Madeline Bassett: [about Bertie] I think he's having a brainstorm! Aunt Agatha: What with?

When I was younger I used to roam the corridors of the local library fiction section, looking for inspiration.  I came across a few books written by the same author, PG Woodhouse, they were rather plain looking books, a bit like the one below, and fairly slim in comparison to other books.  But I took a chance on one.

It changed my life, I have never laughed so much when reading a book.  I don't know what it is about Woodhouse, wether it is the complicated plots, the amazingly rich characters or just his style with words, but I really loved those books.  I read them all!

Since then they pop up every now and again, with a series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry ( Jeeves and Wooster), and now in mp3 form so that I can listen to them on the way to sleep.

Here are some excerpts for your enjoyment, and if you have not read the books - get one out of the library and enjoy yourself.

Brinkley Manor:

Bertie Wooster: So! It appears that you've gone and got engaged to the Gussie.

Angela Travers: Quite right. We're in love.

Bertie Wooster: Oh, come now, Angela. Gussie's... Gussie's a splendid chap in many ways. If you've got a sick newt on your hands, Gussie's just the fellow to tell you what to do until the doctor comes. But honestly, old thing, you could fling bricks by the half-hour in England's most densely populated districts without hitting one girl willing to become Mrs. Fink-Nottle without a general anesthetic.

Angela Travers: Well, I thought it would be fun!

Bertie Wooster: Well, I'm surprised at you, young Angela. No wonder they say, "Oh, woman, woman!"

Angela Travers: Who do?

Bertie Wooster: ...Well, chaps, supposedly. But you know you're potty about Tuppy!

Angela Travers: For goodness's sake, Bertie, go away and boil your head!

Bertie Wooster: Well, now, Angela, if you'll permit me to observe...!

Angela Travers: No!

Bertie Wooster: Very well, then. I shall say no more. [gets up to leave, then pauses in the doorway] Just... tinkerty-tonk!

The Delayed Arrival:    
  
 Stilton Cheesewright: [referring to Bertie's cocktail] Now what do you suppose those things       are   doing to your eye?

Bertie Wooster: For your information, Cheesewright, one does not administer alcohol by the eye, or even by the ear. The mouth is the correct orifice.

Stilton Cheesewright: Not if one's meant to be in trainng for the Drones darts tournament, it isn't.

Bertie Wooster: Ah, yes, of course, you've drawn me in the sweepstake, haven't you? Well, your money is safe, Cheesewright. The Wooster form is as devastating as ever.

Stilton Cheesewright: We want a win this year, Wooster, not another dratted tie. I happened to look in on the Drones Club this evening. Freddie Widgeon was at the darts board, stunning everyone with a performance that took one's breath away.

Bertie Wooster: Tcha!

Stilton Cheesewright: Eh?

Bertie Wooster: I said "tcha!" scornfully, with ref. to F. Widgeon. I know his form backwards.

Stilton Cheesewright: He's knocked off smoking, you know!

Bertie Wooster: No!

Stilton Cheesewright: He takes a cold bath every morning!

Bertie Wooster: [shrugs] He's forgotten where the hot tap is.

Return to New York

Bertie Wooster: This is a bit steep, Jeeves.

Jeeves: Approaching the perpendicular, sir!

~

 



The fastest little chicken soup in town

When I was laid up for 4 months and my husband had to do the cooking, I had to work out a recipe for very quick and easy chicken soup.  Its a soup day today, as the wind and weather outside is just terrible, so here are the recipe instructions I gave to my husband, he did well.

Take a large pot, put a glug of olive oil in it and turn the stove on.
Cut up some chicken you have in the freezer into very small pieces.
Slice up a leek, put this into the pot and stir so it does not stick, when it is looking a bit wilted, stir in the chicken until it turns slightly white.
Turn off stove.
Cut up into small (1cm) size chunks, 1 stick celery, 1 potatoe, 2 carrots, 1 turnip and 1 parsnip (or 1 soup pack from the supermarket).
Turn the stove back on, and add the vegetables to the pot.  Stir for about 5 minutes until it all starts to wilt and cook.  DO NOT BURN.
Add 1 large packet of chicken stock, and about the same amount of water (or 1 kettle worth).
Add 2 large glugs of tomatoe sauce and 1 large glug of soy sauce, a couple of turns of the black pepper and some salt.
Turn down to the minimum on stove and simmer for about 1 hour.
Slice up 1/4 of a cabbage very finely.  Turn off the stove.  Add the cabbage and put the lid back on for at least 10 minutes.
Check for enough salt and pepper, add more if needed.

Serve with the nicest bread you have.

This is what it looks like:

This saying sort of sums up my husbands cooking:

And I don't cook, either.

