Chat about whatever you like: the weather, good stuff, bad stuff, family or pets! Showing 15,451-15,500 of 26,036

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

I tried living near Mt Isa for a while once. By early December I was dying in the heat and then someone said "Wait till January - it gets even hotter then." We didn't wait and moved to Sydney:)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sally906 wrote: "Well it is a cool Saturday morning here in Darwin - is only 30 degrees and a low 67% humidity!

About to hang my first load of washing out then I'll be off grocery shopping for the morning. Nothing..."

Haha!! Cool Sally?????????

Enjoy your chores, then your reading!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Phrynne wrote: "I tried living near Mt Isa for a while once. By early December I was dying in the heat and then someone said "Wait till January - it gets even hotter then." We didn't wait and moved to Sydney:)"

Oh that would be awful up there Phrynne! Down this way is definitely better, weather wise...though sometimes I do wonder!

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Yes - we only get occasional days of real heat. Up there it is constant and as Sally says it is draining.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Phrynne wrote: "Yes - we only get occasional days of real heat. Up there it is constant and as Sally says it is draining."

My Mum used to use the word enervating:) And that's just exactly how it feels!

[Dale]

We were up to 37 yesterday and very thankful for air conditioning. Today will be a mild 22. Much more 'enervating.'Like that word Brenda.

[Dale]

Brenda wrote: "A cool breeze would be lovely Kathryn! Do you know what else....there's another raging bushfire in the Blue Mountains - schools were evacuated today, houses are being evacuated. It's crazy! Those p..."

Feel sorry for those up in the bush fire.

[Leonie]

We lived sixteen years in the Pilbara. October to April was summer time - 37 plus every day, and rarely below 30 degrees at night. Living inland meant dry heat, which I find much easier to cope with, and of course everyone's air conditioned, which helps. We did love living there though.

Nowadays I really enjoy winter. I reckon I've done enough hot for my entire life.

It's already 35 degrees here, after a night where it finally went below 25 at about 4am. Sigh...

[Liam || Books 'n Beards]

Christmas present? Anyone?

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Ah it's only $14,000 Liam - you can afford that! ;)

[Liam || Books 'n Beards]

Throwing my name in for a permanent job at work, if I get it maybe I'll treat myself :P

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Good luck!!

[Leonie]

It's now 41.5 and all the magpies are walking around puffing with their mouths open. So glad I filled up the bird bath this morning.

[Dale]

Sounds dreadful Leonie. But then I don't like the heat. I would never cope up north.

[Leonie]

And we're only in the Upper Hunter NSW now. Once upon a time we'd do this kind of weather every day without a second thought.

It's been a sudden, hard, onset of summer here.

[Margaret]

Cool and cloudy, here in Sydney. A lot better than yesterday :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Leonie wrote: "It's now 41.5 and all the magpies are walking around puffing with their mouths open. So glad I filled up the bird bath this morning."

We're a lot better here too....so sorry you've still got the dreadful heat Leonie!

[Sharon]

Today, has been much more pleasant than yesterday in gorgeous Nelson Bay without an air conditioner...just spent a week in Inverell and am kind of glad I'm not there today. 38 today there....but at least they have air conditioners LOL

[Leonie]

Fortunately we've dropped to 36.2 now - there's a thunderstorm warning, but it looks a bit too far north for us, sadly.

[Sharon]

Doing the dance Leonie for rain...I've asked for it to stay in the North, in which case it will probably go south if I've got it right :D

[Leonie]

Sharon wrote: "Doing the dance Leonie for rain...I've asked for it to stay in the North, in which case it will probably go south if I've got it right :D"

Thanks Sharon :) Can't say it's happened yet, but I live in hope. It's finally cooling down now.

[Kathryn]

Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

Thank heavens for air-con, or I'd probably have had to put it off til next weekend - the thermometer outside definitely hit 35 deg C, but it's cool inside, even with the oven on. And my cake is in, and I'm waiting for the lovely Christmassy smell to start wafting out!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

Thank heavens for..."

