Snow Day

The One day all Kids and some Adults alike in Northern climate in the Winter look forward too. This morning was a Snow day. The weather had not been too bad overnight with only 6cm of snow having fallen, but deteriorated rapidly. We had a blizzard with blowing snow and near white out conditions. The wind was high so the snow drifted everywhere. Lewis laid in bed this morning with baited breath listening to the radio, for the announcements of school closures. A delighted Whoaaa Hoooo rang out from his bedroom when they announced that all schools in the Metro region were closed. The List went on and on as Business, Doctor's Surgeries, Government Buildings and University all announced that they were not opening this morning. The sound of snow mobiles and snow blowers rings out throughout the neighbourhood as people get to have an unanticipated day off. Lewis looks forward to getting outside and building a snow fort, snowman and having snowball fights with his friends. Something that he can do in this place where we live. I think mostly he looks forward to coming back indoors and having a mug of hot chocolate, as is his tradition. I stop for a moment and am grateful to all those people that despite the weather still have to go to work......

Patchwork Quilt

Update from Last Blog.
I had managed to go through all my clothes and decided that some were pretty old and falling apart in desperate need of throwing away. They were certainly taking up too much space in my room. I had them bagged up and the bag sat in my dining room all week. Wednesday night I asked my Husband to put out the Rubbish for me as the Rubbish Collectors come on Thursday. It was too cold outside (-16c) and I really didn't want to go outside. He unfortunately spotted the fat heavy green bag, that had been sitting in the dining room all week and asked how come there was so much rubbish. I told him how I was throwing away some clothes!. He looked at me with those sad eyes and asked if he could go through the bag to see if there was any clothes that could be made into rags. I should have known what would follow!!!!
We now have the makings of a patchwork quilt on the floor in our living room.
Stay tuned for the results.

Waiting to Work.

It is funny really. I spent most of the week waiting for my work to call me. I finally got a call to work on Friday and the weekend. Which wasn't the best way to work but what can you do. I spent the whole of last week organising and sorting out stuff and have come to the conclusion that I am a Pack Rat. My Husband cannot criticise me because he is just as bad as I am. We tend to keep a whole pile of stuff that May come in handy one day, only Our house is not big enough for all the accumulation of stuff. We are literally outgrowing our house. It made me think is this interesting phenomena an inherited thing??. You see my Mum is just as bad, if not slightly worse then I am. She keeps a whole manner of stuff, it just looks like more as she has had more years to accumulate stuff. She, unlike me, is married to a man who likes to have his house organised. He unfortunately doesn't get to have it this way very often!. I felt I was doing really well sorting out stuff, organising them into boxes, Chucking stuff out. Only now I have boxes of stuff that I know we will not need but we cannot throw out "Just in case". I have to try and store these boxes somewhere. It makes me think where does this need to keep so much stuff come from. I mean we don't really need 5 years worth of electric, phone and visa bills, but why do we keep them. What is the rationale behind it. Why is it so hard to simply throw stuff away, or give it to those people in need of it????

Contradictions..............

Today I was struck my the contradictions there are all around us. I was recently given some very beautiful Tulips. They are beginning to open up and show us the simple beauty which lies beneath. I am sure they will be photographed by other more talented photographers then I. Outside it has been snowing. We had a fair amount ~10 cm of the very sticky, ideal for snow ball fights, kind of snow. The weather is sunny and the temperature is rising so the snow will melt. It makes you think how temporary everything is. Something we often forget in the midst of our busy work day and the depths of a long winter. Everything we take for granted all around us is only temporary and can change in an instant...........

Kofta Curry

Ok, Well My Husband and I really like cooking Indian Food. We have no formal training or anything but follow different recipes. We have got to the stage in our cooking where we can adjust the recipes and they still come out tasting really good. I have decided to post a recipe we have for Kofta Curry. It is really delicious. My Husband made this recipe while in the wilderness using a lot less ingredients and says it tasted really good!!! My Picture is not as good as the recipe. I am not gifted with the art of photography like the rest of My family.

