Monday, December 31, 2012

clear waters!!!!!!!!

 clear turquoise water....lots of friendly turtles happy to share their habitat with any swimmer.....
                                       a broken piece of satellite?? (quite a tourist attraction)....
                                         and then sadly....a can of fuel floating in the sea.....
nice to know not everyone drives by ignoring rubbish in the sea....lucky for the sea life this can did not leak or spill....

(-: Rhoda :-)

Sunday, December 30, 2012

who said old?????

how to act cool and not feel rejected by your kids......new years eve around the corner... countdown kind of already started and everyone in the mood to party.....so you decide to have a late dinner and keep the dinner going and going and going in the hope that by the time you leave the table you'll be good to go out....but NOOOOOOOoooooooooo all the hours sitting and chatting just don't cut it....there still seems to be an hour or two left before you can leave......so you struggle to stay awake and then you can't believe it YES you managed but then the rest of the gang aren't ready and the waiting continues and continues....so you just have to stay cool and wait and wait and wait....and then everyone arrives happy and ready to go out....so you smile and the trip begins....at first you go to one place the music is L-O-U-D .... although it is 11pm the crowd hasn't yet arrived so you are happy to have the dance floor to yourself and not slide arm to arm with the other sweaty dancers....but then the vote is to go and check out another place and so you follow the group and once you get there....YOU FEEL OLD.....your kids walk in....other teenagers....strangers....walk up to them....the conversation begins a table is immediately  filled with your group and these strangers...you have become invisible and now you have to figure out how to walk backwards without looking abandoned or awkward....never mind you manage....happy happy happy that the youngsters are having fun!!!!!!......and then you remember tomorrow.... a night when no adult will feel rejected by their kids because if the kids are around then they must want to party with their parents....or perhaps i am being happily delusional :-)



(-: Rhoda :-)

Saturday, December 29, 2012

the gift!!!!!!!

buying gifts can be difficult....thinking thinking....it really isn't that easy but the best gifts are those from your children....they must be the people who really know you....and the gifts they choose come from the heart......
for christmas all the kids got together and came up with these pendants....one for me and one for my sister....
i am not the sensitive type and i don't cry in movies....but we both broke down and cried and cried and cried!!!!!!!
                                                       a gift to cherish for ever!!!!!!!
                                               my sister whom i just love love love!!!!!

                                                                (-: Rhoda :-)

Friday, December 28, 2012

oyster anyone?????



rewinding back to christmas....
and from the kitchen appeared this.....oysters anyone....
as i sat there watching everyone enjoy themselves tremendously....i couldn't quite make up my mind if i was going to join in....and then....
a little two year old said I WANT....we all watched as she picked her oyster and managed to do all the right things...and not spit it out....this was her first oyster ever and she didn't hesitate to take another...so i thought at that speed i better get in there and save one for myself....
at that point i imagined myself on a fishing boat ...eating fresh oysters straight from an oyster farm in  south australia...yum yum yum!!!!! i think the trick is to swallow fast!!!!!!


(-: Rhoda :-)

Thursday, December 27, 2012

little boxes!!!!!!!

the nice thing about the end of the year is that we can capture all our memories and experiences in little boxes and watch them float.....
                                            allowing the happy memories to float back up....

(-: Rhoda :-)

Monday, December 24, 2012

chance seating!!!!!!!

so what do you do when you are seated in the middle of two old men and another old man opposite.....
dinner is served....we all looked for our seat and yes i was the lucky one thrown between all these oooooold men...as i looked around the table at all the happy smiling faces...i thought to myself why me???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
so i asked the question....well you speak french and you can talk to anyone and anyway we'v all heard the stories already.........G-R-E-A-T!!!!!!!!
well the wine served was fabulous....the food delicious....so now i had to figure out the conversation....
staying positive...a smile on my face...plate in hand and so i began the meal surrounded by my old men....
before i knew it...they all started chatting away....i can't remember all the conversations....in french and in english but now i know the secret!!!!!!.....old men are like teenage girls....they need lots of attention and they love to gossip and chat and chat and chat and the best part of it all....is that when they start talking it is not a conversation that they are looking for but a story will be told...and before you know it you will find yourself stuck to your chair...longing to go for seconds but not able to find the pause button needed for your exit strategy!!!!!!!
we covered so many topics from romance to sport to travel to politics.....who would have ever thought that these old men wouldn't go back for seconds.......
                                                              BUT
the story i found most interesting was how in the 60's in australia (sydney excluded) when you went out for a meal.....by 7:00pm they would start pouring your wine in coffee cups so that you could finish your bottle and the act was on....it all looked very respectable and legal... everyone sipping their coffees when in fact they were sipping wine!!!!!!!
well the next time i am seated with the old men...i will not complain...i know now for sure that i will eat less and more importantly....they aren't half bad chatterboxes and the best part is watching them fight for attention and air time...it is quite entertaining and funny!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)


