notsmokinjo

Hannibal lector

Just watched Remember the Titans ... With the kid..... Bit sad we sat there saying the lines...

@Vivianne...thanks for asking me to.

I grew up in a smoke free house and in Australia where the anti smoking lobby was about 20 years ahead of elsewhere...when I started smoking it wasn't cool ... Only idiots smoked .... As a teen most public places were already smoke free...but smoking for me was a bit if an FU to my mum but also all the safe places growing up, the grandparents, the aunts and uncles I'd get farmed out to smoked that smell to me was safety...and love. Just like you I quit when preggas and didn't stop until I finished feeding...but I knew it was just temporary I had no intention of making it permanent.

Love your monthly check ins keep living the smoke free dream.

Well it's the week of the come backs. Jack popped in for his monthly catch up. @Stewietech popped in and we kinda hope he sticks around. When he I saw his post a little voice inside me yelled "Hallelujah, he's back" ...and thus I give you the Hallelujah Cover Poll....no not the chorus ....but Leonard Cohen's one.... So here we go, the original by the man who penned it: Then we have Jeff Buckley who bought it to the masses.... Then she made it hers at the Winter Olympics and gave it a new feel...I give you Katherine Dawn Lang.. Then not wanting to be left out Jon Bon Jovi gave it a burl... And then rounding out our voting options is that little ginger guitar ninja all the way from the British Isles.....Ed Sheeran Wait a second groovers....we got some yanks, we covered Canada, we have a Britski but where's the bloody Aussie....here's 10 of the...the Ten Tenors..

Pork Chop! I have been so worried for you since you left and missed you very much. Super proud you are smoke free despite life's hurdles, that tells you how strong you are. You were a huge part of my early quit and one of my guiding lights. Know you are often in my thoughts and if you do want to be here lots of us would love you to stay.

Sip icy cold water...always helps me post migraine.

Why when they have a whole frickin pergola to sit under do my moron dogs sit in the middle of the yard in a rain storm?

Check-in put the BOM radar... Not that we don't need it but kinda wish we could send some of this to Cali and NSW and QLD.....I'm on the edge western edge (left) of the first yellow blob)...slow moving storm...we were on an asthma thunderstorm watch but this was so slow movie we dodged that bullet. Are asthma thunderstorms an Aussie thing? Seem to be more a Melbourne thing down here....need a run of days in the 30Cs...northerly winds, plain trees and some other plants in flower....then a sudden temp drop and thunderstorm..boom every ER in Melbourne is flooded with asthma attacks, people die....it's awful.

I wonder if I'm on Santa's bad list?

NOPE...smoking is nothing but a drag.

I'm a Halloween Grinch....it's not an Aussie tradition .....at all.... Aussie kids and supermarkets are trying to make it a thing but I'm resisting....it's really only become a thing the last couple of years but because of daylight saving it starts getting dark around 8.30pm....its just wierd and I don't like it.

and a big stinky Barker egg comes out. I put in some air freshener and a peg

Move to Melbourne and get four seasons in one day.

Sauce Recipe (sorta...I just chuck everything together so measurements are not accurate): Skinless chicken thighs (or breasts...i just think the thighs have more flavour) cut into chunks (about 1kg makes enough 3 large serves and 2 left over meals to freeze for Ron) 500g sliced mushrooms 1 onion, chopped (or 2 tablespoons onion powder cos forgot to buy onions) 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic (or 3 teaspoons from the jar). 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder 1-2 tablespoons Italian mixed herbs (oregano, basil, marjoram ..not sure what else is in there) 6 short cut bacon rashers cut into pieces (Aussie bacon is like Canadian bacon..sorta...defo not like American bacon....I only added bacon because the kid thinks if there is no bacon she can't eat it) 2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour) 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese Water So in a deep frypan or wok... Clarify onion Cook off garlic Render bacon Add herbs and chicken Once outside of chicken is cooked, add mushies and stock powder then cover with water (about 3 cups) Simmer until chicken cooked through and liquid reduced about 1/2. Strain off AND KEEP liquid and put solids aside. Put liquid back in pan, add flour and whisk to thicken sauce. If too thick, you can add milk or water or white wine whisking to the viscosity you want. If ya using spinach add it hear...I add a box of the frozen stuff. Cook ya pasta or gnocchi (yes I make my own..have a few recipies I use , but sometimes I buy it too but only the one from the fridge section not the long life one off the shelf, cos it's yuck). Mix pasta with chicken an mushy mix...stir through liquid sauce...serve with fresh parmesan, cracked black pepper. I like to sprinkle on some fresh basil and nutmeg and my housemate adds chili flakes. It's pretty basic so good for a work night. Freezes well.

Oh I defo did the Doreen method.

Chicken an mushroom gnocchi....just made my gnocchi...have the sauce cooking then boil up the gnocchi and bobs ya uncle... Sprinkled with Parmesan, fresh basil & cracked black pepper.

2/3rd of the way up I didn't think I'd make it..looked at the incline and went yeah-NAH...then the kid says..."the goat man you know in America will think you're slackk if you don't do this so move ya fat arse"...had a ball..not in a hurry to do it again but wouldn't rule it out.

Just remember everyone...you can get new shit but there is only ever 1 you...leave early, stay safe.

Oh @G67 keep safe. Nothing worse than the smell of burning pine and egucalypt.

Hope your air quality holds...and your asthma doesn't flair. I think most of our Cali mob are south.

Spiders spotted...1, teeny tiny thing on the pin lid. Snakes....2 but both were dead and in the mouths of kookaburras. Rosellas that stole food from out table...2 (rosellas are pretty blue and red birds) Eastern Grey Kangaroos...a mob of about 30...with cute little babies. Koalas...stoned and sleeping in trees...3 Echidna...1 walking around on the summit freaking out the tourists who thought it was a giant hedgehog.

Well it wasn't really climbing...it was more walking up a track/hike....there were stairs carved into the rocks in some parts but the over hanging rocks meant you had to climb the stairs bent over so ya didn't knock yaself out. The summit had to be reached by scrambling over boulders...there were a few sections like that where there was no path, you just had to scramble over the rocks following the blue arrows and hope you didn't tumble over the side. It's classed as a level 3 hike..whatever that is...but let's just say there are no safety rails or ropes or fenced off sections so it's a bit daunting at the top just standing on rocks...it wasn't even that far...but some of the climb sections were steep... Was still more exercise than I am used too these days...spent a while at the top cos one of the girls had a panic attack over the crazy tourists standing in really dangerous spots with not safety precautions ....then an echidna came out and walked around...so cute.

Climb the remnants of a volcano and miss the alien sighting ...but glad all is good and ta back.