Whatcha Doin'? Showing 501-550 of 1,288

[Sarah]

Thanks guys for all the birthday wishes! And Happy Diwali Pragya!

[Cherie]

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Thanks for all of the get well wishes. I am feeling better today and at work. Soup for lunch. My stomach is still not quite 100%.

I love the Banksy art. I read the book about the girl too, and if anyone is interested in Banksy and his art, this is a good introduction. Wall and Piece. I think there is a newer one out too. I saw it at Powell's Books.

@Rusalka - sorry about your hay fever. I know how awful it can be. How do your tomatoes do in the heat? When it is too hot here, the blooms fall off and no tomatoes. If the tomatoes set, they split and rot. I have all but given up growing them.

[Lisa]

Glad to hear that you are feeling better than you did yesterday Cherie! :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Happy Diwali Pragya!

We can't plant tomatoes until the first week of November in case you get a sneaky frost in October (like last week). There's always one.

You have water the hell out of them to keep them flowering. But not too much so they don't spilt the fruit later. It's a bit of a gamble honestly, as the growing season is really short (same for eggplants and capsicums) so sometimes you get nothing. But when you do... yum! I have a whole heap of heirloom seeds I'm sprouting at the moment so if they work lots of weird, tasty tomatoes!

Zucchini's on the other hand grow like weeds.

I picked some home grown broad beans last night for dinner. What a waste of time and effort. Double shelling and you just got this tiny little plop of bean. I bulked it out with home grown sugar snap peas, which were so much easier and tastier (mixed with feta, lemon juice, olive oil and dill).

[Sarah]

Glad you are feeling better Cherie!

Yes hayfever does suck Rusalka - I too suffer with it. And dust allergy. Here many places have just started to turn on their central heating and all the years worth of dust that's accumulated at the back of the radiators has been burnt off and lifted in to the air which has caused my sinuses, nose and eyes to go so unbelievably itchy and blocked!

Yes I'm a fan of Banksy. Living in Bristol (where he's reputed to be from), there are quite a number of his works dotted about the place. Since living here, I've pretty much walked past one on my way to work every day (even though I'm changed jobs and worked in different parts of the city). My partner had one of his books - Banksy's Bristol: Home Sweet Home Is that the one Cherie?

Enjoyed my Thai massage and we finished the evening off with a nice Indian takeaway! I have my cousin and her partner coming to visit this afternoon so I have been frantically tidying the house this morning!

[Janice, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "
Enjoyed my Thai massage and we finished the evening off with a nice Indian takeaway!"

Sound like you enjoyed your birthday! What a great way to end the day. :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Indeed, sounds like a great birthday. Can't go wrong with Indian!

I never got hayfever until our pine forest burnt down, along with houses where I lived 10 years ago. I loved the pine, as I wasn't allergic to it. Now the pine is gone, all these horrible things have grown up and I am allergic to them. I hit 20, had a bushfire, and got insane hayfever, eczema and a shellfish allergy. I'm pretty sure they are all tied together, all autoimmune, but nothing has cured me yet.

Canberra is considered one of the worst places in the world for hayfever. We have so many exotic (so European, NAmerican, Asian and SAmerican) plants, PLUS all the natives. Most people are allergic to something. I love all our green spaces and parks, except now...

[Esther]

Happy belated birthday Sarah.

I just told a colleague it was wine-3hours o'clock. I think i am ready for this week to be over.

[Esther]

Happy belated birthday Sarah.

I just told a colleague it was wine-3hours o'clock. I think i am ready for this week to be over.

[Sarah]

Thanks Esther!

Wine o'clock sounds perfect to me too!

[Stephanie]

It's wine o'clock somewhere :)

[Stephanie]

Happy Friday everyone!!

[Almeta]

Stephanie wrote: "It's wine o'clock somewhere :)"

During our shared reading visit this week, Debra and I had grilled salmon and stir fry vegetables for lunch...to be served with white wine.

I couldn't find the cork screw, so we did without.

That won't be happening again!☻

New cork screw on hand for Saturday's Toppler-opoly celebration.

[Stephanie]

Almeta wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "It's wine o'clock somewhere :)"

During our shared reading visit this week, Debra and I had a grilled salmon and stir fry vegetables for lunch...to be served with white wine.

I c..."

This has been so much fun! I'm so glad I signed up and that I got my friend, Melissa (she is on the MadHatters) to do the toppler too! I will definitely do a toppler again!

[Mariab]

Almeta wrote: "During our shared reading visit this week, Debra and I had a grilled salmon and stir fry vegetables for lunch...to be served with white wine.
I couldn't find the cork screw, so we did without..."