Sunday, December 23, 2012

warning warning!!!!!!!

there are certain yoga pants out there.....that are juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust soooooooooooooooooooo comfortable and very persistent!!!!!!!!!
before you know it....they will have managed to push all your other pants to the far back of the queue....and when you open your closet...there they will be happy happy happy!!!!!!! and you know how happy happy happy you'll be snuggling into them....
                                                  NOTE TO SELF
dig....dig deep and find those jeans......even if you only manage to wear them twice a week....or else your ...!!!!!!!!!!!!.... will grow guaranteed!!!!!!!
there is just something about yoga pants anything you eat happily finds a comfortable space as stretching is part of the service....and accommodating is the key word!!!!!!!

happy festive season and remember....it may be hard but stand up to yoga pants or else your jeans guaranteed will not fit after the holiday celebrations!!!!!! 

(-: Rhoda :-)
                                           

Thursday, December 20, 2012

winter cosy!!!!!!!

hot chocolate with cream..........YUM!!!!!!
only thing missing is a marshmallow or two.....
but that can easily be sorted....a handful of marshmallows in your pocket and voilà...
hot chocolate with wiped cream and marshmallows and any cold dark day becomes cosy!!!!!!
and if you are really feeling the winter blues....why not indulge with a slice of carrot cake!!!!!
naughty perhaps but a long walk home in the freezing cold should do the trick!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

temperamental resident!!!!!!!

now this cat is quite an interesting cat....he lives in my friends apartment building....and like the other tenants of the building...he is also a resident....he has a pram on one floor where he finds comfort and a mat on another floor with his bowl .....he comes and goes as he pleases...whenever a door opens and he feels like company or food...he will run in....
                                                                         BUT
being the independent soul that he is....he can be quite the temperamental cat.... the other day....he decided to poo big time in front of one of the tenants doors...leaving a horrible sight and smell (quite a rude awakening!!!!!!)...this behaviour totally shocked one of the other tenants who decided to pick up the cat....walk him to his mess and scold him....well was she ever in for a surprise when she opened her front door the next morning....this time "the resident cat" had left her the stinkiest largest puddle of pee...

(-: Rhoda :-)

tuesday surprise!!!!!!

tuesday dinner...
and then wow wow wow....after we enjoyed our fabulous meal...my friend's husband disappeared and came back with this bottle....
OMG!!!!!!!!!
so smoooooooooooooooooooooooth....at first i thought it might need to be decanted but NOOOOOOooooooooo 
it was so happy to be opened and celebrated!!!!!
nothing like an amazing bottle of wine when you least expect it....and then as you can imagine...we just had to have cheese and crackers and so the eating wasn't quite over!!!!!!
skål to my fabulous friends who so generously shared this jewel with me....
(-: Rhoda :-)

Monday, December 17, 2012

christmas spirit!!!!!!!


getting into a cab...arriving at your destination and paying you bill....cash or card??
couldn't help but smile when someone i know...told me that they had asked a cab driver to accumulate their bill until january and he agreed (this being in africa)...
there you go... sometimes it is the ones that can least afford who are the most generous and understanding!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

how to bear the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sitting in the window with my red scarf around my neck
watching people hurry past, their christmas a wreck

longing to be seen and invited into a home
where love and laughter roam

my arms outstretched hoping to receive
a gift of love or hug to believe

a traveling companion i can be
walk through the door and pick me

(-: Rhoda :-)

serving bubbles!!!!!!!

