Yay I made it into the studio today.

Yay I actually went into the pottery today. I am feeling a bit better now. I was feeling very disheartened as I hadn't been able to get to the pottery for the last five weeks. Yes FIVE WEEKS. grr. Bloody car,Bloody arsonists!Bloody! Bloody!Bloody!

But all is good. I am all inspired again. I have some nice pieces that have come out of the kiln. There is going to be a small exhibition in November. It will be in the Tafe Library. I have some pieces that I am happy with.. So Yay I have had a good day. Hurray.

YaY for Cheese...

Look! This is cheese.
This is cheese, made by ME!
Yummy cheese. Camembert cheese.
Organic Cheese. Mmmm.
This cheese will be ready in 3 weeks.










I am back. With cheese. Yum.
Saturday morning I left here at 8.00 am, and drove the 100 ks or so to Woodbridge high School. I had a really good run and made it there about 9.40. Excellent, the class started at 10.00. I am really anal about punctuality, and I hate being late.

Tanni was there already, Yay. We hadn't seen each other for ages. Phone conversations just aren't the same as actually seeing your bestest friend. Let alone spending all day making cheese together.

We had been given a list of things to bring to the course. Apron, Tea towels, Cake racks, pen and paper... and the trickiest thing of all a plastic underbed storer. The description of this underbed storer was ambiguous at best. Tanni and I agonised over which storer to get. Between us we haunted chickenfeed (a local discount chainstore) Tanni doing Huonville , Kingston Sandy Bay and Moonah. whilst i kept a beady eye on theBridgewater, Glenorchy, New Norfolk and Rosny stores. It was VERY HARD trying to find the plastic storer we thought we needed. But we perservered .hahaha. We had covered all of southern Tassie in our diligence.. and finally decided that Tanni would buy two of the smaller containers. I would buy two of the larger containers. We Would Be Prepared ...

When we were checking out, Sneakily of course, what the other course doers had brought along as their underbed storer option, Tanni and I still dithered. did we use the smaller one or the larger one. Decisions like this are important. *sigh* We decided to take in one of each. of course. Sometimes the simplest of decisions need a lot of indecision initially you know. *hehe*

Can you imagine if we were doing a rocket science course? mmm titanium or plutonium mmm magnesium or hydrogen.. gosh the moon would still be untrodden upon.?.

I seriously recommend doing an Adult education course with a friend. We were having a great time and we hadn't even made it into the classroom yet.

The tutor was NickHaddow from the Bruny Island Cheese Co.

cheesemaking is really simple. Yay for simple. But really intense* sighs* at intense.

Here it is in a nutshell.

1. Place 10 litres of milk in stock pot with heavy base.
2. Heat treat milk
3.cool milk to 34 degrees celcius
4.add starter culture
5.allow to ripen for 60 minutes.. (ha this sounds simple doesn't it. ha haha ) this means gently stir the milk for 60 minutes making sure the temperture stays at 34 Degrees celcius..

6.add rennet
7.allow the milk to coagulate undisturbed for approx 45 mins.
(yay this means leave the milk alone and go to the loo, or have some lunch, or sit down etc)
8. cut the curd into 2cm cubes
9.allow the curd to heal for 5-10 mins (means dont fiddle with the curd..lol)
10.turn the curd gently
11. gently stir the curd every 10 mins. for 30 minutes.
12 . allow the curd to settle and remove as much whey as possible. ( save the whey)
13.ladle the curd into hoops.( little mold things)
14 turn the cheese 4 times in the next few hours ( this was tricky )
15. allow to drain overnight.. (in the underbed storer thingys yay)
16.put the cheeses into a brine for 30-40 minutes.
17.place on a rack to drain for 24 hours in the container.
18.turn the cheese every day
19.day 7-10 a nice mould /rind should have formed
20.Wrap the cheese in cheese paper and allow to mature. approx 3-4 weeks.

the dot points above were copied from the sheet we were given, the cheesemaking process was a bit different, not much tho.

