This and That

Gee it's been hot.  I know it is the middle of summer but usually we have the rain to cool things down a little.  This has not been happening as often as we would like but we have had grass growing rain. When you drive through a paddock the grass is higher than the quad bike!  The dams are not full yet as there has not been any of the really large falls of rain that would normally fill the dams.  I was talking to an older farmer the other day and he says the same thing as Philip.  The seasons are going back to what they used to be.  The "wet season" was always February/March not December/January as we have come to expect over the past few years.
I have been a bit slack on the photo-taking also.  Since I bought the iPhone 6 Plus I have been using it for most of my photography.  The photos are really good and with the addition of a little app called Genius+ I also have the capability of complete manual control of my iPhone camera.  To get back my photography mojo I have joined a Flickr group that my DIL administers.  It is called "52 weeks with Camera Chick" and the idea is to submit your best photo every week for 52 weeks.  I have already submitted my first photo for Week 5.  What do you think?

I have been picking the spider lilies and bringing them inside to admire.  To me they are a fascinating plant with their large "spider-like" stamen.  I have also been picking the zinnias.  They continue to flower and I really would have thought that they would be finished by now but they are even self-germinating in our very fertile garden.....thanks again to my wonderful gardener!

There have been some amazing sunsets lately and the most glorious of all was just a few days ago.  Guess what?  I MISSED IT!  I was making Rosella Jam and completely missed it!  I was so disappointed that Philip and I have decided that we will endeavour to sit outside and enjoy every sunset from now on.  The locals call it "Sundowners" when you sit outside with a drink and nibbles and watch the sun go down.  So there you go.  You may just get some amazing sunset photos over the next few weeks.......or not...

We have changed our eating habits over the past six months or so.  We now eat our main meal for lunch and dinner is only a snack.  Philip has found that it helps his digestion and the amazing thing is that we have both lost weight without trying.  I guess it's because it is almost a "fast".   For lunch today I tried a new recipe by the New Zealand cook Annabel Langbein.  I wish one of the TV channels would broadcast her cooking shows.  I love her style of cooking and have several of her cookbooks.  This one was called "Sensational Spinach Pie" and it was delicious.  I served it with some smoked salmon and a salad on the side.  Yummy but not the lowest in calories!   Here is the link to the recipe.

Well that's a wrap for "This and That".  Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!