Mani-cure

Enough Is enough. Those torpedo tablets are a health hazard. It’s only a matter of time before either David chops his finger off while attempting to cut them in half or I’m going to choke myself half to death trying to swallow them. So I take myself off to the pharmacy and splash out the ten bucks on a pill cutter! Whoever thought such a wondrous contraption existed? Well it does, and now I’m the proud owner of one! It’s a nifty little gadget, you just pop the pill inside, pull down the lid and Bob’s your uncle, (actually Bob’s not, mine’s called David)…and you have two perfectly formed pieces of pill. It’s going to make those torpedo tablets a whole lot easier to swallow!

In the morning, I go to meet my hairdresser Heather for coffee and we have a good old chinwag. It’s nice to get out of the house every day, and even nicer to catch up with people I don’t usually get to see. I decide to make the most of the morning and go for a manicure and pedicure after coffee. It’s not just my neck that’s like something out of The Elephant Man, my nails are out of control too! I feel so much better when they’re pretty and painted  and I feel quite smug too, that I can actually sit up with my neck unsupported for such a length of time! This is quite an achievement!

I got the best cook book ever for my birthday this year from my good friends Jo and Kim. It’s called A Generous Helping and I highly recommend it. Not only it is packed full of the most delicious and easy to follow recipes but all all royalties from the book go to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal to help Queensland Flood Victims. This was a particularly poignant gift as Jo is a flood victim herself and her house was completely inundated in the January floods. Indeed, she has only recently moved back into her “new” home (which is basically her old house –  completely rebuilt!)  In those terrible floods this year, so much was lost, some of it irreplaceable. Many listeners contacted Alison Alexander, resident foodie and cook at Madonna King’s Morning Show on ABC Radio to tell her they had lost their treasured recipe collections that were handed through the generations. Madonna and Alison decided to do a call out to listeners and ask them to send in recipes and they were amazed by the response. The result of that callout is this wonderful collection of recipes. They are really diverse and I love reading the stories that go with them. As I’ve got friends from work coming to visit tomorrow, there’s never been a better reason to get busy in the kitchen! I’m particularly excited to see my friend Romey who’s very pregnant and has been off work herself for a couple of months with two detached retinas! It’s been hard going to say the least. She can’t eat eggs so I’m keen to bake something she can eat – I’m thinking Chocolate Coconut Slice.  This is one of my most popular baked goods and it’s one of David’s favourites!

I’ve also got some Cherry  Friand Slice  in the freezer  although this was the disaster batch that I cooked without the butter. In his official role as Taste Tester, David said it was still delicious. It’s certainly healthier!

Later in the afternoon, while I’m vegetating on the sofa (again!) there’s a delivery! How exciting. When I go downstairs (in my pyjamas!) there’s a big box of flowers waiting for me from my two old mates Beverley and Joan. There are enough flowers to fill two vases – such lovely colours; red, yellow, pink and purple. I love them! (Beverley, Joan and the flowers!)