Oh well done Kathryn! Love that smell...it's scarily nice (means it's getting very close!)

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

Thank heavens for..."

Oh no - I had totally forgotten that. Haven't even shopped for the ingredients:(

[Kathryn]

Phrynne wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

T..."

It must be the year for forgetting, Phrynne!! I was saying something just over a week ago, possibly something to do with cake or Christmas (can't remember that now, either!) and I stopped mid-sentence when I realised I hadn't even given a thought to my Christmas cake!! I bought the ingredients this morning!!

[Sally906]

Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

Thank heavens for..."
I tried to make a Christmas cake once. Was not a success.

[Leonie]

Sally906 wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

T..."

I had a group of friends in the Pilbara who struggled with Christmas cakes, so we'd get together and all make them at the same time :) And then lick the bowls afterwards. It was heaps of fun. I have a failsafe recipe if you need one Sally ;)

[Kathryn]

Sally906 wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about 10 days ago!!

T..."

Mine is easy - it's a boiled fruit cake - add everything except eggs and flour to the saucepan, bring it to the boil and simmer for 10 min. Then add the eggs and flour when it's cool, pop into the cake tin, and the tin into the oven and some hours later - voila!! Pour brandy over the hot cake, cover with foil and then towels so that it cools slowly, let sit for a month or two and enjoy come Christmas time! It's always beautifully moist! I haven't had it fail yet - hope this year is not the year!

[Neko]

Mmm..I love the batter of christmas cake but it's been years since we've had one home made.

On something very different...
Is anyone experiencing a problem with your bookshelf on here? Because I was doing some moving around recently and it marked all of them as 'read' but in actual fact they weren't at all :/


And back to cleaning I go..Having a TRUE spring clean...It's amazing how much junk can be collected over time along with the dust! lol

[Carolyn]

I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit on the dry side and I've noticed some recipes suggest soaking the fruit longer. This year I've had the fruit soaking a week and was planning on making it tomorrow. What does everyone else like to do?

[Leonie]

Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit on the dry side ..."

I soak mine for a minimum of 24 hours in 1/2 a cup of brandy, and a couple of tablespoons of marmalade. Sometimes I run out of time to make it, so it soaks for several days. I think the secret to moistness is to cook it very slowly.

[Kathryn]

Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit on the dry side ..."

I don't soak, just boil, which makes for a moist cake. If yours isn't a boiled cake, Carolyn, what about pouring alcohol over the cake after it's cooked? I do that to my boiled fruit cake, and like I say, mine is beautifully moist.

[Leonie]

Kathryn wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit ..."

Oh yes. I pour brandy over it after it's baked as well. :)

[Carolyn]

Kathryn wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit ..."

The cake usually takes 3-4h to cook and I generally pour some brandy over the cake after it's cooked and every week up to Christmas, but I'm still not happy with the end result. Will see how I go this year!

[Sally906]

Leonie wrote: "Sally906 wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Today is Christmas-cake-making day! I would have done it in October (because I normally do) but for some reason this year, it completely slipped my mind until about..."

Always up for a fail safe recipe. Not a great talent in the cake making department which is a bit of a shame job as my aunt is a professional cake maker and decorator and my great- great- uncle was a royal baker at Buckingham palace

The talent missed me :)

[Leonie]

Here it is, Sally :) (And anyone else who'd like the recipe.)

Rich Fruit Cake

3 cups sultanas
1 1/2 cups raisins
3/4 cup currants
1/2 cup peel (I don't use peel, I just add more of the other stuff)
2/3 cup glace cherries (I double this because we like cherries)
2 tbspns marmalade
1/2 cup dark rum or brandy
250g butter
1 tsp grated orange rind and 1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp rum or brandy extra

Line cake tin with 3 layers of baking paper, taken 5cm above the rim (this stops the cake overcooking on the outside)
Combine fruit, marmalade and brandy in large bowl and stand overnight
Beat butter, rinds and sugar in bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time.
Stir creamed mixture into fruit.
Add dry ingredients and put it all into the prepared cake tin.
Bake in slow oven 3-3 1/2 hours.
Brush top with extra brandy, cover with foil and cool in tin overnight.

