Five steps to dessert

Step 1- Whip cream , splash of vanilla essence and castor sugar until cream is light and fluffy

Step 2- check Chocolate Ripple biscuits are in good condition ready to be transformed into dessert
Step 3- organise serving plate and locate spatulas ready to add the cream with .Step 4- Take a biscuit, add cream to one side the add another biscuit. Continue until all biscuits used up and a log is formed. Cover the outside of the biscuits with cream. Have the topping ready. We are using a Flake bar which is crumbled into a bowl.

Step 5- final decorations are added and then the dessert is refrigerated until it is time to serve.

Chocolate Ripple Dessert

Photo courtesy of Arnotts recipe website. Will post a finished version of ours when made.

Tomorrow night T1,T2, TB, Kingsley, Elle , S and Ahubby are holding a special family dinner in honour of Elle's visit and to celebrate being together. One particular family favourite sweet is chocolate ripple cake and Elle and Kingsley are making it tonight in readiness for the family dinner.

Very easy to make with lots of variations. Check out the recipe on the Arnotts website to see just how easy and quick it is. If you get adventurous try the ginger variation or make adult versions where the biscuits are dipped in various alcohols and liqueurs before covered in the whipped cream. Not sure that it is diet food but special treats, which happen rarely, need to be savoured and enjoyed.

Elle is in the building

Kingsley is so excited that her Aunt Elle is coming to stay. We are thrilled that she has flown across the country to spend some of her limited R & R break with us. Last time we saw Elle was in Noosa in December when we had a girls' week with our nieces T1 and T2. It will be a quiet couple of days with only everyday errands like school drop off, coffee & chats ,after school activities and plenty of laughs. Just what the doctor ordered!

These boot/shoes are made for walking!

Kingsley is off to school camp next week but was short of solid waterproof shoes suitable for outdoor activities as she lives in runners or school shoes. Ahubby and I are firm believers in the adages that " a fast shop is a good shop" and "never pay full price for anything". We managed to achieve our mission and fill Kingsley's shoe void adhering to both principles in the space of 45 minutes this morning.

The new runners will allow the older pair to be used at camp. Great fit and even better price due to a sale saving TeamSAK $25. The brown ankle boots are full leather composition, made in Spain and fit Kingsley's long narrow feet. They were purchased from a designer children's shoe shop that S could never normally afford to enter. The lure of the word SALE gave us courage to enter. The boots were snapped up for $60 ( reduced from $180).

Just a pity Kingsley's feet are only marginally smaller than S's or we could have got an even better bargain!

Crying over spilt milk.

Those who have been filling in their spare time reading TeamSAK will know the trials and tribulations we have faced in trying to get a simple grocery order delivered on time and as ordered on a weekly basis. After more than enough second chances we changed provider for this week's delivery.

Rationale for the new online provider
Cons- you must be home to accept delivery and they only deliver in 4 hour blocks unless you want to pay for a 2 hour block
Pros- prices slightly cheaper and appears to have a wider selection.

Really no other options in our area unless I send Ahubby to shop on the weekend which is a waste of his precious family time. Last time I sent Ahubby there was a lot of unauthorised items purchased!

This morning before 9 am I received an email from the online store advising and apologising that 3 common everyday items I had ordered were not available. At least they let me know prior to delivery in an attempt to allow me to obtain the supplies from elsewhere if they were critical to tonight's dinner. Doesn't help when the reason you are using them is that you are already housebound. Not to mention the fact that you must be home to accept delivery of the rest of the shop! No OJ for breaky tomorrow!

The good news was that Ben and his truck arrived 2 hours into the designated four hour delivery block. The second crate contained the 2 litres of no fat milk I was desperately waiting for to make my daily cappuccino with . Unfortunately the bottle had leaked and there was milk everywhere with only a little remaining in the bottle . Helpdesk Sylvie has a very nice counterpart at her competitors!

Is it wrong to be concerned that the toilet cleaning fluid was packed into the same bag as perishable food? The thought of chemicals in with food worried me and I had to relay my concerns to helpdesk while discussing the spilt milk issue. For the record I will be receiving a credit for the milk.

I suspect my file is now marked with an * and a warning about being a difficult customer!