tried figuring out why a bottle of bubbly can bubble up in one glass and not in another....
embarrassing perhaps but something fun to talk about....
-are you sure the glass is clean??
-did you mix up the glasses and drink milk out of it??
-when you washed the glass, did you forget to give it a good rinse....dishwashing liquid will upset the bubbles??
ooooooooooooops!!!!!!!!!!! but skål anyway!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Saturday, December 15, 2012

what's for din dins?????

food food food!!!!!
traditional kalenjin food!!!!
simple but very filling.....here we have two types of ugali (african cake)... white ugali made from maize meal and brown ugali made from finger millet (wimbi) ((millet is very healthy...it is rich in fiber and helps with the release of insulin in the body and that is why it is a great food for diabetics.....and this is therefore a good choice of a high fiber food))... wimbi and maize meal can also be made into porridge.... the accompanying vegetable is isagek (in kalenjin) or izisaga (in maragoli) not to offend my dear friends also called tsisagha (kisa) or nyunyi sya nthooko (kamba)...this is a bitter traditional vegetable and a super cholesterol buster, high in iron....
 if you want to go all the way....you can boil the isagek with a leg and hov of a goat, sheep or cow...or even the head of a goat....this needs to be boiled in a traditional clay pot (teret) or mbisu (kamba)...on a 3 stone fireplace...
 and then you will need to wash it down...with kalenjin milk called mursik (a form of traditional yoghurt or fermented milk) or iia ikaatu (kamba)....for the preparation...you will need to boil the milk in order to kill the germs, then prepare the gourd following these steps....
1. wash the gourd thoroughly
2. leave it to dry completely (a process which takes a few days )
3. take a branch from the (itet) tree.. this is a very special tree with a unique flavour...(traditionally this tree is used as a disinfectant and for its medicinal values)....
4. a branch is taken and burnt until it becomes charcoal
5. while still hot you put the branch into the gourd....
6. use another branch with a u shaped head to go around the gourd scraping the charcoal off the other branch
7. all the excess charcoal is poured out
8. pour in the milk once it has cooled
9. leave the milk to ferment
10. put the gourd on a traditional holder a wooden stand
11. let it stand for 4/5 days or even a week at most
et voilá we have the exotic kale mursik!!!!!!!!!
if you are in a hurry use some culture from an old batch, this will speed up the process
*activated charcoal in milk absorbs excess bacteria stabilizing the ph of the milk
                                                          (not yet cooked...)
intestines and stomach (offals)
in case there are no vegetables you can also have ugali white or brown with intestines or any other offal
agutanik=intestines maa (kamba)
moet=stomach mavu(kamba)
koet=liver itema (kamba)
soromok=kidneys mbio (kamba)

offal (the living webster encyclopedic dictionary of the english language 1981)
"the entrails or trimings of a butcherd animal normaly not consumed by humans; refuse; garbage; bi-products of milling"

wikipekia on the net
"some offal dishes are considered gourmet food in international cuisine" this includes foie gras, pâté and sweetbreads.

well i'v never been much for organs....eating scottish haggis, andouillette or lamb's brains etc...etc..etc...
no not really my thing....but it is fascinating to see how cultures around the world whether in europe or africa etc....have offal dishes on the menu....

ps: friendly advice don't sit and write your blog with your mujuaji friends......cross cultural similarities are interesting....food the best and most natural way to bring people together.....

(-: Rhoda :-)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

C-A-L-M!!!!!!!!

so you'r standing waiting to board your flight....and the announcement comes....we apologize for the delay but we have problems with one of the doors....it wont shut....
OKAY!!!!!!!! hmmmmmmmmmmmm how comfortable is this.... boarding a flight and knowing that one of the doors wont close....
then they are finally ready to board but will only board first class, business class and economy plus passengers because yes you heard right....there is a problem with one of the doors?????????????????
so as we are about to take off by now the flight has been fully boarded....including the economy passengers....the relaxed pilot comes on with his announcement....
-not sure what you'v been told...but when the food was being loaded onto the flight...one of our evacuation slides was activated so we obviously have a problem with the slide...we have therefore rearranged seating and removed the slide...
not sure how everyone else felt about this but OMG!!!!!!!!!! don't we need allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the slides......