[Suz]

Oh no I've been not on a lot, and there were 130 new posts... Qld was hot hot and I'm back home. Hi everyone I've missed checking in here and there like I usually do. My daughter's state softball team won the national championships! It was fun and the parents were friendly. Back to the real world for me ;)

[Suz]

Ps. royal baker - wow!!! What a cool family story Sally!

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

That sounds very similar to my recipe. I also follow family tradition and make my own marzipan and then ice it.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Leonie wrote: "Here it is, Sally :) (And anyone else who'd like the recipe.)

Rich Fruit Cake

3 cups sultanas
1 1/2 cups raisins
3/4 cup currants
1/2 cup peel (I don't use peel, I just add more of the other stu..."

Nice recipe Leonie :) I got excited for a minute till I remembered my non-working oven! Next year :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Suzanne wrote: "Oh no I've been not on a lot, and there were 130 new posts... Qld was hot hot and I'm back home. Hi everyone I've missed checking in here and there like I usually do. My daughter's state softball ..."

Welcome back Suzanne :) Congratulations to you daughter and her team too, that's fantastic!

[Suz]

Brenda wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Oh no I've been not on a lot, and there were 130 new posts... Qld was hot hot and I'm back home. Hi everyone I've missed checking in here and there like I usually do. My daughter's..."

Thanks Brenda, glad you travelled safely back home from Qld too :)

[Suz]

Phrynne wrote: "That sounds very similar to my recipe. I also follow family tradition and make my own marzipan and then ice it."

Phrynne you're very clever! I just screen shot the recipe Leonie, thanks! Very handy ;)

[Veronica ⭐️]

Suzanne wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "That sounds very similar to my recipe. I also follow family tradition and make my own marzipan and then ice it."

Phrynne you're very clever! I just screen shot the recipe Leonie, t..."

"Screen shot" thanks Suzanne, I've just learnt something new today.

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes were always a bit on the dry side ..."

I always prepare my fruit and soak it on Melbourne Cup day...just so I always remember the date...and I plan on cooking it next week. So, usually two to three weeks, stirring it every day and adding another slug or two of brandy or whatever alcohol I'm using, if it appears "thirsty" ;) it always turns out lovely.

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Carolyn wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I'm interested to know how long people soak their fruit in alcohol for their Christmas cakes. I've always followed an old family recipe that said 24h but my cakes we..."

Could be too hot Carolyn? Maybe put some water in a tray in the bittom of the oven to create a bit of steam while cooking. Or cook it a bit slower?
And be sure to wrap it in towels in its tin once cooked to cool slowly and retain moisture...I leave it all night.

[Liam || Books 'n Beards]

I made an omlette tonight. Considering that this time two months ago I could barely make toast I think I'm making progress.

[Dale]

Suzanne wrote: "Oh no I've been not on a lot, and there were 130 new posts... Qld was hot hot and I'm back home. Hi everyone I've missed checking in here and there like I usually do. My daughter's state softball ..."

Congrats to your daughter and her softball team, Suzanne. And now here we are onto Christmas cakes. LOL. Mine never even gets thought of till the week before Christmas.Like Kathryn I make a boiled one.

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Liam wrote: "I made an omlette tonight. Considering that this time two months ago I could barely make toast I think I'm making progress."

Well Done Liam!

[Leonie]

Suzanne wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "That sounds very similar to my recipe. I also follow family tradition and make my own marzipan and then ice it."

Phrynne you're very clever! I just screen shot the recipe Leonie, t..."

I can almost smell the cakes cooking already. ;)