What is going on?

I posted an entry on Wednesday25 July which appeared yesterday with the correct date. Today ( Thursday 26 July) I posted the Two Heads are better than One and it appears with Tuesday's date. Obviously this is all beyond my basic IT skills! Just what date will this entry have?

Two heads are better than one

These wonderful sculptures are part of the output from Kingsley's school art class. The figurine on the left is a chipmunk face with plenty of detail , fabulous ears and a coat of glaze. The head at the back is an Italian Clown. Closer inspection shows fine detail in the facial features, mop of curly hair and the most impressive handlebar moustache. Both sculptures were mounted on the hand sandpapered wooden block and will take pride of place in the TeamSAK lounge.

Guinea Pigs

This is the only pet Kingsley is allowed to have. She made this guinea pig in art class and to be honest, while the photo doesn't do it justice, it really is a cute representation of its live counterpart. Best thing is there is no clean up after it or worrying about feeding and grooming! It is one of those spooky things that where ever it is in the room the eyes follow you around. It lives in the bookshelf at night alongside Nancy Drew and Harry Potter.

Food for thought ( and style)

The culinary influences of the TDF chef Gabriel Gate, are now impacting the kitchen at TeamSAK. As S has not been able to participate in kitchen duties Ahubby has taken over. He has done an admirable job but is now setting the presentation bar too high! Here is a photo of a snack Ahubby prepared for Kinglsey, beautifully arranged as only a four star Michelin Chef would do it. Poor Kingsley won't recognise her food when S eventually gets back into the kitchen!

Yoga swimwear

I am honoured and humbled to have wonderful and talented friends. Each one has achieved so much and are terrific role models for Kingsley.

Gena is one of these amazing women. Not only is she a competition level outrigger, she is a yoga teacher, fulltime fire fighter, founder of Pualani Australia and soon to be published author and dvd yoga instructor. Caught up with Gena and the tri club gang briefly this morning following the 25 km run to hear all about the exciting publishing news.

Pottering Around

July 21 has major significance for Harry Potter with the 7th and final instalment of the series being released internationally. Kingsley was desperate to attend launch festivities and pre order a book. Unfortunately she didn't get to do either! Swimming lessons from 9 am - 9.30 am meant attending the 9.01 launch time was not possible.

As a compromise and a surprise Ahubby and I took her to the local Target store after swimming on the pretence of buying singlets for school camp. Kingsley did get the singlets and was lucky to pick up the new hardbook Harry Potter without queues or fanfare for $27.95 ( $2 cheaper than some of the preorders I had seen)

It should be quiet in the house of TeamSAK for some time.

The Knitter's Snag

Wstar is very talented but has only taken up knitting garments recently. She successfully completed a jumper which MOS helped her sew up. I will post a photo later. Filled with confidence Wstar is now attempting another more difficult jumper.

Things were going well until yesterday. The expletives that were emitted would have shocked a 'wharfie". The expensive top branded wool had broken in the middle of a row. Wstar had to unpull the remainder and restart when she encountered not one but two knots in the wool in the space of 20 cm.

We located a phone number to ring the wool manufacturer. The customer service consultant was very accommodating and understanding. Wstar will be providing a detailed written report, wool manufacturing band and examples of the split and knotted sections. Doesn't help her in the middle of the back section of knitting though!

The interesting thing was that the woman said it was not uncommon to have knots in the balls of wool. I don't do that much knitting but haven't come across knots before. Any of you crafty readers noted similar problems?

Owing to Technical Difficulties

Maybe it was operator error instead! There will be no post today ( even though this technically is a post) as for some reason the entry Facing Up to Leftovers was posted under yesterday's date. Thought I would be efficient, prepare it and leave it in draft to publish this morning ie Tuesday. Obviously I hit the wrong button! If I think of an entry later on I may do one if not this will be today's pithy contribution!

Facing up to the leftovers

Just what do you do if you have left over dough from Fairy Wand Cookies but have run out of icy pole sticks? If you are Kingsley you use your imagination and make a representation of a female form ( complete with pearl necklace) . Pop it in the oven and then you have an edible face.

The big question is when you are eating this creation are you "defacing" it?

