Friday 23 April 2010

What? Where? Who???

I know - another week has slid past me and you haven't heard from me.
Sorry.
What happened?

On Saturday we went to the footie to see Gisborne get thrashed by South Bendigo.
This is a shot by The Sweetheart so you can see what sort of football we play in Australia. It is like running two marathons - not a great big interchange bench like in gridiron, and far far more ball contact that soccer. Look at that score - how disappointing for Gissie!!!!

At half time all the little kids - children and grandchildren of players and supporters - get out on the oval and play kick to kick with their little footballs.  Look at this little bloke, he is still in nappies!!!

And then life got interesting with a sort of streaker. Some bloke on a buck's turn in a mankini.

Who says looking like Borat isn't a good look?
That isn't a bad looking arse, is it?
He just did alittle dash out onto the oval and then a u-turn and back over the boundary fence where he was met by all his mates. I don't know that too many people even got to see him.
The Sweetheart grabbed this shot - good job he had the big lens on, we wouldn't have been able to see this if I had used my little camera...







I need some help identifying this plant.

And I thought I planted snake beans in the garden, but instead these things have happened. They came up in a creeepery-vine which fooled me into thinking they were beans.
The leaves are heart shaped and the flowers are tiny little white ones that look like a solanum, there are then berries that rapidly dry to a paper casing with three of four dark triangulate seeds in them.

And the seeds smell a bit yucky. Not a pleasant spice smell, but a bit nasty.

I have the feeling I should be ripping them all out cos I am betting those seeds  will germinate and the whole world will be covered in them by next summer.

Any help with identification would be great - maybe I have something new and exotic that will be useful to the world. I know what bean seeds look like so am pretty sure that is what I planted...

You can get some idea of the scale with the seeds on the crossword. They are little pods, only as big as  my little finger nail.


And then I made a peach chocolate cinnamon cake.

I just made up the recipe, drained tinned peaches on the base of the square cake tin, 2 cups of dark brown sugar thrashed to death with 250 grams of butter, added 4 eggs, and 2 cups SR flour sifted with a few spoonfuls of lovely Dutch cocoa and a tablespoon of cinnamon, along with the juice from the peaches. Cooked for about 35 mins at 350* -  possibly should have been a bit shorter time as it dried out a bit around the edges, but nothing that a slathering of cream couldn't fix.

I think it would be nicer with some ground ginger in with it as well.
Next one...

I am knitting a jumper for The Sweetheart, 2 different cables one with a 12 row repeat, the other 24 rows, and in alpaca and wool variegated.   I did a lot of mumbled countings, and unpicking rows and stitches for the first few days, but now I have done three and a half pattern repeats and am getting the hang of it. Sort of. It is beginning to look like something is happening now.
This is the first time I ever knitted anything for someone bigger than me. And the last time I knitted something for me was 1984 when I was pregnant with S3. Still have it. The good thing of polyester wools -  they NEVER wear out...
Photos to come.

And have re-arranged my bedroom, spray painted some old lamp bases (one wooden candlestick one is now black satin and the other - formerly lolly pink girlie op-shopped china is now glossy Chinese red) and redid shades to make it all look sparky new there. And a really awful op-shopped plastic mirror frame that was brown and tan but is now satin black, and looks like finely carved wood.
Photos to come.

Yesterday my tall fiddling friend Andrew Clermont (or on Myspace, or just google him for all osrts of mentions!) dropped by with two of his musician friends (Parvi and Josh), they had lovely-to-listen-to rehearsals, showers, and an early dinner before heading to Melbourne for a few gigs.
Last night at The Lomond where S3 was co-incidentally working (because of the extra crowds because of the famous performer coming!) and then to stay with S4. A very early morning gig at The Hyatt in Melbourne and another at a school in Melbourne and then back here to play at The Maldon Hotel tonight. It is always delightful to catch up with him,and to spend time checking out the latest photos - he does wonderful slide shows on his iBook. The latest was a fabulous trip through Spain and Portugal in the last few weeks with his darling Bettina who is an extraordinary artist in Berlin. Check out her website to be impressed!!!

Wednesday night my lovely GP phoned to tell me that I failed dismally the Pap Test I had the other day.
Eighteen months ago I had 'low grade abnormalities' and had to see an oncologist-gynaecologist in Melbourne.
I was supposed to have another Pap Test after 12 months but last November was getting to Christmas and was a busy time. And besides they aren't the most fun things I ever do. Another besides, because of my naughty clotting factor I also bleed, and I quite like being menopausal and not bleeding. It hurts on top of all that. All very good excuses for procrastinating.
So back to see that nice o-g woman at the Royal Women's for another colposcopy and cone biopsy. Sigh...

I am a bit depressed about it all, really. A fuck it - am REALLY pissed off actually. And scared and worried. The only positive is that nobody in our family has ever had any sort of girlie cancer.


Better to to town and buy more food.
xxxx

9 comments:

Melinda said...

I hope it all goes well for you Jasmine.

quiltinbysea said...

Well you do lead an interesting life, yep nice buns but that plant looks toxic.

susanawee said...

Hi Jasmine,
Letting you know that I will be thinking of you next week - Hoping and praying that all will be okay for you. I don't blame you for being 'pissed off' very worried and scared etc.
Hugs from me Sue/Cottesloe West.Aust.

Karen F said...

Hi Jasmine,
When I was 30 I had the colposcopy/cone biopsy thing 3 times in the space of a year. For a while I believed I was going to die. I'm 56 now and have never had another abnormal smear, so chin up, abnormal cells are usually not-yet nasties. However the experience scared me so much I've cheerfully had the test every year since, without fail. Sending positive thoughts your way,
Karen in Ballarat (formerly Karen in Coolamon)

AnnieO said...

Oh, Jas, you do mix it up in a post, don't you! Having us laughing and then scared for you! Sending you heaps of encouraging, healthy thoughts for your upcoming tests.

Pokey said...

Well, you've had some highs and lows from the sound of things, (I've never put peaches with cocoa, hm-m) But I do hope and pray for the health scare. It can be just that, a "scare", and I'm hoping for peace for your heart and mind.

Daphne said...

Only thinking of you the other day and how it had been a while since you'd been on any of the groups. There you were living life with its usual ups and downs. I hope the 'down' has just been nothing more than a scare for you and that all is well.

Shirley said...

Hello Jasmine,
I have stumbled across you via someone on my blog so I thought I would check you out. You made me laugh with the mankini streaker and I am sending good wishes that your health scare will soon be a thing of the past. Keep quilting and keep a sense of humour. I think these two things can see you through anything.
Best wishes
Shirley.

Miriam said...

I hope you are OK Jasmine.