I love my sky idiot proof box, just push button and your series that you watch is recorded and does so every week, we just dont watch normal tv any more we tape everything and then we fast forward the adds at 30x the speed, you can watch 3 programmes in the space of 2 with out exaggeration. wonderful warm day, I love the warmth at this time of year short sleeves sun hot on your skin no tensing as you come out of the shower all hot to freezing cold air. went to food hall at local mall last night for first time - food is not the same as our local japanese restaurant doesnt feel fresh and piping hot - not going to rush to do it again, mind you we havent eaten in one for years!! its interesting to see whats popular and not mind, the kebab place seamed quiet compared to the sushi and maccers always seams to have a huge line on it - shakes head anyway have a wonderful day everyone

auckland_ali - 2011-01-07 09:57:00

Good morning! Still going on the accounts, so back on the computer, with household chores thrown in between, and some baking too. Made some kiwifruit, sultana and choc chip muffins on Wed, a big hit with the kids: their first choice for dessert last night. Was a throw together at the last minute effort to use up kiwifruit in the fridge that weren't the best, so will have to try and remember how I made them LOL. Feeling decidedly below par today .. coughed so hard I ended up v*m...g this morning, (sorry for TMI but it's never happened before, horrible) .. had a nana nap yesterday arvo, and plan on a walk along the beach later today to get some cooler fresh air. We struggled with the heat last night ... and that lone mozzie who just wanted to snack! Might swap beds with youngest tonight so DH can get a good nights sleep without me barking all night! Am popping vit's etc to try and get rid of this lurgy, and hot lemon n honey is my fav, and kids reckon our bed smells like a vicks bottle! I agree on the Sky options Ali, at one stage during our busy spell with business we had 18 Coronation St episodes backed up ... nearly no room for anything else (*winks* ... like anything else would be so important) .... and it does change the way we view tv. We got it because Mr Fastey really likes to watch the news, now we can 'live pause' if dinners running late, or record it and it removes any stress. Higs and hugs xx

fastlanenz - 2011-01-07 10:31:00

18 Coronation St episodes good grief did you pull an all nigther!! rest and keep up the vics not nice, take it easy fasty

auckland_ali - 2011-01-07 12:14:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-07 13:55:00

honestly if you have sky then you really should have the idiot proof box, it makes it so easy and you will never need to watch another video, the hard disc drive is huge and most movies are 2 or 3 % if its on the sky channel if on tv1 2 3 its double beacause of the adds - it makes collapsing into the easy chair that much easier, we had never had sky before and when we moved into the new home we said we would do it - its ones of those things that you scoff getting at and when you do its part of your life, (thinking dishwashers etc) I am procrastinating as its housework time and I just dont feel like it!! lol

auckland_ali - 2011-01-07 15:07:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-07 15:19:00

sighs with you, no wind at all in house its humid and hot, sweat pouring without doing anything, doent make for heart and sole vacumming lol started my tip of a car the other day and didnt finish either, so still have the vacumming of that to do, wonders where the cleaning fairy has gone to? but seriously I HATE a dirty house, and get such a kick when everything looks gleaming it puts your karma on a higher plane I am sure calm and not so frustrated. blah blah blah lol :)

auckland_ali - 2011-01-07 17:22:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-07 18:34:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-08 05:05:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-08 05:07:00

with not having a dishwasher its just you and hubby in the house, I have 3 teenage children whom fill a dishwasher up + every day - mind you if I didnt have one they wouldnt be getting a new cup out every 5 seconds!! - no a shower went down very well, it was particulary hot in auckland yesterday much cooler today - lol have some beautiful pork eye fillets for tonight thinking a orange sauce its just juice, little rind, pork juices and cornflour yes? salt pepper and maybe a bit of tuscan and a splash of wine that would be good enough do you think? feel like some proper veggies, we had fruit buns for tea last night more than slack!! hope everyone is having a lovely day

auckland_ali - 2011-01-08 10:48:00

Good morning ... had a lovely sleep in, some fresh fruit for brekkie, and a long shower, feeling much better, although the cough persists a little! Had a lovely day yesterday with lots more paperwork done. Kids had a mate over and we played cluedo at lunchtime - kids current fav - and so I kept filing while they played in the pool and on the tramp. Then an errand in town before hitting the beach where Mr Fasty joined us ....... not so many people on the beach as last week, it was nice to be able to walk in a straight line than zigzagging thru people!