Cooking Up a Storm

Step one in Kingsley's baking activity on the second last day of holidays ( today) . Actually step one is get a responsible adult- a task we delegated to our new nanny Dee! Packet cake mixes also help!




After the wet and dry ingredients were mixed it was time for the hands on work by Kingsley.
Half the fun is the gooey mess! The dough is kneaded and then deftly rolled out to the correct consistency.





Time for the cutter to do its job. The box said the batch size should be around 12 but Kingsley and Dee showed good economy in their cutting and managed 16!







The brand new icy-pole sticks were carefully inserted in the pre cut dough stars and then into the oven to bake. A delicious aroma filled the kitchen and house.





The Fairy Wands were then iced and decorated. The finished product ready for the taste test in the school lunch box when Kingsley goes back to school on Wednesday.

Some people have all the luck

Kingsley is one of the luckiest people I know. Her reputation with winning on scratchies was covered in Against All Odds. She has transferred that luck to one in three packets of cereals and bars which contain gifts/toys. First came the cereal box luck. Kingsley not only got a mini xbox game but also a time projector which beams the digitalised time onto a wall. Now she has scored in a LCM Box. The mobile phone like earpiece is actually a mini torch.

The Tan in Winter

No I am not talking about colouring one's skin and risking skin cancer but rather about one of Melbourne's institutions. The Tan Track is a 3.8 km long path around the perimeter of the Royal Botanical Gardens. These days it is in constant use by walkers, mums pushing prams, joggers and professional athletes. In the olden days it was originally a horse track for the city's affluent residents.

Ahubby is back into training after his recent hiatus. He will be joining his mates from Melbourne Tri Club, formally known as the Muffin Riders, for a jog/run around the Tan. From memory the quickest lap of the Tan was done in a little over 10 minutes by Craig Mottram in 2004. There are even annual Tan time trials . For the record Ahubby's quickest lap is 12 minutes 40 seconds. Today the gang are running around 24 kms. It is currently 7 degrees outside but feels like 4 degrees Celsius so hopefully they warm up fast.

If you are serious about your running ( or even your walking for that matter) you never, never, never run anti clockwise. The true Tan track runners always run up the infamous Anderson Street hill!

Aunt for a Day

Exciting happenings in the house of TeamSAK with news that we had a new aunt in the family. MOS is an only child and DOS has one married sister and one single brother . While Ahubby has 20 or so cousins , S has 3. So there was some excitement about the recent phone call received by S's aunt.

S's bachelor uncle, who resides on the other side of the continent, had allegedly tied the knot for the first time in his late 60's. The family got the good news via a late night /early morning " party alcohol "influenced call. The excitement and the thrill of extended family and more cousins was shortlived. S rang the Uncle to congratulate him to discover he was only having his sister on with a practical joke and a old female friend played along with the phone call. Don't need to send off a present now!

Christmas in July

The cold weather and being housebound got S thinking about life's big questions. Just what was the history behind Christmas in July celebrations? When in doubt the trusty wikipedia entries helped so I'll refer you there for full information.

Here is photo of the real Christmas in December. The decorated and lighted tree at Hastings Street , Noosa Heads.

Above Average

As it is still school holidays Kingsley joined us at the Oncologist appointment this morning. Wouldn't have thought it was a fun thing but Kingsley was also keen to watch yesterday's blood test as well. Maybe there is a medico in the making. My doctor, who has 3 daughters of his own, was great with Kingsley and all her questions. She was fascinated by his medical bookshelf and announced the titles of the various pathology and oncology books pronouncing the multi syllable words perfectly. Dr very kindly measured the height of Kingsley today before prescribing S's next 5 day dose of chemo ( but based on S's height and weight!).

Most mums know the exact height and weight of their children when they are little owing to the regular maternal health care visits. Ahubby and I had no idea of Kingsley's height but suspected she may be on the taller side for her age owing to the genetics from her father's side! (Gets her intelligence, compassion and personality from mine!)

Kingsley , aged 7, is 135.5 cm tall. Did some research and the only height average chart I could find was at HealthEpic . According to this Kingsley should be 11 years old or at least 20 cm shorter than she is. Whatever the outcome she will tower over her mum and MOS well before starting high school!