I am getting" get off the computer "looks from my hubby, so If anyone has any questions leave them in the comments and I will answer them .. cheers...

Cheese, Cheese Glorious Cheese.!!!!!!

I am doing a cheesemaking course tomorrow. Yay my friend Tanni is doing it with me. I am excited. Very Very Excited. We are going to be making camembert cheese YUMMO. Other cheese will be discussed as well. Bliss total Bliss.

Tanni will have to do a 40 minute drive to get there. I am allowing myself 2 hrs. I haven't seen Tan for months. I am going to stay the weekend with my friend.I will drink more than is good for me.I will return a much nicer person.. With Cheese.. Thats always good.

After the fire.

Our emotions are starting to return to normal after the fire. All the grade 7 and 8 kids will be going to Geilston Bay High school. They will start school next Thursday. The grade 9 and 10s are going to Claremont college ( a year 11 and 12 facility). Dave is really pleased that he wont be separated from his friends. All the teachers are going with them as well.. I reckon this will be a logistical nightmare but at least we know what is happening in the near future.

This means that David will be home for 5 days. I wonder if my grocery budget can stand the strain? My son is a 13 year old eating machine. eeek.. Is it child abuse to lock the fridge? Should I buy a cow? Could I get away with making him a lunchbox and telling him, "Well that's what you eat at school!" Can I be bothered? Bloody arsonists!!!

Arson...

My sons school has burnt down. Half of it anyway. It was ARSON.. FUCK....This is really hard to write about. So I am going to cop out and refer you to Veronicas Account of The Fire..

Sorry I am really upset. And I am having a hard time writing about this at the mo. I am drinking beer and Wreaking imaginary havoc on FUCKING ARSONISTS...

I am sad. Very very Sad.

***SIGH****

Frog Ponds Rock!!!

A Frog Pond, Full of spawn.
Another pond.
Yet another pond.

I thought that it is probably time that I explained my choice of name for my blog. most blogs seem to have pretty self explanatory titles. such as Why bother? Sleepless nights or Sarcastic mom. Mine is Frog ponds rock... Mmm a new type of music? Rocky frogstars?. wobbly ponds?

Frogs are under threat.They are rapidly declining all over the world. Whole species of frogs are just vanishing. pffft just like that. gone. Our grandchildren wont be catching those tadpoles. So I decided to see if I could entice a few frogs into my yard by making a frogpond. I used one of those clamshell sandpit thingys and it worked a treat.

So now, in some circles I am known as the frog lady. I was the one that could be relied upon to supply the local Kindy with tadpoles (whilst my son was at primary school at least.) Unfortunately with the fungal chytrid disease affecting frogs in some parts of Tassie I am all the more aware of the importance of making my garden a frog friendly space..

YAY FROG PONDS ROCK!!!!!

last of the pictures for today...

This is me, and my gorgeous granddaughter Amy.

pictures

Top is the poor nibbled Lemon Tree.
Middle is part of my backyard.
Bottom is a bit more of my backyard.


I am sure there is a better way to set these photos out. A more professional looking way.
Hello. I don't care. hehehe
I don't care because today, I did this

ALL BY MYSELF YAY YAY YAY

I AM VERY HAPPY...

currawongs and experimental pics.

There were Currawongs in my yard this morning I really like these cheeky birds. It is a shame that I couldn't get any closer because these birds have a really mischievous twinkle in their eyes. We have Black Currawongs here at the moment. They are noisy and inquisitive. My dog Harry chases them away, I don't know if it is because they steal his food or if he is protecting his territory. Maybe he just thinks that they are flying balls and dreams of catching them. Who knows?
This is a totally experimental post as I am teaching myself how to upload pictures.

Fingers crossed. Hope this works..

Bloody Lemon Trees...

