Feeling More Betterer!!!

I can't believe it is only two weeks since I had surgery!!
I am not only so much skinnier but am also feeling quite lively. Much more lively!!!

I got back into my size 11 jeans yesterday (that is about size 7 or 8 for Americans), and had to hitch them at times (yippee!!!).  For the first time in SIX MONTHS!!!

I know the actual surgery will take a bit of getting over - one and a half hours of anaesthetic is enough for anyone I reckon. And my belly is a bit tender still: there are three little sore patches that are still swollen inside, but only a bit. And getting less each day.

AND - I can take big deep breaths and that already makes a difference, I reckon.

Did I mention there was 3000mll of fluid in that thing? And that is what they managed to catch and measure so possibly it was more cos there wasn't much room to put a bucket in there at the time.

I have been making - and posting - Christmas cards. Will add a photo tomorrow, got to dash to catch the post now.

Update:

I am gettin' better - I can now do ab crunches without gasping.
Almost...

It is amazing how much work tummy muscles do. You can't sit up without the, or pull yourself up the bed, or roll over in bed even. Even putting arms in the air uses tummy muscles.

But I am almost brand shiny new. Almost like a shop-bought one.

Hooray!!!! (Now to make Christmas cards. And POST them off)

Happy New Year!!!

I know - it is way past New Year and most people have already packed away their decorations for another year (11 months) and are into sewing Valentines or Mother's Day pressies but I am still catching up!
We had a lovely little Christmas, did very little until later in the afternoon when Smellie 3 and his GF and Smellie 4 came over, along with StepSmellie 1 and his GF, and StepSmellie2. We did the pressie thing and had cold meats and salads, frozen icecream pudding, and Granma's Christmas Pudding. It was very peaceful.
My Sweetheart gave me a new camera!!! Hooray! Another Fuji - the big brother of the one I left in the bush. There are a heap of photos on it but at the moment it is going back from whence it came. When I am videoing you can tell when I zoom. And not just cos things get bigger but cos you can HEAR the little cogs and levers workign inside. Not a good thing. SO no photos of my pressies (lovely boys picked very good sewing quilty things for me) or post Christmas when we went back up to Mitta Mitta to The Witches Garden for a few days.

I was very disciplined with the tree this year - all pink and silver:
It also had lights sparkling away. These photos were taken with The Sweetheart's new iPhone which I was still learning to drive...

I found this very sweet little Advent Tree in Big W ($10) with cute hand painted decorations -  tiny brass hooks and eyelets to dangle them from.

There will be more when I get my camera back - much more interesting when you have  photos to look at!

Christmas!

Hooray!!! Only 366 days to Christmas. I shall need every minute of it...

If you need to make a pudding for tomorrow's late Christmas celebrations, or you are going on a picnic make Granma's Christmas Pudding.
Here is the link to last year's story on it:
http://banaghaisge.blogspot.com/2009/12/granmas-christmas-pudding.html

Some of the Smellies and the Step Smellies are coming for dinner. Cold meats and salads, THE pudding, and also an icecream pudding (chocolate icecream on the outside with extra 'bits' in it - nuts, choc chips, mixed peel; and vanilla in the centre with extra cream and fruit mince (which has been bathing in a bucket of brandy for 5 months).

Oh - and we will open pressies!

My Sweetheart gave me a lovely camera. I left mine (accidentally) on the side of the road when we were filming/photographing the High Country Targa last month. Silly, totally idiotic thing to do. It wasn't until several days after we got home, and after The Great Flood, that I discovered it missing. Been too wet to recover it, not much point after several inches of rain - and then some - 300 kms away. This is the same (Fuji) only with twice the megapixels, a few more bells and whistles, and of course MUCH newer!
Shall be back to taking photos and adding them soon enough!

Merry little Christmas to all. Now I must get back to some kitchen fussings...