i suppose a calm pilot who seems to be in control is what we all need when boarding any flight!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

strange as!!!!!!!

radio can be hilarious!!!!!
this morning driving in the car i listened to the weirdest radio show....
men were calling in and justifying why they should/need more than one woman....
it was crazy....
here are some of their reasons....
1. if you only have one woman she will become arrogant and proud
2. competition is healthy and keeps women humble
3. jealousy is important in a relationship
4. if you die your woman will need another woman to share the mourning with
etc....etc....etc....
all i can say is what what what?????
who are these men???? and i'd love to see their faces when they walk in the front door tonight and their wives are waiting for them....after all women do tend to recognize their husbands voices even on the radio...don't think they'll be laughing!!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

brave as!!!!!!!

 i am always amazed and terribly impressed when i see how the snow is removed from the roofs of buildings in the city!!!!!!
shovel shovel shovel...whistle blows and wooooooops the snow comes tumbling down....all i can say is brave brave oh soooooooooooo BRAVE!!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Monday, December 10, 2012

wishing wishes!!!!!!

                                           i think we'll have a white christmas this year!!!!!!
                                                       and the snow keeps falling .........
                                                                  and falling........
                        not long to go until the 24/12.....keeping my fingers and toes crossed......

                                                     and i don't think i'm the only one.....

(-: Rhoda :-)

Sunday, December 9, 2012

stop for cider!!!!!!!

 i still remember a time when entering a pub was quite a smokey ordeal but today easy peasy....you can see the drink in front of you and the person you are speaking to....
this was such a cosy pub.....filled with history and visited by many a famous author....
not being a beer drinker i managed a hot cider....now that worked!!!!!!! a bit like a hot water bottle...NICE!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

aislephobia/windowphobia

sometimes you just want to stop thinking and relax....and then someone needs to go to the bathroom and you stand up for them....and then you just want to stop thinking and relax and then the next person needs to go to the bathroom and you stand up for them....and then you want to stop thinking and relax and then someone needs to get something out of the overhead bin and you stand up for them......
the only word i can think of here is ..........aislephobia!!!!!!!
so if you want to stop thinking and relax on a flight........the window seat might be a good option unless of course you suffer from windowphobia!!!!!!!
but the third option can't be a favourite....middlephobia!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Saturday, December 8, 2012

seasons peekaboo!!!!!!!


came out of my igloo to find that the snow had disappeared
the season was changing just as i had feared
not a fish in sight, and blinking lights a marvel
tried to slide, and left half my pelt on the gravel

just got back from the ice festival
everyone wanted to hear where the snow was hiding
it was muddy, slushy, sweaty, totally uncool!!!!!

let's pretend we need an ice cream
we'll go ice diving in the supermarket fridge
you haven't lived until you've peekaboo'd
a kid who thinks he's looking for a chunky monkey

tomorrow before daybreak we'll gather by the tree
the last snow migration anyone will ever see....

(-: Rhoda :-)







Thursday, December 6, 2012

dancing around the tree!!!!!!!

there is something so nice about sweden and the festive season......apart from the glögg and the pepparkakor.... and..... it is the singing and the dancing!!!!!!!
walking on the street and hearing christmas carols and what sound like children's songs is so relaxing

BUT what really puts a smile on your face....is watching adults with their children dancing around a tree to these songs....
oh what a sight happy swedish people dancing around a tree!!!!!!!
FUN!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

are you kidding me!!!!!!!!!!

when i saw this i thought............NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo why didn't i find this at the breakfast buffet when my kids were small......
easy peasy waffles for breakfast OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUM yum yum!!!!!!
what a way to begin a day of sightseeing with extra happy small kids!!!!!!!
after all these waffles walking along the streets into all the museums would have been soooooooo easy....no need for ice cream or anything super sweet after a breakfast of yes WAFFLES!!!!!!!

just my luck....a few years tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo LATE!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

cloud of pillows!!!!!!!