Never let a problem like this stop you again!
Here the possible solutions:

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Wine-Bo...

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesgui...

[Almeta]

Mariab wrote: "Never let a problem like this stop you again!..."

Obviously I gave up too easily! ;D

[Rusalka, Moderator]

You can always get wine out of a bottle. It should never be given up on.

[Janice, Moderator]

Any desperate wine drinker will tell you that a sharp knife and bandages, a nail and pliers, smash off the top and then strain it. Where there's a will, there's a way.

I used to turn my nose up at screw tops, but I prefer them now. Open any where, any time.

[Stephanie]

Anyone else watching the World Series? I'm hoping the Royals win! We lived in Omaha, NE for a few years and the Royals' AAA team is there and we went to a few games :) we also have family in KC :-)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Screw tops, another wonderful Aussie invention like goon bags. We know how to make wine more accessible for everyone.

Also, you can't get corked wine with screw tops. Winemakers love them.

[Melissa]

Experience has taught me to keep a pocket corkscrew in my car and in my overnight bag at all times. We Girl Scouts are always prepared. :)

Tonight was final night of daughters play, and we are now on chauffeur duty killing time between the cast party and halloween party. Hubby is craving tacos and the I will indulge in Starbucks. The wine will have to wait for a more auspicious occasion.

[Tejas Janet]

Stephanie wrote: "Anyone else watching the World Series? I'm hoping the Royals win! We lived in Omaha, NE for a few years and the Royals' AAA team is there and we went to a few games :) we also have family in KC :-)"

I watched the first two games, but tonight I'm reading for toppler. I don't really have a favorite to win the series though so good luck to the Royals!!

[Stephanie]

Top of the 8th! Royals are ahead :-)

[Pragya]

Thank you, Sarah and Rusalka.

Glad you're feeling better, Cherie.

Ooh, Indian. Are you okay with the spices, Sarah?

[Sarah]

Pragya wrote: "Ooh, Indian. Are you okay with the spices, Sarah?"

Yes I love spicy food Pragya! I didn't when I was younger though. My Aunty's ex-partner (aren't families confusing) is from India (please don't ask me where as I have no idea other than he speaks Punjabi) and on my cousin's birthdays, their Dadaji and Dadima always bring around curry and samosas which are to die for. But for my birthday me and my partner had to settle for our local takeaway.

[Tejas Janet]

Mmm, I'm hungry for samosa chaat now... and some saag paneer and onion naan. We have some very good Indian restaurants in town. Time to see if spouse is up for some spice ; )

[Gail]

I love spicy food - chevda is my favourite snack. There is only one supermarket that sells it where I live, and it's an awkward bus journey from where I live, but I still go regularly to buy it, because I like it so much. :-)

[Pragya]

Oh wow, you guys know so much about Indian food. I am surprised. Glad you all like Indian food. If any time you are heading to India, you are most welcome for some Indian delicacies at my place. I am in the capital, New Delhi.

And Sarah, you know the Hindi translation of grandma and grandpa too. Awesome! :D

[Tejas Janet]

Thanks, Pragya. That would be amazing. Maybe some day!!

I don't know chevda, Gail. Will have to look for it.

[Kat]

Pragya wrote: "Oh wow, you guys know so much about Indian food. I am surprised. Glad you all like Indian food. If any time you are heading to India, you are most welcome for some Indian delicacies at my place. I ..."

Pragya! I will be stopping over in New Delhi in December on my way to Pune. Shame I will only be there in the middle of the night :(

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Mmm mmm, need me some chicken korma and lamb saag now. Our local Indian takeaway is Fijian Indian though, so the food are a little different to proper Indian.

I'm terrible with chilli, but I love spicy food. As in curries aren't all about chilli, that's a cheap and cheatey way to make curries. Proper curries are a beautiful mix spices, all balanced, including chilli, that there is just an amazing party happening in your mouth. That I love!

[Tejas Janet]

So true, and curries are good for you, too. Some people are anti-spice, but I think spices are healthy. Help rev up the immune system. Cayenne, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and more. Fresh and whole foods rock!!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Indeed! And I read a study a few years ago that was saying if you fed a vindaloo every day to mice with cancer it shrunk the tumors. I'm not sure if this has been replicated and tried on humans yet, but it was always fun threatening my Dad with a diet solely consisting of vindaloos (he wasn't a fan of Indian food at all).

[Janice, Moderator]

All this talk of Indian food is making me think I should hit the buffet just down the street soon.

