... there is darkness.  It is after 9pm.

I am thinking... will I make a banana cake tomorrow afternoon?  Should I let Little Man sleep in my bed with me tonight.  Why is the clock always ticking so loudly?

I am thankful for...money to buy medicine for The Princess’s nose infection.

From the kitchen... For tomorrow's Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cream and chives (again). For Lunch tomorrow: ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. For tomorrow's Dinner: Grilled fish and salad.

I am wearing... denim shorts, floral tunic top that used to be a dress, bare feet.

I am creating... shopping bags from old curtain fabric samples for the upcoming school fete.

I am going... to bed soon.  I’ve had a big day collecting unwanted bits and pieces from a friend’s house to use in my garden.

I am reading... the latest Burke’s Backyard magazine and Textual Journeys: Exploring Senior English.

I am hearing... the loud ticking of the clock, curlews calling, cicadas, frogs croaking merrily away.

A few plans for the rest of the week... put away the mountain of clean washing that’s built up, stock up on baking cakes and muffins to freeze for school snacks, tidy up my computer desk, go to Queens Park gardens and look at the herb garden. 

Thoughts on turning 40

Next year I turn 40.  

It's not something I ever imagined doing, I always pictured myself as being young.

I don't make a fuss of my birthday, in fact, I can't recall having a birthday party.  Ever.  Not even for my 16th, 18th or 21st.  We had a family dinner at a restaurant and that's about it.  Nothing flash.  Nothing fancy.  

I've decided that since there is no way around turning 40 then I may as well make the most of it and have a party.  Of course, being the person I am, it still won't be anything big or fancy, but it will be a party with friends and their children.  No family.  Mine live too far away and we have little to do with those in The Groom's.  

I'm delighting in imagining what sort of party I want to give myself.  If I left it up to The Groom nothing would get done other than beer and sausages on the barbecue.  

I think it would be fun to have a jumping castle, fairy floss, maybe some pony rides.  For the children, of course.

I love the Lolly Chops website and have been very inspired by many of her ideas and freebies.  I'm thinking along the lines of pastel colors, especially pinks, greens and blues.  I'm mentally creating floral tablecloths edged in little cotton doilies that I'll have to search for at op-shops.  Gorgeous bunting hanging from the gum trees. Fairy lights draped wherever I can reach.  Silver tinsel draped everywhere (I love silver tinsel and would keep it up all year if I was allowed to)...

I'm thinking of heading off to Spotlight this weekend to check out the fabric and get ideas for colors.  One can never have too many tablecloths I say, so I know that whatever I make will be used again.  

Now I just have to get The Groom to find some time to build the "little" covered entertaining area in the back paddock that I have in mind as the location for my birthday!

Do you like the roses in the picture above?  I picked them from the garden yesterday.  They are one of the many discoveries I've made in the mess of a garden we bought with the house.  It's amazing what one finds when you chop down overgrown gardens!  I think they look lovely and have decided that they will be one of the few things that shall stay when we demolish the front gardens.  I don't know what types of rose they are but they are pretty and have a feint smell.  Beautiful!

A silly little beetle

Some days I feel like this turtle; lots of work for unseen rewards.

I have been teaching year 1 and 2 one day a week in a particular subject this term.  I have some classes that are a pleasure to teach and make you realise your efforts are worthwhile and appreciated - not only by the students but their regular teachers.  On the other hand, I have some classes that I simply dread taking.  I must confess that there are only two classes that make me feel this way, and that I only feel this way because of the behaviour and attitude of a minority of students.  I won't discuss here their behaviour and my reasoning behind it, but suffice to say, I feel sorry for the 'good' kids in their classes as I feel they are being deprived of an education because of those particular students.

Anyhoo, I got a comment from one of the teachers yesterday that made my heart sing.  It came after a particularly trying session earlier in the day that left me wanting to scream in frustration, so it made me realise that I AM a good teacher after all.  Behaviour management is my weak spot, I simply dislike confrontation unless I'm all riled up.

So, to Mrs T, thank you for your kind words and support.  To you and your lovely class, it has made a big difference to how I see myself as a teacher AND a person.  It's a shame the same can't be said about the teacher of one of my difficult classes.

It's the weekend.  Let's enjoy ourselves!

Quiet on the home front

I have been grateful for the almost non-stop work over the past three weeks.  I had two days at home a couple of weeks ago with sinus, and then I wasn't booked to work yesterday.  I'm looking forward to the school holidays!

We're having renovations done on the ensuite.  It's slowly coming all together and looking wonderful.  It's mostly white with a light blue tile on the floor and a thin strip along the top of the walls of various shades of small blue glass tiles.  The toilet and water was connected today but the shower screen won't be installed until sometime next week.  Aaaah, no more late night trips to use the toilet at the other end of the house!  

Yesterday I had a day off and had been dreaming about sneaking off to the movies to see Tomorrow When the War Began.  I think the last grown up movie I saw by myself was The Other Boelyn Girl.  As normal, things don't go to plan.  The builders were here to do some odds and bobs, then I had to buy the materials for The Princess's Father's Day present, buy groceries, sign the tax returns at the accountant and go to the plumbing suppliers to buy a missing item for the vanity unit.  I have two more weeks left of possible work days so I'm sure a day will be found for me and a box of popcorn.

Do you like the picture of the curlew at the top of the page?  I took this years ago at a wild life park nearby.  A couple of weeks ago, when The Groom was clearing the creek paddock with the back hoe he disturbed a family of curlews and I came across a tiny fluffy curlew baby at the bottom of a tree next to the fence.  I shielded it from the hot sun and built a 'nest' around it until it got dark and it's mummy and daddy could come and rescue him.  I'd never seen a baby one before and my first thought upon seeing it was that it was a baby emu!

I baked a big batch of sultana cupcakes yesterday and froze them.  I think once the children are in bed I might defrost one and enjoy it with a cup of decaffeinated coffee!

I love cupcakes!