how many pillows do you need??
pillows pillows pillows all feathers!!!!!!!
so i called and asked for the feather pillows to be replaced by non-feather ones.....
and so the musical chair of pillows began....i ended up with a mish mash of feather and non-feather pillows and then came the knock on the door in the late evening....and there stood a lady from housekeeping with two more pillows....
-take!!!!!!
-thank you, but i don't need the pillows, there was a knock on my door 5 minutes ago with pillows....
- take!!!!!
-there was a knock on my door 2 minutes ago....i'm fine thank you...
-please take take...
-i have more pillows than i need really!!!!!!
-just take take!!!!!
and she wouldn't budge so what was i supposed to do but take the pillows....
so all i needed was two pillows and i ended up with ten
the next day i put all the extra pillows in a pile with a cover note....
-dear housekeeping please take these pillows!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

shop now or later!!!!!!!!

i can't remember when the year started flying by with the blink of an eyelid.....
the summer holidays never seemed to come round fast enough and the christmas holidays well they just took forever to arrive.....and now that's it....december is here....and shoppers are going crazy trying to shop shop shop!!!!!!
every time i walk into a shop and think i'll come out buying someone a gift....i walk out empty handed!!!!!!
maybe i'm just that person who finally gives in and shops a day before christmas or even on christmas day.....and then i spend hours wondering WHY????????? when i had a whole year to buy gifts!!!!!!

but i do enjoy admiring a nice christmas tree!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Monday, December 3, 2012

winter magic!!!!!!!

winter is here with snow and loads of crisp fresh air!!!!!!!!!!

water and trees that's all you need and woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooops you have a
beautiful city!!!!!!!
                                                                   STOCKHOLM

                                           people don't notice whether it's winter or summer
                                                                 when they're happy
                                                                   Anton Chekhov

(-: Rhoda :-)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

curious passenger

what a flight!!!!!!!
i really need my sons dog book to figure out who this passenger was... this little old lady was traveling with the tiniest dog i'd ever seen....and i wasn't the only curious passenger....most people made a point to visit the bathroom just to greet this very fluffy ball....you couldn't see the body just a very fluffy head....
* well this was a first for me, i'v seen pets on trains and buses but never boarding a flight with the other passengers...usually there is a tearful au revoir until we land but this time there were no tears!!!!!!
and then there was the couple all in love!!!!!!!! while we were sitting waiting to board our flight, she was holding her bouquet and smiling aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah that knowing smile L-O-V-E anyway by the time we landed i couldn't control myself.....so as we were standing waiting for our luggage i had to ask....
-we were just wondering if you just got married??
-no engaged....and she showed us her ring....
OMG!!!!!!!!! what a cute cute cute couple....so young so in love.....SO ROMANTIC!!!!!!!!
but flights can also be a bit odd....just my luck the lady beside me had to take a pair of underpants out of her handbag and put them on her lap WHY??????? what are you supposed to do in such a situation ask the lady to please remove them from your sight!!!!!!!!! and then she had to take off her boots and socks WHY??????? i never thought that women could smell of cheese...and she did this three times on the flight WHY??????
but the person i felt sorry for was the lady who walked past me with the longest thickest piece of snot on her nose....i was about to say something when my fellow passenger stopped me....i said but i would want to know...and she said so what will you say....
-excuse me you have a very large thick piece of snot stuck to your nose...
i don't know maybe we should have a couple of sentences rehearsed for these types of situations...
how to help someone out without causing them any embarrassment or offending them...
but then you can't always predict a strangers reaction....not easy!!!!!!!
i almost forgot we did have a good laugh when the passenger in front of us A BIG MAN jumped out of his seat in fear as my fellow passenger was busy blowing frantically at her eyelash on her finger to make a wish....and it just wouldn't budge....the sight was comical!!!!!!!!!

(-: Rhoda :-)

Saturday, December 1, 2012

life's friendships!!!!!!!!!

just taking a moment to celebrate all my wonderful friends around the world....
it is important to enjoy ones own company BUT life is full of stories and what better way to enjoy life's moments than with friends!!!!!!

"let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom"
Marcel Proust

(-: Rhoda :-)