Wednesday, 12 September 2012

Tuesday, 11 September 2012

The power of prayer

View sent me this video, it's very funny.



Thank you, View.

Monday, 10 September 2012

A visit to the zoo

Sleuth found these great photos. The origami animals are the creation of a very talented (and patient) South African, Quentin Trollip.










There are many more animals, shown at different angles, in Quentin's Flickr photostream.

Thank you, Sleuth, that was a great find!

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Party and some sightseeing

Last night we went to our friend Hilary's 60th birthday party, which was great. Today we went to Uzerche for some sightseeing. The weather has been absolutely fantastic for our Aussie visitors!

Hilary and hubby are quite fond of a drop (or two) of wine...

Juz, Paul and Hilary (with the plant they gave Hils)

Yours truly with Peter

Some happy cows having their own party nextdoor
 These are the photos of Uzerche:





Friday, 7 September 2012

Good times...

Paul is having a jolly good time! We're all having a really nice time and the weather had been absolutely perfect.


Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Senior texting

Mrsgunka sent me these very useful codes for senior citizens who like to send text messages:


Thank you, Mrsg.

Monday, 3 September 2012

Excited!

This is the lovely couple we're going to pick up from the station in an hour or so. We can't think about anything else...

Paul & Juz

Sunday, 2 September 2012

A quick funny

I can't remember who sent me this picture, but it's funny. Thank you, whoever you are.


Saturday, 1 September 2012

Music to put people in a good mood

View sent me this funny musical video:



When I went to youtube to get the embed code, I found this other video:



These guys are very talented and very funny. Thanks, View.

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Life panels

While watching the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, I found out some interesting facts...

On the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised a sports competition for British World War Two veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Stoke Mandeville Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics were subsequently officialised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area to the south of the town of Aylesbury, near the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. It is part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

The hospital's National Spinal Injuries Centre is one of the largest specialist spinal units in the world, and the pioneering rehabilitation work carried out there by Sir Ludwig Guttmann led to the development of the Paralympic Games. Mandeville, one of the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, was named in honour of the hospital's contribution to Paralympic sports.








So, the Paralympic Games started at a horrible, socialist, at the mercy of bureaucrats hospital!

Stoke Mandeville is still a centre of excellence for spinal cord injuries. People involved in accidents or suffering from neurologic illnesses don't need to sell their houses in order to have the best possible treatment. The British get the best and don't pay a penny.

Fancy that...

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Beef Burgundy

Mrsgunka posted a recipe the other day and it has inspired even the readers who don't normally cook. It seems like a good idea to have it as a proper post, it's easier to find!

Easy Beef Burgundy (aka Beef Stroganoff)


1. Find crock pot, or use large pan.

2. I buy stew meat, depending on how many will be eating. I buy about 3-4 pounds. I used to cut my own meat in narrow slices and about 2-3 inches long from a cheap chuck roast beef, cutting off fat. Put in bottom of pan/crock pot.

3. Sprinkle with one package dry onion soup mix.

4. Add 1-2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup, About 1 can for 2 pounds of meat. Add 1/2 can of water per can of soup. The more soup, the better.

5. Add about 1 cup of Burgundy Wine or cooking wine. I also use cooking Sherry. Both are good! If using real wine, be sure to save enough for the pan. This also tenderizes the meat so less tender meats are good for this recipe. (Chuck or round streak).

6. Add one -two boxes of sliced or quartered fresh mushrooms.

7. Pepper to taste.

8. Gently stir it all together to not break up the mushrooms.

9. Turn crock pot on high for about an hour or if using a pan on stove, med heat for about 30 min. Stirring occasionally till all is mixed and soup has no lumps. When it gently bubbles, turn down heat to low, COVER and cook for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

10. About a half hour before serving, Stir in one to two cups sour cream and gently stir till it is all dissolved.

11. Cook and drain enough wide, flat noodles needed for guests. I usually make a big package of noodles as most will want seconds or thirds! If any is left, Mix it all together to easily heat up for left-overs in microwave. It's usually better the next day! So make enough to have later!!

12. This will be the meal that everyone raves about! Serve with a nice tossed salad and hard rolls. Your guests will talk about it for years. Easy to make for a large crowd by doubling or tripling the recipe! Easy to cook, serve and clean up! Serve Burgundy or Sherry wine with the meal...depending on which one you used in recipe. If you have used the bottle while cooking, be sure to buy extra for guests. Or just serve them beer...at this point, you may not even care! You can serve this to children, as the alcohol cooks off. One of the best smells to ever emulate from your kitchen! Beware of neighbors coming to your door at dinner time! Caution....cats have been known to jump on the counters to lick the plates clean if they are not put in the dishwasher!

Mrsgunka offered a recipe that combines two traditional recipes: Boeuf Bourguignon and Boeuf Stroganoff. Thank you, MrsG.

I found a video of a French chef preparing Boeuf Bourguignon in Burgundy, the homeplace of the dish:



[Here's a link to the recipe in pdf format.]

Whichever version you choose, enjoy!

Monday, 27 August 2012

Guess who?

We're exhausted (what's new?). We redecorated the entrance hall and it looks pretty good, better than before, anyway.

After our hard working day, we sat in the garden, having a drink and planning tomorrow's schedule. It's bliss to have some space to chill out in the great outdoors!

Now, to the post: Who's this little person?




Sunday, 26 August 2012

Mystery solved

Tumbleweed sent me this picture. It puts a very old mystery to rest...


Thank you, TW!

Saturday, 25 August 2012

Spell check

We're incredibly tired after working on the garden for the past four weeks in intense heat. Now we finally had some rain and it has cooled down, so we moved indoors and decided to redecorate our entrance hall...

Today's post is another little gift from Mrsgunka. Thank you, MrsG, it's very funny!


Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pee sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.