[Cathie]

What is a vindaloo?

[Tejas Janet]

I wasn't an Indian food fan initially either. It confounded my senses upon first experience at age 20.

Fortunately I had encouragement for trying different foods. Good thing because otherwise I would have spent my whole life eating pb&j sandwiches and grilled Kraft cheese-food sandwiches on Wonder bread!

I was a picky eater as a child, and I guess I am now, but in a much different way. Now I want unprocessed foods that haven't been treated with a bunch of chemicals.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Cathie wrote: "What is a vindaloo?"

A type of indian curry Cathie. It's usually considered in the UK or Aus (not sure about NAmerica) to be a pretty hot curry. Wiki article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindaloo
Interesting that it was a Portuguese dish that was modified, and that the Anglo version sounds different to the Indian version.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Tejas Janet wrote: "I wasn't an Indian food fan initially either. It confounded my senses upon first experience at age 20.

Fortunately I had encouragement for trying different foods. Good thing because otherwise I w..."

My parents were both Meat and Three Veg types as I was growing up. Boiled/steamed veggies to almost greyness at times. They both have got better as they have gotten older, and now Mum cooks things like goat curry at home.

But when I met Lexx, who's family always has amazing food, started eating out more, and left home, I discovered so many different types of food and flavours. Our favourite restaurants now are Japanese, Indian and Ethiopian.

I also learnt to cook as well, so that added a lot to it. I'm the same, I like fresh foods, organic if possible (paying attention to the veggie garden has helped this amazingly), and if I cook something I try and make it from scratch without packets or jarred. Means a lot of the time we're eating at 8pm though hehe.

[Gail]

I like vindaloo - for some reason, I love really hot food that most people find too hot. When I was in Canada, I found an Indian shop that sold some extra spicy snack mix (similar to chevda, but much spicier) and the Indian shop owner would always try to stop me buying it, saying it was too hot for white people to handle! But I loved it.

I read recently that redheads like spicy food but find other sensory experiences (like cold, and dental pain) hard to handle. I'm more of a strawberry blonde, but maybe I have some redhead genes in me, because that is totally true of me. Some people find spicy food hurts their tongue, but I really like the feeling on my tongue - it's not painful. Here's the article about redheads: http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-03-06/s...

[Rusalka, Moderator]

heh... well, I'm the exception to that theory.

[Sarah]

I think you can train your taste buds when it comes to hot food. I could only ever eat a korma about 10 years ago but now I can eat pretty hot food (although I've never bothered to try a vindaloo).

@Pragya - while I know how to say the names for grandpa/grandma, I did have to look up how to spell it for that post ;-)

If I have a cold or feel like I'm coming down with one, I will always have curry - it seems to just blow it out the water! I also went through a stage of putting turmeric in pretty much every meal I had when I had a bad back as it's known for it's anti-inflammatory properties.

[Pragya]

@Kat - So excited you are heading over to India. But uh oh, I would have loved to meet you. :(

@Rusalka - You are so right. Indian food and curries aren't all about chillies. The right flavor is indeed what it is about.

@Sarah - Lol. Now that's some hard work.

@Janice - You totally should hit that buffet.

And now I am hungry. Good, it's dinner time. ;)

[Tasha]

I'm very picky when it comes to food also. Green smoothies are a staple here and I recently stated throwing in pieces of turmeric root. I try for as much organic and whole foods as possible too.

[Janice, Moderator]

Ladies and gentlemen... we have snow!

[Stephanie]

Have fun in the snow, Janice! Our dog Blake loves the snow :-) I don't want snow here yet though :)

[Tasha]

Yay!

[Janice, Moderator]

So far, it's just a skiff and won't stay. But who knows. Last year, it started snowing around this time and didn't stop until mid December. In that 6 week period of time we had more snowfall than we usually get in the whole winter.

[Cathie]

Janice, Hush-a-bush! Snow is a four letter word!! (I'm shivering just reading about it)

[Janice, Moderator]

I know. I'm sitting here with the heat cranked up, a hoodie on over my jammies, and a quilt over my lap. Can't forget the hot cup of coffee in my hands (when I'm not typing).

[Roz]

We're just doing Fall with rain here on Long Island. But we bled the radiators yesterday and have the heat on. A hot cuppa something sounds good to me. We're actually watching American football played in England right now.

I'm have my knee replaced next week. No work for me for about 6 weeks. Oh dear, what shall I do between therapy sessions? Read? Sounds good to me! I've got a stack ready and my kindle is loaded, including some chunksters.