Something has been eating my Lemon tree. Whole branches are missing. Bloody wallabies. I have the most terrible luck with lemon trees. I am a keen gardener and I can successfully grow most things. Except Bloody Lemon Trees.* sigh* My mum gave me my first lemon tree about fifteen years ago. Visions of lemonade, lemon cheesecake and lemon butter all floated through my mind. Knowing that lemon trees are frost tender when they are young. I planted this tree in a sheltered spot in the garden and hoped for the best. I conceded defeat about three years later. A combination of summer drought, severe winter frosts and horrible green beetles, killed that lemon tree..*sigh*.

I tried again with a different variety of lemon, in a different spot. The outcome was the same. The conditions up here are just too harsh for some plants. Obviously Lemons are the sooks of the plant world, *SIGH*

Thoughts of lemonade, lemon cheesecake and lemon butter filled my head once again. I have bought yet another Lemon tree. I am hoping that this will be third time lucky. This Lemon tree wont be a sook. this Lemon tree will be brave and strong and fruitful. This Lemon tree will survive. This Lemon tree must be tasty because something has eaten it. Whole branches are missing, other branches are well nibbled.Bloody Wallabies!!!!

I have moved the Lemon tree onto the verandah, so I can protect it from being nibbled to death. Fingers well crossed, I hope this tree will recover. *sigh*

Cooking.

I was given 4 kilos of frozen raspberries last week, Yum. I am going to make jam with most of them, but I also thought that I might make some cordial for Veronica as well.

It is so windy here today that I am trapped inside anyway. We live 'in the bush' and on a windy day there is a very real possibility of being hit by flying branches etc.

I HATE THE WIND.

I rang my grandmother up to ask for her Raspberry jam recipe, as Nan makes the best jam. It is equal parts, each of raspberries and sugar. No water at all. How easy is that. Yay Veronica is here, gotta go.

Yay it isn't windy today..

I am a bit frustrated today. Normally I am a pretty easygoing person, but today, I am restless. I should be in the studio at TAFE, preparing for my end of year assessment, but I am at home instead grrr.

At least the wind has stopped.

I am studying ceramics at TAFE, doing certificate 4 in art craft and design. The course is only 20 hours a week, but the most important part, for me is the two studio days - thursday and friday from 9.00 till 3.30.

Last wednesday I was out grocery shopping with Veronica and Amy,
the car was full of groceries, it was the end of a busy day...
The car died.pfffft. rrrr.pffft It wouldn't start.

At least it wasn't raining.

With the help of a mechanically minded passer by we got the car going and managed to make it home. The Spouse looked at the car, shook his head and said he would fix it the next day...a studio day sigh..

At least his rates are cheap.

After much tinkering with tools, revving of engines,
skinning of knuckles, yelling and swearing the car was
pronounced officially dead on Friday - a studio day.

At least he had tried.

On Monday our friend Russell turned up with a little Mazda, that was supposedly reliable and roadworthy etc etc. It just needed a few minor repairs and some love, but I didn't care.
As long as I can turn the key and the car goes brmm brmm I don't mind what I drive..

At least it was a cheap car.

Yesterday The Spouse took the car for a drive and decided that it would be best if he, his tools and a spare battery all came to the supermarket with me.. Oh dear, oh deary dear..
There is a strange clunk in the back end. An Ominous clunk.

At least we didn't break down.

So today, yet another studio day I am at home.. sigh

At least the bloody wind has stopped.

And for that at least

I am Happy

My Potty Friend

My friend Robin, rang me up the other day to tell me about some wheels for sale as part of a deceased estate...By the end of the conversation, I was under the impression that Robin and I had decided that He would lend Me his wheel, which was currently gathering dust in his garage... and as I had decided to buy a new wheel some time in the murky future...next year... ish.., this was a Good Plan...
a wishy washy plan but good nontheless...
Robin flew interstate to visit a new niece, and I didnt think about wheels at all.
until I opened an email titled NEW BABY, thinking it was pics of a bald infant I was only sort of looking...Until these amazing pics of my mad gorgeous silly extravagent friend emerged...Robin pretending to throw on the wheel
Robin caressing the wheel, Robin grinning and pointing at the wheel and Robin telling me that he had bought me the wheel.... god love him...xoxoxoxoxo

A New Life.

