Blue Rocks & fruits of the sea on Australian foreshores

Hi R
Some more foreshores  warm you up during your cold winter.
Rita cooked this dish for us at beautiful Nambucca Heads where the rocks are an incredible light blue. 

Her reply below, well Google's actually, to the question, "Why are the rocks blue?"
"Glaucophane is a sodium-rich blue mineral. The name glaucophane means 'showing blue'. Glaucophane is usually found in basalts that have undergone the high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphism typical of subduction zones."

Perhaps there were pirates on the coastline - anyway this was a version of Spaghetti Marinara which was superb.  I like the way the seafood is served on top of the spaghetti as it looks more appetising.
Clara

SPAGHETTI BUCCANIERI (for 4) {Pirate’s Spaghetti OR Spaghetti a la Rita}

SUGO:

Gently (not too hot) in a small fry pan, fry 4 large, crushed, garlic cloves in olive oil for a minute – just to infuse the oil with garlic.
Add 4 quite ripe roma tomatoes, chopped up into smallish pieces.
Turn heat down, put a lid on the fry pan, and let simmer while doing the rest of the meal and until well reduced. Stir occasionally.
Add salt, t-spoon of sugar, herbs (recipe says just lots of parsley, but I add basil and sage too) a dollop of red wine and cayenne pepper to taste (I used about 1/3 t-spoon – could take more), and 2 heaped tablespoons of Leggo’s sundried tomato and roasted garlic mix, (smallish square bottle) …all about 5 mins before serving. Cover and simmer some more.

Cook 400 g. spaghetti with a dollop of oil in the water to keep strands separate.

While it’s cooking, fry the seafood in a little olive oil. You need about 200g per person. I use Woolworth’s marinara mix, which is white fish, salmon, small prawns, calamari and mussels and add a few large prawns or whatever else I fancy. (I cook each type separately, prawns and calamari for no more than a minute a side – probably less depending on size/thickness; and place each lot in a small saucepan with lid, on stove top alongside, but not over, heat itself. Salt lightly and stir through.)
Heat bowls if necessary.
Drain spaghetti into a colander, shake to remove excess water, return to pot (ensuring no water left in it) and immediately add extra virgin olive oil, tossing it through.
To serve: pour sugo over spaghetti and mix through so it’s all well coated. Place in serving bowls. Add seafood, ensuring different types are evenly distributed amongst the bowls, and gently lift the spaghetti through it a bit. (If you add the seafood into the saucepan with spaghetti, it’s hard to ensure everyone gets a fair mix !)

ps - more coastline & rocks in the video below. 

 

               It would be great to receive your feedback or suggestions. Click on "0 comments". You can choose 'anonymous' from the drop down menu if you don't have a google account. Or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au

Grey nomads on the road again - with Elvis

Hi R
And a few other friends have been on the move, touring around Australia and have survived - even enjoyed it!  Being a grey nomad has not been a popular choice in our family where I refer to caravans as the "C" word.  G keeps moving slowly but surely in that direction  - buying a 4 wheel drive and then putting a tow bar on it (very subtle!)

Must admit our friends looked wonderful on their return and had some great tales to tell. Hmmmmmm.

We had a celebratory dinner with the nomad theme where much fun was had by all, as you can see from the video.  We all dressed up as nomads, but I just couldn't do it, so I dressed as a female Elvis.  Why you ask?  Because the only way I could be lured in this direction, is if there is a purpose / destination of interest such as the Elvis festival which is on in Parkes this weekend.

Reluctant nomad
Clara
ps - I suppose I could still be a blogger.

Click on arrow below for important grey nomad interview.

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How to put on skin tight jeans

"I only need a belt in case my jeans burst."

I only need a belt in case my jeans burst

Hi R
Thought you might benefit from some post Xmas hints on how to fit in your jeans.
G said,"I only need a belt in case my jeans burst."

Or Peter Hinchliff's experience, "The other day I got a clean pair of jeans out of the wardrobe. Then began a two-minute nightmare as I struggled to get into them. I couldn't get the wretched things past my knees, let alone fasten the button at the waist.


"Oh no," thought I in the midst of the wrestling match. "No more cake. No more biscuits. No more eating for a week." Then I noticed the label on the jeans. They were my wife's. She'd hung them in my wardrobe by mistake.


Everyone should be lucky enough to find a smaller person's jeans in their wardrobe after Christmas feasting. The relief at discovering they belong to someone else makes up for having gained an inch around the waist.......... and then about why it happens...... "Eating up every chocolate and biscuit, draining the whisky bottle to the last drop isn't mere self-indulgence. It's a duty. A display of appreciation. A way of saying thank you." Let waist-lines bulge and buttons strain as we accept the responsibility of showing appreciation to our gift-givers.