Granma's Christmas Pudding

Mum's maternal grandmother was born in 1863, She died when I was about 7 but I still remember her. A tiny woman, with white hair in a bun, and old fashioned long skirts. She had 6 sons (all over 6' tall!) and Nana (who was only 5'11"...).
Nana said Granma used to make this pudding in the 1890s to take on picnics - not just for Christmas. Mum said Nana used to make it for picnics too. But now we just make it for Christmas. Possibly the recipe is even older than Granma's day - maybe she got it from HER mother.
And the best thing about it is you can start it tonight, boil it up tomorrow and have it for Christmas lunch. It isn't one to hang about for months getting riper - it already is ripe!
(And these are Santa's Little Helpers - Trevor (the recycled dog) and Jake).


Granma's Christmas Pudding

Mix together:
I cup each currants, raisins, sugar
2 Cups plain flour
1/4 C lemon peel (mixed peel)
1 t each cinnamon and mixed spice, pinch salt

Mix together in a separate bowl:
1 t bicarb soda
1 T dripping (butter etc)
1 1/2 C boiling water
Stir till butter dissolves and add to dry ingredients.

Stand overnight
Boil 4 hours in cloth.

(Pour boiling water over cloth in colander, sprinkle with plain flour, spoon in pudding mix and tie with string - use kitchen stuff not poly/nylon. This makes a yummy skin on the outside of the pudding.

It is ACE cold with custard, icecream, cream, and equally nice hot.
If you are putting 3d and 6d in boil them first to sterilise. You can't use decimal money as it is too crappy.

Christmas IS Coming...

Yep, even tho I have been trying to believe yesterday was November 23rd it didn't happen. Never got that extra month.
I had a minor panic attack when someone on the radio said "...and only a day and a half left to get all your shopping done..." I could do with an extra few days at least.



Anyway - the tree is up and sparkling away! The tree itself is the 8' tall wire stand that usually is in the bathroom with soap and stuff on it's shelves and towels hanging off. Circled by fake pine tree garland I have had for 20 years, and lights, and lovely antique shiny red glass balls I bought in a garage sale in San Francisco in the 80s. At the bottom is a little wooden train I painted in the 80s with my boys initials as the carriages.

Jake is one of Santa's Little Helpers and he KNOWS he isn't allowed on the couch.
This is his compromise!!!! So naughty!


On Tuesday I had a Little Christmas with Smellie 4 - we met half way from where he lives in Melbourne (in time) at Sunbury. This is what he and the Gorgeous Clancye gave me.
(More photos of the Quilt Calendar following).
They also bought The Sweetheart two very appropriate pressies - "The History of Porsche" (lovely coffee table sized book full of wonderful photos), and a little Matchbox 911 that S4 found on the 'Net. It has had a roll-over, and obviously is as well loved as The Sweetheart's 911 is (tho his DOES have a windscreen...) and was made in 1978 - almost the same age as his 911. Very clever pressies, thank you darling ones. (And one can never have too much Chanel 5. Has been my perfume of choice since the 1970s and I love it. Even tho they have changed the formula somewhat. Probably used up all the rare species' juices they once used...).

This is what the Quilting Calendar looks like:
It has a quilt on one day, and the following days have the patterns for that quilt, and then there is another one! What a way to spend the year - looking at quilt patterns to start each day.

Off to finish a quilt which is a pressie, and do a few things - then to Mitta to the mighty Witches Garden for Christmas, hooray!!!!!

Stay safe and happy Christmas time to everyone!

Christmas In The Sun!!!!!

Ah, you have got to love Rolf Harris. Eighty years old and still coming up with Christmas songs. Who can ever forget "Six White Boomers"? We used to sing that all the time when we were little - Mum would piggy back us in the dam and sing it being a bounding kangaroo with her little joeys on her back!

And now Rolf Harris (who is 80, or will be shortly) has a new carol:




Put that on high rotation and keep singin'!!!!
XXXX