Midnight Reader

Kingsley, who is an avid reader, had a dream outing yesterday. Of course she has been to the local council library on many occasions but yesterday was a historic moment. Kingsley got her own borrowing card and will no longer take out books under mine!

Just to make sure the borrowing powers were real Kingsley came home with 7 books, a DVD and an audio book of Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire. All items are due back 1 August and knowing Kingsley they will all be finished.

Ahubby and I have agreed Kingsley can listen to one of the 18 CDs each night with lights out. We have lost track of the number of nights we have checked Kingsley and found hidden torches and books under the bedding. This way the CD will automatically finish just in time for sleep. No more hidden books!

E Pal - Pen Pal ?

S has had a pen pal for over 30 years.We were randomly allocated each other through the Girl Guide movement when we were only Brownies . We have conversed the old fashioned way with pen and paper, travelled around the world, shared stories of school, romances, weddings and children, family dramas but have only met twice. Both times in England. These days we supplement our very sporadic written exchanges with emails and phone calls. Ingrid is ex South Africa and now a naturalised UK resident.

In today's electronic era of message boards, sms and email is the era of Pen Pals over? S confesses an addiction to fine writing implements and owns more than one premium pen! OK more than 10 ! Am particularly fond of my gold tip fountain pens. There is nothing as personal as a handwritten note on good quality paper.

Must go and answer the 12 emails that just arrived. Electronically of course!

8 Random Things

In mid June, just after S became a beginner blogger , I was tagged by Fairlie for a “8 Random Things” meme. First things first- Being a newbie I needed to find out just what it all meant. Thanks to M over at Eastern Max who was tagged at the same time the research is done ! In line with my pithy approach I’ll refer you below.

The second problem was finding 1 thing let alone 8 random things remotely interesting to share. Hence the delay in responding to being tagged.

1 ) I am always full of good intentions. Before Kingsley was born I bought a sewing machine with the aim of using it to save money while I was training as a Domestic Goddess . Well I saved money as I didn’t buy any material! The best laid plans often go astray and I am pleased to say the machine, complete with original plastic wrapping, finally went to a deserving home - ( Fairlie’s!) . For the record I did earn an A grade for textiles/needlecraft in high school so it wasn’t for lack of talent the box remained unopened.

2) If I was a Spice Girl it would have been the sporty one. I temporarily held my high school open age javelin record, won a medal at the Girl Guides Mini Olympics in freestyle swimming , played senior tennis whilst a junior, was senior sport captain at school, represented the school in badminton and basketball and won an annual club girl award in the after school Physical Deportment class.

3) Gardening is not my strong point as I am all for survival of the fittest. I manage the garden along the lines of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. What survives will survive!

4 ) Much to Ahubby’s annoyance I am anal about punctuality. I have never had my name called out to board a plane as the gate is closing.

5) Debt is not good. The fiscal philosophy has always been if you can’t afford to pay cash then you can’t afford it. Taking out the first ( in hindsight very tiny) housing loan caused months of sleeplessness nights.

6) Am an absolute tight arse when it comes to spending money on myself ( 50 cent knickers from the Bonds Factory warehouse etc) but love to splurge on family and friends. Pride myself on choosing exciting, unusual but appropriate birthday ,Christmas and surprise gifts.

7) My previous working career took me to some amazing places and experiences. These included touring the killing floor of an abattoir, meeting Mick Jagger at a Rolling Stones concert after party, being technical editor of an university text book and chairing a presentation in front of 1000 people.

8) I am humbled and blessed to have such great supportive friends and family who have made this year a little easier. Despite a lot of bad luck with the shock diagnosis I am still very lucky.


To complete this entry I will tag Ronnie at FindingGoodHealth.



*Meme: n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. (source: dictionary.com)
A blog meme is a type of Internet meme that requires active participation by the blogger and rarely traces back to an originating source. It's often a series of questions that a blogger answers to share some personal perspective or experience on random topics. (source: Quixtar)

In my day

My how things have changed! In my day the highlight of secondary school was the 2 day year 12 "study" camp held at Sunnyside on the Mornington Penninsula. It was an incredibly short bus trip away for us 17 year olds and wasn't the cheapest given the dormitory style sleeping arrangements and compulsory errand and cooking schedule we all had to participate in . Not sure our parents knew the clothes optional history of the beach at the end of the road.