LOL, Ali, Mr is just instructing the kids right now on re-using cups in the kitchen!!!

He had a good nights sleep while I kept coughing in another bedroom, but we both had a good nights sleep! Enjoy the sunshine, and have a great day .... higs and hugs xxx

fastlanenz - 2011-01-08 11:08:00

PS to Ali: sauce sounds divine, I have stuffed pork chops before with a combo of blue cheese, grated carrot and sliced pecans ... was delicious ... can't remember the creamy sauce exactly but yours sounds just perfect for a summer evening!

fastlanenz - 2011-01-08 11:10:00

Good Morning all,
Its a beautiful day here today,dh has just mowed the lawns.
Well things are looking up for us,we our house moving as house sold yesterday,woohoo.
Also I have an appointment for the 18th for a checkup to make sure I am well enough to have surgery ,as I am.
I went back to work yesterday on light duties and all is well.
Woohoo this is going to be our year for all of us.

earthangel4 - 2011-01-08 11:39:00

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elliehen - 2011-01-08 11:50:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-08 12:01:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-08 12:02:00

Good afternoon everyone ... beautiful sunny day here in Christchurch. Cleaned windows this morning and discovered two more places where the frame and the window have come adrift in the shakes ! C'est la vie !! A cooking question: I'm going to be making a prune cake tomorrow as part of a friend's birthday afternoon tea. I want to make prune compote to go with it. I was thinking of using equal quantities of tea and maple syrup for the main 'brew', and infusing it with a cinnamon stick. Does this sound okay ? Or any other bright ideas ? The cake will be served with the compote and thick Greek yoghurt. Many thanks :-)

2halls - 2011-01-08 16:59:00

I'm off to work soon ... last shift before my 'weekend' starts. Open home at 12pm tomorrow though so no sleep in for me :( I don't get home until nearly 4.30am so hope I can have a Nana nap later in the day!

2halls - sounds great. I've made prune compote with rum, water, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon & cloves which is totally yum (a recipe from an Austrian friend of mine) but maybe a bit much with cake. I also love eating prunes straight from the packet!

winnie231 - 2011-01-08 18:18:00

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elliehen - 2011-01-08 20:15:00

Another beautiful day - it seems years since we had a summer like this in Christchurch. I would be in the garden but it's actually all done - a rare state of affairs. I am working round to suggesting to husband that the front garden could do with a complete revamp but I might leave that until he's over the last revamp which involved a lot of muttering. Have son muttering too as he digs out the stump of the plum tree that didn't stand up to last week's winds. I wanted to replace it so was glad that it made it's own decision and I have a good sized grafted Omega/Santa Rosa just waiting to go in. I'm so glad things are coming right for you Earthangel. You must be counting down now CookE - I hope you have a fantastic break. We're thinking about a few days in Nelson next week before heading back to work. Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone.

greerg - 2011-01-09 10:40:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-09 10:53:00

cookessentials wrote:

Fantastic news Earthangel, onwards and upwards for you my dear.

Thank you

earthangel4 - 2011-01-09 11:21:00

Good morning all,another beautiful day here today,too good to go to work this afternoon,lol.
Tomorrow I am a year older,and we are going to look at a house,its all great.
2 Halls how are you? and so good to see you in here,umm prune cake sounds yum,would love a piece lol lol.
Ok must go have heaps to do.

earthangel4 - 2011-01-09 11:24:00

Hi earthangel ... the prune cake seems to be fine, despite taking twice as long to cook as the recipe specified ! This may well be my fault though as I converted it to GF and added an extra egg to compensate for the lack of gluten. We'll see tomorrow when we eat it. Another hot day here in Chch, the cyclists in the National Champs will be melting with 6 hours in the saddle ! I can hear the sirens going as they come roaring down Hackthorne Road (very steep hill). Hubby watched the women racing for a while yesterday and said the speed at which they descend is mind boggling. Rather them than me ! :-)