I am a Great Aunt again, Yay!!!
My great-nephew Hayden arrived yesterday at 2.16 pm.
A healthy little fellow, weighing 7lb 11 oz.

That's all the details I have at the moment, as I received
the good news via text message...

The arrival of a new baby is always exciting.

I have just been reading Veronica's story about
the birth of her daughter Amy, my granddaughter.
So I have decided to give a condensed version of
Amys Birth As seen by me..

It seemed that Veronica had been on the verge of going into labour
for years, not days. The waiting was driving everyone batty
especially Jeff,( Von's dad) That man just cannot handle
stress at all. hehehe
I was in the pottery studio at TAFE when Nathan
rang me , with the news that they were on their way
to the hospital..
Yes this was definately it, proper hurting labour.
It WAS THE REAL THING this time...

The girls in my class wished me luck, told me to drive
carefully..Or at least I think that is what thay said.
My mind had gone blank and I had to go to the toilet
and why couldn't I think of something other than
MY DAUGHTER IS IN LABOUR !!!!
MY DAUGHTER IS IN LABOUR!!!!!

I had a bit of trouble starting the car and my legs
didn't feel like they belonged to me at all..
Disobedient Strangers legs.
Silly Car.. Silly Legs..

A few deep breaths later, I actually managed to
get the car out of the car park. concentrate! concentrate!
give way to the right. red light. stop car.
CONCENTRATE WOMAN!!!!
Shit I haven't got any money I need a bank.
I NEED A BANK!!!
Concentrate! Concentrate! My baby is having a baby
Shit!! Go to the shopping center there is an ATM there
phew, breathe breathe, concentrate.

I managed to safely park the car in the multi-level
carpark of a nearby shopping centre. I was in a
strange floaty frame of mind, elated and terrified
at the same time..
okay mission accomplished I had been to the bank,
All was good.

Until I realized that I had absolutely no idea where
I had parked the car!!!!

I could feel an hysterical giggle
trying to escape..
Ok Kim don't panic, breathe ,breathe,
calm, calm,calm.

15 minutes later I found the car.. YAY

Losing the car was so outrageously out of character
that it acted as a very handy reality check. I made it
to the hospital in one piece.. having parked in
yet another multi level car park, my mantra in the
elevator was level 11 b level 11b level 11 b.

The rest of the story is Veronicas..
I have a gorgeous Granddaughter
I survived the birth
I am happy

Cleaning is bad for you.

I was reading yesterdays newspaper today, when I stumbled upon
this little gem of an article. It is titled...

"For your health,skip the cleaning."

Yay, I have been telling my husband for years now,
that cleaning is bad for your soul. Now here is proof, actual proof that
cleaning is bad for your health as well...

Tada..I am not a terrible housekeeper at all.
I am being health conscious. Hooray!!!!

According to a study reported in the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Heavy use of household cleaning sprays could increase the
risk of developing adult asthma by up to 50 per cent.
Even a single weekly clean could increase the risk.
The study suggested that one in seven cases of
adult asthma could be caused by over-exposure to
household cleaning products.

I have excellent lungs. I intend to keep them too..
I am thrilled to bits, that I have found yet another
creative reason for my hopeless housekeeping...

I am Happy.

Hello out there...

Hello out there, this is my first blog here... Phew. this is nerve wracking stuff.
The hardest part about this process, is starting.

My Daughter Veronica set this site up for me because I had been blogging
on Myspace and enjoying it...So now I am here as well.. YAY thanks Von.

I am still working everything out, taking tiny blogsteps, one sentence at a time..

So here is a bit about me...

My name is Kim, I am 41. I am a mother and grandmother.
I am happily married.. I am a learner potter. I can watch clouds for hours.
I do not Vacuum.. not ever.. no way..
I dream about clay.
I am Happy