What I learned about Snow

As I approach 60 it amazes me that there was so much for me to learn about snow. The flakes are so big and puffy. When driving along they are sooo light that they never settle on the windscreen and are blown upwards by the aerodynamics of the car. We never put the windscreen wipers on. It is a much different matter when the car is stopped.What I found next was that snow is very smooth. The ground may be treacherous and full of potholes underneath, but on top it is as smooth as a wedding cake. Thank goodness I had taken my tramping boots.

And I also found that snow is very dry, and although it is cold it doesn't chill youto the bone until YOU have melted it and turned it into ice. So short plays in the snow are OK

Winter

A winter Harvest of yams. But not so easy to google for recipes as the Americans call kumara yams. I cook them up tonight with chicken, cashew nuts and coriander.

A fit of winter blues - lets go shopping! Here are some of our exciting purchases! Solar lights so that people won't back into the glasshouse, and this dinky one on my unfinished mosaic stand

The water has been pretty high in the drains, but the two pruners we have, have soldiered on.

Ready for the trip to the South Island- a pair of gloves in Katmandu's sale.

Otherwise preety dismal from our neck of the woods.

Not in the Middle of the night.

Now I dont want to compete with the spectacular efforts of Jackie, but here's whats been coming out of my Kitchen lately. Heather has a lime tree planted on our property and with all the warm weather we have had the limes ripened quickly. After sending two boxes to her we are finishing up the stragglers ourselves. I made one batch of lime marmalade - which has lasted no time at all. Since Duncan went on Cholestrol tablets we haven't been able to have grapefruit marmalade. I added one orange to this one and the results have been excellent.

On Tuesday night I had Bookclub here - and as some of you know, the food almost has priority over the books. I hailed this cake a triumph!! Complete with its pecan praline done in maple syrup. The cake had dates and coffee in it and was very moist. The frosting was made with maple syrup and egg white beaten over a pot of simmering water for ten minutes. It was sort of marshmallowy. The girls all seemed to enjoy theirs. Duncan wasn't so keen, so maybe I wont be making that one again!!