Our nieces T1 and T2 are currently on their 2 week year 10 camp to central Australia. Also by bus but in better style than the one S went on all those years ago. We got to see Port Phillip Bay and these 15 year olds will experience the wonders of Uluru.


Kingsley is already saving for the Grade 6 school camp to Japan. These intrepid 11 year old explorers , accompanied by their Japanese teacher are billeted out with families and immersed in the local culture .


Things were different in my day!

French lycra on tour

July in the house TeamSAK is all about everything French. Three little letters take over our screens and laptop ( and no they are not EPO!). They are TDF - which as anyone remotely interested in cycling knows stand for Le Tour de France.

Coverage on local television station SBS is second to none although I don't think Ahubby thinks Gabriel Gate's cooking segment is the daily highlight.

photo of Gabriel Gate

Interest in the race is increased by the various tipping competiitons available. We love the one supported by CBD Cycles and the Melbourne Triathlon Club. CyclingNews website also gets a workout while researching tips for winners of each stage.

After the allegations of drug tainting in previous races 2007 will need to set a new standard. Viva la France. Go Aussies - in particular - Robbie McEwen, Stuart O'Grady, Cadel Evans !

Our Musical Friends

While not blessed with natural talent members of TeamSAK do appreciate musical ability.

My triathlon friend Foxy's daughter, Erin, is a member of a band called Star Anise who have just released their self published album Killing Time. It's a great listen with 13 original songs. Check out their website Star Anise to find out more . The "Tibetan Love Song" written by Erin highlights her talent!

Another triathlon friend Sam Pollard is also an accomplished musician. Check out his latest by clicking on his name. Kingsley and S particularly like "What to do What to say" but some of the heavier stuff like "Whoops" and "Save Me" is a good listen as well.

Another is Christy Kilpatrick , a former neighbour , who we had the pleasure of hearing practising across the backyard fence. Check out her sound. Christy was one of 2007 Toyota Star Maker Finalists .

Remember you heard about these talented musicians here first !

Nancy's back in vogue

Girl detective and amateur sleuth Nancy Drew was a favourite read of S and WStar when they were growing up. It was wonderful to see this favourite make a comeback. If only our set of books had not gone the way of Beebo. While researching a purchase for Kingsley, S learnt a lot about the original author Carolyne Keene and the others who had authored various adventures under that name or in their own name. Kingsley has a boxed set of 1- 6 on order as a holiday treat and was also lucky to receive a surprise present from her friend Sofe yesterday.

Last week T1 and Kingsley watched the new release film about Nancy Drew but I suspect that the character I remember who wore penny loafers has been contemporised on the screen.

Sylvie got her call

As usual S spoke too soon. Help desk Sylvie got her call after all. Technically her colleague Sam got it. It t0ok Kingsley's sharp attention to detail to pick up this week's error in the shopping. S had ordered Go gurt Yoghurt , Strawberry in a 8 pack. We received a pack with 4 strawberry and 4 fruit salad. So - half right but as Kingsley pointed out also half wrong. S does not have a substitution policy. Given our "history" of errors the Greengrocer has offered to deliver the correct good to us tomorrow and we may open the packet tonight to eat the strawberry one . S feels momentarily bad about the carbon imprint of delivering one item in a van but we need our yoghurt - and I paid for it!

Nemo has been found

With school holidays well underway the children's entertainment options are plentiful. Plenty of new release films, workshops and productions. Kingsley was lucky enough to receive an invitation to see the 3pm showing of Finding Nemo on Ice with a good friend today.

Reviews from earlier performances suggest it is a magical show enthralling big and little kids alike. I just want to find out how a fish can skate! Sure that Kingsley, who is due home around 6pm , will provide a detailed review in good time.

Helpdesk Sylvie

For the last 5 weeks each Thursday about this time I have had a chat with Sylvie . She is a very helpful customer service representative for an online grocer that offers guaranteed refunds for any perishable items you are not happy with. S is not picky and hates causing a fuss but when you pay for something you expect it. Hence my weekly calls to the help desk. There have been missing items, incorrect items and rubbery zucchinis etc. One week I even got something I didn't order.