2halls - 2011-01-09 11:51:00

Hello all. EA, so happy to hear how 2011 is starting in exactly the right way for you and your family. Ali, I had visions of settling in for a few omnibus sessions of Corrie ... like we used to when on our OE and Sunday afternoons were spent watching the Corrie or Eastenders omnibus ... just the thing on a winter afternoon back then! 2 halls, when I was training for biking round Lake Taupo, I passed EVERYONE on the way up hills, and since I'm such a wuss, they'd all pass me on the way down the hills, as I used to cycle down with my brakes on all the way!! It only takes one random patch of gravel or debris on the road, and SPLAT!!

We had happy hour drinks at neighbours last night, which was lovely. Kinda writes off the rest of the night as my drinking fitness is not what it used to be ... cough is no worse, nor better, so I'm ignoring it again!

Right, off to make the most of this lovely day, have a good one all xx

PS. higs are the MB version of hugs for our lufflies :o)

fastlanenz - 2011-01-09 13:47:00

elliehen wrote:

winnie, please post your prune compote recipe. A Christmas visitor left behind a bottle of Mount Gay rum bought in Barbados :)

Will do Ellie - just a slight delay as I have 3 boxes of cookbooks ready to bring down from the Bay when I drive up in Feb for DD's 14th birthday & it's in one of them!
Off to a bbq this afternoon with some of the casino folks ... nice to have a day off :)
Made the mistake earlier of driving along Cashmere Rd just earlier when going to my brothers for a coffee & got snarled up in the bike race traffic/spectators ... people everywhere! Nice day for it!!

winnie231 - 2011-01-09 14:33:00

*** shakes thread awake *** Good morning lufflies, another warm week by the looks of it. Did my gardening early this morning,
and back inside to tackle the housework .. a steady wash per day is almost keeping us on top of Mt Washmore, apart from all the towels from swimming!! I love summer for bringing in dry washing every day, without having to wait for that longed for day with no rain. While we do have a dishwasher, the appliance I choose to do without is a dryer ... love the smell of clothes brought in from the sunshine!!

Had a good baking session while roasting a chook last night and made the Motueka Carrot Cake and the Pukeko chocolate cake. Kids loved the smell of the carrot cake cooking, and just couldn't wait for it to cool so we had some for dessert, nicest carrot cake ever made and will make again. I made the chocolate cake cos I needed to use up some coffee (and I don't like coffee!!). Haven't tried it yet, but it rose well in the tin and looks good. I halved both recipes as they looked quite big ... and having lost 3 or 4 kilos in a busy spell last month, I'm not in a hurry to regain .. they will find their way back I'm sure !!

fastlanenz - 2011-01-10 09:42:00

Good Morning friends,have had heaps of birthday txts and wishes,thank you all.
Its a beautiful day here,and I am feeling mighty super duper lol lol.
I have two days off now so am going to enjoy them.
Yes sir things are looking up,still down in weight,and I am real positive that we will get this house today.
This house has been on the market for 2 years and has finally sold,its a very cold home,no sun until late afternoon,and washing takes days to dry in the winter.
Will let you know how we get on,only one hour to go,woohoo. lol

earthangel4 - 2011-01-10 09:52:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-10 10:38:00

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elliehen - 2011-01-10 11:03:00

Thank you charlie,am having a wonderful day,we got the house and move in on the 21st,so its all good.

earthangel4 - 2011-01-10 11:34:00

congrats earthangel thats great that you have got the house, sold and brought, and also HAPPY BIRTHDAY two good things to happen in one day, waves to everyone else.

auckland_ali - 2011-01-10 12:28:00

Happy Birthday earthangel...and great news re your house selling and move....this will be your year...my mum ha just enjoyed a week at Cobden beach at her sisters house(while they were away) and her friend who'd never stayed at Greymouth loved the area too....mum has lived there years ago.

jbsouthland - 2011-01-10 14:39:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-10 15:28:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-10 19:26:00

Oh no ... Pam - that's awful!
I hope that it turns up safe and sound ... on the kitchen window ledge ... or in one of Brian's pockets ... or ...
Not what you need before going away for a relaxing holiday!!!

winnie231 - 2011-01-10 19:33:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-10 21:54:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-10 23:07:00

Oh CookE ... do hope the ring has turned up. I follow Steve from Blue's Clues: go back, go back, go back to where you were! If that fails, I pray, and if it can be found, that always works.