Ingredients for Kofta: (Balls)
31/2 cups of Shredded Cabbage
1/2 cup of Carrot
250ml (3/4 cup) Chickpea Flour (Besan)
1 tsp Ginger
11/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1/4 tsp Tumeric
1/4 tsp Chilli Cayenne (Powder)
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to Taste
For Frying 21/2 cups of Oil.

Ingredients for Curry Sauce:
1 cup Chopped Onions
1 clove Garlic
2 tbsp Oil (Any kind)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp Tumeric
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Cayenne Pepper to Taste
Salt to Taste (~2 tsp)
2 tsp Tomato Paste
11/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Cream (optional)

How to Make:
Kofa Balls: Mix all the Ingredients for the Kofta Balls together and form round balls. You don't need any water. When they are formed deep fry them in oil over a medium heat until they are brown. Remove from oil and set aside.
Curry Sauce: Fry Onions and Garlic in oil until brown. Add Coriander, Tumeric, Garam Masala. Fry for a bit making sure not to burn the spices. Add tomato Paste, Cayenne and Salt. Add the Water and bring to a boil. If you like add the Cream, it gives the sauce a richer taste and changes the colour slightly.
Now: Add the Curry Sauce to the Kofta Balls and allow to soak for a few minutes before eating.

But What if..........

Ok, Thing is as a Nurse people look to you to have all the answers to all the questions, when in fact there are some subjects we know as little about as the general public. Yes we have studied it all in school and learned all the theories of how things should work but reality often strikes and these ideals are far from what is real. One of the hardest things I struggle with is biting my tongue. Now if you know me at all you would say that is not true. This is a very confident women who is very outspoken, tactless and says exactly what is on her mind. Thing is this is not always true. Especially where family is concerned. Why is it the people we love the most are often the hardest to tell exactly what you think too. I mean intuitively you would think these people are the easiest to talk to as they love you and will continue doing so. But What if.......... These self doubts are where the reality and ideals collide. Recently I held my tongue when I really should have stood up and said something. I rationalise to myself saying it preserves family harmony and unity. But my Question is what does it cost us in our families and relationships to constantly hold our tongue and not say what is on our minds.??? How does it impact our future generations of relationships. Granted not all relationship need to be completely open and do not thrive on such honesty. Can the conclusion: As long as you know what kind of relationship you are in, there is no harm in holding your tongue ring true?

Downtown St John's

Ok, So Today was a Miserable, Wet Grey Day in St John's. We have a lot of these but not so many in January. It was 6 Degrees C. It seems unusual for this time of year as we have no snow. I guess global warming is a global thing not just in some areas. My Brother went skiing after Christmas, I hope he had some snow because a lot of the resorts over on his side of the pond in Europe were struggling to get enough snow. We, the Inlaws, Tom, Lewie and Me went to the Rooms. The Rooms is a giant building with an Art Gallery, Museum and Archieves here in St John's. It was really sweet because they had an exhibit of the House of Wooden Santas. This is a kids Christmas book written by Kevin Major. It is a really nice story enjoyed by kids of all ages. I especially like Thinking Santa. Anyways I am distracted, Yes the Rooms. It was hot and stuffy in there and we needed no excuse to go outside onto the balconys. The view is spectacular. St John's is a truely beautiful city, even on a grey day. I took this picture of the houses downtown looking West. I particularly like the colours of the houses. It looks as though St John's is a really heavy populated city. Which it is isn't compared to most capital cities. I also like the triangle effect of the houses.

First Blog

After Hours of agonising over what to call this blog. I have finally entered the blogging world. Believe me it took several goes at deciding what to call it!. I even went online to see what popular names were out there and all that. Harder then naming my first born child. ( Well sort of) I am not sure exactly what I will post from here on in, but thought I would try my hand at blogging. I will either really hate it and only blog a few things or get totally addicted and be at it all the time. Time shall tell!!!! Anyways here goes my first Post.