Admittedly today's order was small with only 14 items so probably difficult to get too many errors. Today everything was there and it even arrived on time. I almost feel like ringing Sylvie to congratulate them! Maybe the threat of" last chance of getting it correct was this week or I"ll go to the competitor" actually worked. More likely Sylvie personally supervised the pick and pack to avoid another phone call from me. And I thought we had developed a rapport!

Out of Touch?

Who is Stevie and why are his tshirts and clothes so expensive and so in demand for the younger crowd? Not being a teenager or having children that age S had no idea who this designer was. Nephew TB soon explained that any one who is any one had a least 2 items of the label in the wardrobe. His mum TL , with her finger on the pulse of the youthful wishlist, has listed these two items among others on ebay.

BRAND NEW
STEVIE
FLURO GREEN MENS
MEDIUM TEE
SLEEVE - "STEVIE SAYS"
FRONT - "ZAAM BLAM"
BACK - glow in the dark "STEVIE"

The opening bid was $50 and it is currently sitting at $91 with 2 days and 23 hours to go. For that price you would at least think it would be machine washable!

The ladies top is silk and dry clean only with bid currently sitting at $50. TL is expecting at least $80 for it.

Let's hope the only "Stevie'" Kingsley has on her wishlist when she is teenager is a nice young man. It will be cheaper on our bank accounts!

A Woman's Work .....

As the saying goes : "A Woman's work is never done". Elle is the family member who has taken the adage to its maximum potential. After a varied and responsible career in a number of industries across the country Elle has now taken up residence on the continent's western outskirts. Not in air conditioned comfort, close to top end shops and restaurants, or even easily accessible! Elle is on a construction site, in a remote area, in 32 plus degree heat, working in admin but also outside wearing a hard hat. Here is the self portrait photo to prove it. What a wonderful example for Kingsley that nothing is impossible if you work hard enough for your dreams.

It is Elle's birthday soon. We all miss her and send our best wishes and pressies by express post!

Elle has even managed to check into TeamSAK and advises the following factual corrections which make her current role even more impressive! :

Change the admin to 3 hours a day admin and for the remaining 7 hours a day is a trades assistant working in temperatures into the low 40's and enduring a 'lovely' 90% humidity during the wet season! Oh and there's no shorts and t-shirt its full work clobber - long sleeve shirt and full length hard yakka pants ... not to mention the trusty old explorer sox and steel cap boots no matter what the weather is.

Weekend Wrap Up

Contrary to popular belief it's not all decadence and glam in the house of TeamSAK. Thought we would share a typical weekend activities with you to prove it.

Saturday started with Kingsley's usual 9am swim lesson at the council owned and run pool. Not sure what fish name Kingsley currently is but the rest of the class are clearly a lot older and more developed. This week was water safety week so no squad drills and laps but instead they donned life jackets and acted out mock rescues, practised safety jumps and towing swimmers out of pretend oil slicks.

Home via a sports clothing store for a home made lunch. During the afternoon Ahubby could be seen and heard sleeping on the lounge couch while Kingsley read, played Gameboy and practised music and drama. S made a few phone calls to friends and relies and drafted a blog entry. Early dinner for S and Kingsley as Ahubby was a corporate guest at the Bledisloe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand. We would have loved to go but were unable to attend the 21st of Ahubby's cousin. Reports today indicate by all accounts a great time was had by the young and the not so young.

Today is just as ordinary. It was a real TeamSAK team effort to clean the house with all members delegated important tasks. This included, but was not limited to, dusting, vacuuming , a few loads of laundry, some ironing and domestic errands as well as more calls to family and friends. A small grocery shop by Ahubby and Kingsley to supplement the online one S had delivered on Friday . Toasted sandwiches, mineral water and fruit for lunch. The fire is on, the plasma is tuned to the live football and the couch is looking like a good location for the afternoon.

Late addendum - Ahubby went for a 1.5 hr run late this afternoon then took Kingsley out in the new baby to visit friends.