Charlie, sorry to hear your sleep was broken last night. I haven't had the radio or tv on yet today, was it a big shake? It's mind boggling how long these aftershocks have lasted, .... I wonder how often this has happened in other earthquake zones, I can't recall historically that it's ever happened in NZ before? Do the boys sleep thru or do they wake with the aftershocks? How's the birthday party plans?

Still coughing here, but bought some 'ivy leaf extract' which breaks up the gunk in my lungs and helps shift it. Have a good day all xxx

fastlanenz - 2011-01-11 08:36:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-11 08:58:00

Hi Everyone.. hope your hubby's ring has been found Pam..

Hope the quakes are lessening Charlie.. looked on the Geonet site when we had two quakes here last week - the number of after-shocks/quakes you've had is astonishing..

Have a lovely day Everyone :-)

Take care

juliewn - 2011-01-11 09:03:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-11 09:04:00

Lord, Charlie, young Joe just wasn't the same as my darling Steve ... wicked sense of humour under that green striped jumper!

And LOL, snuggling up with the duvet on the couch on a Sunday arvo, with a week's worth of Coro to catch up on, ahh the memories of life before responsibility!!

I'm holding out for some necessary shopping, one of the items at Vodafone - I remember last year they did some really good deals at the end of January, and am hoping that the same will happen this year ... once everyone gets back from hols and the big stores want to persuade our wallets open ... Mr is really wanting a new mattress, he had such a good night's sleep in son's bed last week and pronounces our mattress' life to be OVER! So once those big sale signs go up, we'll get it sorted.

fastlanenz - 2011-01-11 09:25:00

Good morning all and thank you all
for the lovely birthday wishes.
Charlie when is it your sons birthday?,a very happy birthday to him.
I am so excited about moving,am busy packing.
Its another beautiful day here,I also had a good sleep last night.
I feel this is our year,so far its all going good.

earthangel4 - 2011-01-11 09:26:00

Mr's birthday sounds heavenly! The cool airconditioned comfort of the movies, yummy dinner, perfect!

fastlanenz - 2011-01-11 09:28:00

Happy holiday Pam, is that ring found? 2 weeks since diet started and 3.7 Kg gone but those of you well overweight and used to dieting know that is the norm in the early stages and likely it will not stay at that rate. It will take more than 10kg to be noticeable. I am about 5ft 9in with a large frame and 2 weeks ago was 87.8 so the need was great, mainly because I carry that weight on front of body!! I think it helps to report in. Charlieb, what is Indian food?

marywea - 2011-01-11 09:46:00

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cookessentials - 2011-01-11 09:48:00

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charlieb2 - 2011-01-11 09:56:00

Pam you never know - it can just be there, did he help make the bed, between the mattress and base? I found my sapphire bracelet there after I had lost it, but thought it was down the beach first lol, good luck with phone, my boys have found the trusty cheapest ones to last the distance - a nokia basic jobbie seams to be one of the most sturdy. Well done Mary me and the scales are in the eighties constantly now, not happy not happy at all, am starting to monitor (read that as watch only) whats going in the mouth and its not pretty, those xmas lollies that are sitting around from xmas its surprising how many of those just fall into the mouth in the course of a day!! didnt the guy from blues clues kill himself? bit of a lonely job I would have thought just talking into the tv monitor with only a imaginary dof to talk to!! have all my recipe books on bench - funny that the cubboard that holds them has got smaller, got to the stage that I cant fit another in, thought I might dump all my foodtown mags, dont know if I should go thru them and make a clearfile folder but wonders if I actually will go through that and make things, I am actually a throw it in cook so only use books as a bit of a reference really, any thoughts? scarey how those things breed in a dark cubboard!!

auckland_ali - 2011-01-11 10:19:00