I know I know I know

I know I know so so sorry been so long, well saying that I think 23 blogs since the start of 2010 is not too bad going. Anyways some lovely family snaps here of the weekend just gone. More fun at the sailing club, very nice and great snaps of brother and sister having fun and then joined by Flynn and Noah - love that 3 wise monkey's snap in the pool. Love the one of Amy getting a big dousing from her brother, ha ha - she LOVED it. The she went to the beach with Mary and came back with more sand in her happy than was on the actual beach. So Daddy had to dunk her a few times in the pool which she also loved, so much so that when Daddy stopped look at the outcome - oh dear Amy major tantrums - ha ha look at it "Daddy if I scream and pretend to cry, but look at you through my fingers do you think I'll get sympathy and my own way?" - no sorry honey you won't says I, "OK then so what if I lay on the floor and scream and pretend to cry, what about that then?" - no sorry honey you won't says I. "Oh OK then you win, I'm going back to the beach for a coca-cola float with Mary!" Ha Ha, bless you Amy. Love the snaps of "Action Ollie" too, check the diving out, so high on one occassion his head got cut off, go Ollie! Also something about the lovely one of Amy, Ollie and Mary - just me though or does Amy look like something from the "Osbourne's - a little female version of Ozzie maybe" ha ha. One day Amy I'll show you what I mean re that!

Mum yes that is the hat you bought me for birthday, yes doesn't she look wonderful. In the background is Ollie squeezing in to a pair of shorts a little too small for him now, wey hey go Ollie. Skin tight is the new look!

And yes Mum that is Ollie and I prawn fishing, but Mary had to be real quick to take the photo as Ollie "got bored" after about 30 seconds and went next door to Polliwogs with friends of ours kids and Amy of course. That left me and Geoff (prawn fishing virgin) Nicoll to hunt and gather for the family. I think I scored about 8-10 prawns to Geoff's measly one, ha ha - good effort mate! So the Dad's were sat fishing for food and having a few beers whilst the ladies and kids enjoyed a ball in Polliwogs, then 2 hours later prawns on BBQ, delicious then to Scruffys for Western fare and a couple of ciders - a lovely afternoon, thanks all!

Bounce Boubce

Not really much to say re this one but go Amy and Ollie - bounce bounce!!! Ha Ha!!

Also after 2 years of trying she FINALLY likes dressing up girlie style - so here are some beauties of Amy the Princess. Love you sweethearts.

This deserves a blog of its own!

You know when we whinge and moan re work, well in Bali I had an experience that was very humbling to say the least!

Part of our off road experience was to visit a traditional stone quarry someone deep in the jungle.

So through these pictures following I have tried to show you what these AMAZING ladies go through every single day of their life. Basically man with an adze is on river bed cutting same sized pieces of stone from volcanic rock deposits, you'll see this one the pictures above where they have been cutting this out from this river for many years - look for straight edges. The guy measures out the standard block size and then cuts it by hand. This rock to be used in the temples that in Hindu religion, every single home will have one and every single home will make offerings 3 times a day.

OK so they start at the top of a VERY steep hill, slippery wet with the rain from the rain forest which you'll see below. Laid with stone steps to make it easier, but worn down after generations doing the same thing that they are very slippery and wet. Down they go to a flat bit, along a little river, then to a set of steps which is like climbing down a vertical ladder. Then they reach the river at the bottom of the gorge they have just climbed down, along the river to the waiting man who is doing the cutting of the rock from the river bed.

The get this - and this is AMAZING, then back come the ladies the way I have described above with 15kg, yes 15kg of volcanic rock atop their head, I seriously struggled to pick one of these things up, let alone three and have them on my head, and climbing up a gorge. Then up they go to the top to pile this stuff up.

Even more amazing and you'll see this from a picture above is one of the ladies is 62 and has been doing this for 40+ years doing over 30 of these "trips" a day back and forth to the top. Amazing people!

Please next time you're having a "bad day" at work - spare a thought!

Humbling!

And then there was Bali - OMG

Wow,

So I had the major good fortune of winning a work award to go on a trip to Bali with a select few colleagues, and oh my gosh what a wonderful time. Never having been before I wasn't quite sure what to expect, only views I had had in the past were 3rd hand and then all got decimated with the Bali bombings. Everyones view then was do NOT go to Bali it's far too dangerous.

Well I so glad in a way that the original destination of Thailand was this time having it's problems, and BT took advice to change to Bali. Just an AMAZING country, amazing people and amazing scenery/sites/smells and the FOOD = holy moly, the FOOD!!!! As a right foody this place had my attention immediately. The usual complete hotch potch of cultures creates the most amazing food experience, but as usual I found get off the beaten tourist track and explore ore local and the experience becomes all the more rich.

Who would have thought that when they give a little sample bag of spices and you get cloves, cinnamon etc. and you have that little sniff of the combination and hey presto I have Christmas and mulled wine pop in my head. Very strange experiences. So I kept eating and then asking the chefs what was in the dish and scribing the ingredients, and yes I have attempted a few dishes - one being a favourite which was this sweet corn soup we had 1,000 metres up a volcano in the rain forest in a sort of tree house. Three bowls of that later, spiced up by this amazing condiment - WOW!!!!! So much so that I feel obliged to share that one with you here now, try it it is AMAZING!!!!!

Depends for how many of you there are of course, but just divide this up. This is the one I guessed at for Haruko, Katelynn, Annika, Ollie, Mary and Retchie and I and we had a load left over BUT everyone I think had empty bowls.

So for that many I did the following;

3 litres of chicken stock

2 cans of sweet sweet corn kernels only

3 eggs beaten

3 finely chopped cloves garlic

1 packet/tub/container of fried shallots

5 spring onions sliced, including all the green not just the white bit

3-4 celery stalks, use the young stuff in the middle if you can including the leaves and thinly slice

10 pitted and sliced kalamati olives

Bring stock to boil, throw in sweet corn, garlic, spring onions, celery and olives. Bring back to boil and turn off heat and add shallots fried and egg - let the soup spin after a stir as you pour in the egg. Then salt and pepper to taste and hey presto.

Now that alone is nice, BUT, then add the condiment which is as follows - this to taste as this is quite spicy, but I LOVE this alone with other things and it just really goes with the soup.

2 stalks lemon grass finely chopped

4 shallots (large or small red onions) finely chopped

3-4 pad thai chillis (yep the hot buggers) finely finely chopped

Squeeze 3-4 limes in there

Couple table spoons of fish sauce

Salt & pepper

And hey presto - pop that in the soup and your mouth will be dancing! Try it, it really is superb! I thought not being up a volcano in rain forest in tree house would lose some of the taste experience, but no this is a good one!!!

So now to some amazing pics of this beautiful Isle which is part of Indonesia and 95% Hindu, where the majority of the rest of Indonesia is Muslim. Amazing culture and lovely people it has to be said!

Enjoy!