Like many people today we are more conscious that good food can taste indulgent without necessarily being so, with the obvious exceptions of course. So here are some of the delicious, less indulgent dishes we enjoyed on Xmas day, which I will post over the week. At this time of the year, one needs to keep on making the dishes rather than write about them.


Capsicum Dip with Parmesan Cheese Rounds
Thai BBQ prawns served with Mango and Avocado salad with snowpeas and roasted sesame seeds
Stuffed Turkey Breast, and honey cured ham with Green salad with Salsa Verde, and Roasted beetroot and pumpkin salad with goats' cheese and walnuts
Potato salad with yoghurt dressing
Pavlova with berries served with Yoghurt and Mascarpone cream.

We were very fortunate to have some wonderful wines to accompany each course, thanks to our resident wine expert.


I hope you all had a fantastic festive dinner and can still 'fit in your jeans.' If not, all is not lost - visit http://www.fitinyourjeanscuisine.com/ for tasty healthy food or if all else fails, read the instructions below on How to put on Skin Tight Jeans


Clara
Handy Hints
Put the jeans on in the morning, after a cold shower. Putting your skin-tight jeans on in the morning will increase the chances of success since you haven't eaten much. Also, a cold shower will get your body as taut as possible, making you slightly slimmer.
Wiggle into the jeans. Putting a belt through the jeans' belt loops will help you pull the jeans up. Using the belt as a grip, wiggle side to side to get the jeans over your hips.
Zip up first. Closing the button is almost always the hardest part of putting on skin tight jeans, so try get the zipper closed first. If the jeans are really skin tight, hook the end of a hanger into the zipper so you can leverage the zipper up.
Hold your breath. Like an athlete at the finish line, the last step takes a deep breath in. Breathe in deeply so you contract your midsection and in one quick and deft motion get that button closed.


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What to wear with skinny white jeans?

Hi R
Re - What shoes to wear with skinny jeans? 
When I visited you in USA I  totally immersed myself in jeans - what length to wear them, how to cleverly adjust the length etc   But it was fall, so we didn't do 'what to wear with skinny white jeans.'
Ok, so we are coming into summer but it still feels like winter.   It hasn't been warm enough to bare the toes but it's time to wear white jeans.
So here I am - on my way out to meet up with weekly, long term, similar - aged friends and I am wearing new white skinny jeans I bought on sale; to-die-for Hudson jeans with fabulous detail, which fitted damned well! I tucked them into my short black boots, and said, 'Let's go, Baby!"

So then G says, " Aren't those jeans more suitable for a younger woman? Fightin' words!

I ran it past my friends who said, diplomatically, unlike G, "You have such slim hips etc"
But in the lift, on our way out, husband of friend said, " Hmm, I see what he means - whatever that meant!" Did they have a quiet conversation about it? How extraordinary!

I know it was the white jeans tucked into the black boots that caused the upset, but I really like that look with blue jeans. Perhaps it was the contrast that didn't work.
Clara


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Miracle mouse method for ironing jeans

   Hi R
I thought that you may have a comment re this important psychological research. 
'A Bigger and Better Mouse for Women.'
After years of research, scientists have discovered that women do not like the standard mouse supplied with PCs.  There is no physical reason for their aversion; it is more of a psychological problem.


Some women reported that their mouse 'just didn't feel right' in their hands. Based on the research, a new mouse has been designed especially for women. Various field tests have been carried out on the new design:

Chantelle from Roodepoort said:-

'It feels so much better. More comfortable, more like how it's supposed to be.'
Wendy from Discovery added:-
'I think mice were originally designed just for men, but this new type
is definitely made for women. It fits right in with my lifestyle.'




A bigger and better mouse for women

 Susan from Pretoria said:-

'I took to it like a duck to water, every woman should have one!'

Tanya from Lindhaven said:
"It feels so natural."









Clara -  ps - G sends out his ironing - would you believe to a guy - weell, we don't know who actually does the ironing but I don't.


pps - Clara's Smoothing Method - Clara does her ironing by hanging up the washing well in the first place, going 'Pat Pat and smoothing, doing up collar buttons etc" then, when it is dry, and ready to be 'ironed' ........the secret is to give it a quick hot spin in the dryer. 
Don't put too much in at a time or it won't work for two reasons.  Firstly, there needs to be a lot of hot air around to do the trick.  Secondly, you can't fold everything at once so you only heat up what you can actually fold. 


