Blogging Stats II: Countries

A whole world of people out there reading this blog … I was amazed to find that I had readers from 46! countries.

Forty-four now unfortunately, with readers from the Ukraine and Palestinian Territories falling from the list.

I thank you all for your interest! I know several of you have been reading my work for more than just this blog when we clubbed together with a U-turn from a previous platform, and landed on Google+.

Food: Easy Marinated Tofu

This week have been experimenting with this variation on my normal lunch. I usually have up to three jars of marinated olives and capers in my fridge, decanted from an unhandy 1.7 kg bulk jar too big to fit between the shelves. Since the marinade is tasty and too good to throw out after the olives have been fished out, I now use it to marinate tofu.

If you’re going to try something like this, you’ll need the firmest tofu you can get. Slice it in half centimeter thick slices … I do about three slices a time … and from there into half centimeter cubes. Tip them into the jar with the capers, peppers, and remnants of olives. Stir, and rest in the fridge. I usually can’t resist trying them after two days.

My Lunch:

I always have a plate of lightly steamed leafy greens … some people would say ‘sweated’ greens … but I dislike applying sweated to food. I do it in the microwave, just pile the greens on a plate, and microwave for 45 seconds.

I’m on a diet where I need four and a half cups of cooked greens per week. Instead of fussy measuring I eat steamed greens twice a day every day and call it done.

When I have a quarter of a green apple for my fruit course that day, I slice it and microwave along with the leaves.

Next, I have a heel of bread from a gluten free, mixed grain and seeds loaf spread with ripe avocado. On top the marinated mix, drained, but as it comes out of the jar. Sliced jalapeno peppers, capers, a couple of little cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of the now marinated tofu.

Yum!

Cat Tales 21


I’ve been haunting the tadpole pond for weeks now. Every morning I sit on it in my favorite spot. As the palm fronds have become more pliable through soaking in the water, I’ve been able to wedge a couple of the leaflets aside. To see better.

I stare at the water, at the little blobs wriggling in a ceaseless dance from the top of the water to take a breath, and down again to the bottom of the pond where to hide in the muck down there.

Every so often, I admit, I forget that I’m sitting there merely to look. To study. To enjoy. I stick my paw in. Did you know that I’m right-pawed? Bet you didn’t know cats have a dominant front paw? Hope you were distracted and didn’t see me hook out a slow swimmer? I’ve caught quite a few already. They make a tasty little snack. I guess that egret knows what is what, after all.

But seriously, I’m helping to freshen up the gene pool. I’m helping to breed faster frog tadpoles.
The pernickety old woman caught me at it. Was she upset?
Ropeable, is the word. Like smoke came out of her ears. She’s banished me.

I’m at a loss what to do now. The deck is so boring when you know there’s all that activity going on in the pond. I should just run over there when she isn’t looking, hop up onto the coaming and pretend to be a statue.

Obviously that didn’t work. The pernickety old woman carried me back to the house and shut me in the sun-room while she’s gone to meet friends. Even lounging illegally on the red chair gives me no satisfaction.

I know that when she comes home and sees me on it, she’ll lift me up and drape a towel over the seat. She says it’s so I don’t shed black and white hairs over the furniture.


I don’t believe her. I think she does it to get a cranky look on my face that she’ll take a photo of. She doesn’t have a proper cranky expression yet in her collection, she says. I might’ve mentioned that couple in Japan who said cats can pull 257 different faces? The pernickety old woman and her friends are collecting cat expressions.

On The Run …

Lol, you’ll have to look down the bottom for picture I tried to post here. I tried twice, there are two pics.

Not that I’m really running or even jogging. Though at times I’m up for an elderly heavy-footed jog up the corridor, this is a one-fingered jog over my mobile’s key pad.

In other words, I have no time for regular posts. No time for fiction, construction or even a slightly fictionalized cat story. This is an update on what’s going on in my life.

Next May the rent where I’m living is set go astronomical, $700 AUD per week! I decided no way can I afford that.

So I’m in the process of buying a place in a retirement village. Two meetings already with management, and half a dozen phone calls to secure my unit. Today I am going there to sign the contract and pay what they call a ‘soft’ deposit.

I laughed about that. Two weeks rent at the present rates! But I guess they know that people not working in the money economy have their money tied up in banks and super annuation schemes.

My house when I still lived in NSW
View from unit where I live now

Bosley’s Builders, 10

10. Drew is Blue

Dan decided Wendy should drive, Jackie next to her in the cab. He’d ride in the back, ready to jump out should a bit of shovel work be needed.

“I don’t mind,” Wendy said. “All this rain we’ve been having probably livened up the mud a bit.”

“Hey there! That’s Drew’s van in the track!” Dan said. “Wait here, ladies. I’ll go warn him that we’re coming by!”

“That van looks like it’s stuck in the mud,” Jackie said. “I know the feeling well.”

Wendy slid from the driver’s seat. “He’s going to need help.” She rounded the front of the truck. “We don’t have your winch do we, Dan?”

“Does look like a winch job, Drew,” Dan said, agreeing with her.

“What?! You’ll pull me all the way to the site?” Drew said aggrieved. “I’m doing just fine. I got this far!”

“You need a four-wheel drive,” Dan said.

“We churned the track up plenty coming this far,” Jackie said.

“You need friends,” Wendy said. “I don’t agree that you should get pulled all the way to the site.”

“Then what?” Drew said. “You’ll recall I’m still sleeping on a swag in a dinghy?”

“Yep. My plan will get you up off the ground,” Wendy said.

All three looked at her.

“Okay no, let’s take a step back. Dan, you fetch the winch. With Jackie out of his face, Jed will probably help you install. Jackie, you make us all a cuppa.” She looked at Drew. “You still got the fixings?”

“Yeah. Sure. Go ahead.” He set his shovel aside. “Much as I’d like to toss it.”

Wendy laughed. “Be my guest. Only be prepared to fetch it back. In my experience, winching will need a ton of shovel-work as well, only faster.”

“Why I never asked. I like the slow way, you know? So what will I be doing?” Drew said suspiciously.

“You mean what will we be doing?” Wendy said. “You and me? Having a chat without the usual interruptions?”

“A serious life changing chat?” Drew said lightly.

“Yes,” Wendy said. “You probably can call it that.”

“Go weed the island?” he pointed.

She chuckled. “Here. Have some seedlings. We’ll start planting the island while we talk.”

At the end of their ‘little’ talk, Drew smiled and laughed while Wendy and Jackie and he drank their coffee, waiting for Dan.

“I hear him,” Jackie said. “Quick. I can just rinse these mugs.”

Dan arrived without the winch. “Boss said they couldn’t miss it. I’ve got a tow rope. It’ll be good, don’t worry.” He started knotting it at the front of the van.

“Not here!” Drew said. “We need it at the back. Need you to drag this thing out backwards.” He smacked the back of the van like he smacked a beast on its rump. “It’s goodbye and good times had while we were together.”

Dan shook his head. “What’s got into him?”

“I don’t know,” Jackie said.

Wendy just grinned.

Right. Bit of Wendy magic. Don’t break the spell! Dan concentrated on towing Drew’s van back to the roadside lay-over where Drew had camped for so long.