So -  what to do now that a few garments have had about:-

• 5 minutes on high  (works best with t shirts and jeans (but what else does anyone wear?)  
• Take out a few at a time - ie as many as you can fold in a minute or two - we need to have the heat going in order for this to work.  If you let the garment settle in a crumpled state this is how it will remain. The others can still be spinning around, in waiting. I am going to tell you how to do it one by one, but being experienced at this miracle I can place one garment on top of the other and 'iron' about 6 at a time. 
• T- shirt - tops etc - Spread out the hot shirt upsidedown - using your hand as an iron, smooth the hot fabric, which will do exactly what an iron will do. Pull and fold to present as you wish.  I prefer to place the garment on it's back and fold in the sleeves - then fold in half. 
• Take the next one - do the same and place it on top of the first and press down - the heat and pressure will do all the work for you.  
• So for jeans - much the same - take one pair at a time - place on a table, pat and smoooooth  really firmly.  Pretend your hands are a firm iron.  Fold in half and lay flat, one pair on top of the other, then give an extra firm pat.

Clara 
 

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Bird's Eye View or Orange You Glad

Hi C,


We're all thinking spring here despite the blanket of snow that covers the ground. As you know, I'm an early riser and have witnessed signs of spring in the wee small hours. The birds are singing, the owls are hooting and the geese honking its arrival. I still have trouble getting the concept that you're experiencing just the opposite down under. You mentioned soft hues of grey and taupe as showing up on Sydney's fall fashion forecast. Here we're happily unpacking boxes of color at Nextdoor. For the past two years it seemed that everything came in two shades, black or grey. This spring orange is on the horizon in all its glory, every shade you can imagine from soft corals to bright tangerines. Our customers are loving it! Course, we're pretty casual here as you know. Everything has to work back to a great pair of jeans, a cute handbag and some fun accessories. I have lots of shades of orange yarn in the studio and have enjoyed knitting up some colorful easy wraps to wear indoors now and outdoors later on. I'll keep you posted as the season progresses, but so far it looks like a colorful spring!


R

Helpful hints for Valentine's Day



Happy Valentine's Day message from Next Door

And from Sophocles - One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life;
That word is love.
 Oedipus at Colonus



To the Guys

Happy Valentines Day to you all out there - I have to say that I empathise with you today knowing that it may not be easy to surprise and express love considering all the expectations.
Hugh Mackay on love - 'Love' must be the most flexible word in the English language..... So what kind of love do we desire?  Romantic, erotic, altruistic, parental, sacrificial, familial, material, ethereal, companionate, divine?     Those and more.  Love in all its varieties and manifestations, lights us up. Love has the power to enlarge the spirit; to bring out the best in us; to encourage a greater openness to others and to inspire us to perform acts of kindness.  Love comforts us, reassures us and boosts our confidence  in ourselves.

Thanks Hugh - I'm sure you won't disappoint your loved one.  But for others out there, a couple of helpful hints from Clara.

• Whilst I know you don't fall for the commercialisaton of the day, and your loved one may have assured you that she doesn't want anything at all, it is a brave man  who heeds that request -
• Having said the above, what women want more than anything else is to feel that they are special, and this doesn't necessarily mean material trappings.  To just take time out of your day to turn off the TV, hold her hand, look into her eyes and tell her how you feel about her should do the trick.  Yes G this may mean not playing Squash tonight
• and flowers are a nice touch.
  Love Clara - By the way, I am giving G a card with the promise of a massage
• ps - a few romantic food hints for the occasion on http://fitinyourjeanscuisine.blogspot.com/

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Still crazy but what a fantastic year



Batlady

Aussie game called two up.  Now banned

Balmoral - always beautiful

Grandmother's clock

Spring has sprung

Spring chicken

Constant floral

Ferns in Clara's garden

The most visited blog - Scarves in your own personal colours

You are incredible DaVinci

Killer earrings

Clara is now a gym dropout

New inspired ventures - thanks

And recipes from Tuscany

And Clara's garden

And special boys

Importance of fairy tales

Love of closeup photos  of herbs

And grandchildren

Best shot of the year

Time to meditate and live in the moment

And read good books

Have amazing holidays in the wilderness

And keep on dancing

And having fun

Due respect to climatic crises

And pears

and most of all to beautiful grandchildren

Good mates

Fabulous opportunities for photography

And colour contrasts

Wish you were here

Love where I live

Greater depth lies within

8 good potential mums !!!!

Be like water and flow

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