 Not as long as they still deliver pizza.
............Tiger Woods

The race should be held in Sydney

The Formula 1 Grand Prix was held in Melbourne last weekend.  We had wanted to go to it for ages, and booked tickets last year in great anticipation, unfortunately the weather turned rather bad on the day we arrived.
We set down at Melbourne airport to rain and cold weather, the temperature had dropped from 40C  to less than 20C in the space of a few hours.  Well, we reasoned it had to improve.  We watched practice in our hotel room, and the rain got worse and worse.  In fact qualifying was put off until the next day.
When we went to the track, the weather was cool but not cold, with the occasional shower.  As the day wore on it got windier and colder.  Here is what we looked like just before the main race:

3 tragics at the track

 

That jacket cost me a few dollars about 10 years ago at a Nike sale - Never pay retail! - and it has saved my life on a few key occassions.  This is one of them. Likewise, my husband has his handy fold up jacket on, and son has the emergency plastic poncho.  This brings me to one of life's lessons.  You must own a wind and waterproof jacket - with a hood - that can be scrunched up into nothing, and take it on every trip you go on.

 

Americans call them windcheaters, and the only quote I could find came from a Blackadder episode:

"In a desperate last throw of the dice, Baldrick is sent to the House of Lords and Blackadder is left with nothing but a catskin windcheater and a broken turnip"

Well the F1 experience was just that, an experience, seeing cars worth lost of money, not too many fashionable people due the weather, and expensive promotional clothing we did not feel tempted to buy, along with a great race.  A once in a lifetime thing, and it made me realise THE RACE SHOULD BE HELD IN SYDNEY!

 

The transport would be better, the weather would be wonderful and people would not take their children along as they are more sensible.  So I am thinking of starting a petition...........

 

Learning how to be cool

My husband is a photographer from way back in the 70's.  He used to take wonderful black and white shots and develop them himself.  Back then it was quite expensive to have anything developed professionally, as film was time consuming, and fully manual.  Now we have a digital camera and photo setup and have the photo available online within seconds.

The photos he has taken for our website are just as good as any photo I have seen on long-standing company websites.  Take a look at this:

Len does all the technical taking of the shot, while I do the photoshopping to size and re-colour the background.  Getting a white background is actually very difficult, even with a light tent etc. the shots come out with a greyish background.  Thank god for google and Youtube!  As well as the generosity of many people who post online.  I found out about the quick select tool, and how to use the bucket tool in photoshop, and be the end of the day this:

Turned into this:

Not bad hey?

I was not really into nor did I understand the power of Youtube until my lovely nephew started doing movies (ie acting in them) and I found out he has his own Youtube channel.  Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialKarlBeattie/videos?view=0

He will be famous one day.

I leave with this quote, its kind of how I feel right now.

“Kids on the Youtube, learning how to be cool.”
― Toby Keith

Hospitalpacks.com.au is getting closer

Hospital Packs progresses well, the website only needs photos now.  Sounds so easy doesn't it?

Not so easy in real life. It took me a day to put together the photos for just one page of categories, even though the photos did not have to be taken, just downloaded.  A note here about a good website with millions of photos - istock.com.   These are photos taken by professional photographers who put them up on the site for use by anyone who buys them.  I have seen them used in lots of websites, and now mine.  This is how the first cut  (well, actually the third cut!) looked:

 

 

I think the bobby pins need some work, but am happy with the other shots.  My website is quite colourful, which suits the 50+ demographic that I am aiming for - I hope!  But I do think visuals are important.

 

 

An update on the light tent - check out the boys setting it up below

 

My husband will start taking the product shots for real today.  Can't wait to see how they turn out.  Meanwhile, I am tidying up the site and the descritptions of products.

I still have "happy packs" in the back of my mind, but of course, you have to learn first before launching site number 2!



A little weirdness goes a long way.

So happy for a friend of mine, who is going online, she has just set up a website for her celebrant business at : http://gailmcguckin.com.au/

Here is a sneak preview of her website:

Go Gail!

My favourite quote about marriage is

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." -Robert Fulghum

Now I'm a writer too?

So my new business, Hospital Packs, is  one step closer.  The room downstairs has been turned into an office, new computer etc. and I have done a stocktake.  Feb is a very busy month, as there are 3 supplier fairs that I need to attend, at one of them, which I was not really intending to go to, there is a company that has lovely baby clothes and wraps.  Have to look them up and talk to them about starting an account.

Ive been through the Reed Gift Fair book, and made a list of the 50 or so companies I need to see.  I'm waiting on some money to come through from my superannuation to pay off the mortgage and fund the business a bit more for some stock and advertising.  Meantime, I am trying to learn how to do a PR campaign.  I found this site which has been most helpful : http://www.getthewordout.com.au/articles/mediareleasetemplate.htm
and google have templates: https://drive.google.com/templates?q=press+release&start=1&sort=hottest&view=public

This was a good example http://www.lunareclipse.net/press-release-example-new-business.htm


I think my husband will be able to assist - after all he has 20 plus years in a news room!

Wish me luck!

Oh, and its different for social media - of course!

Never pay retail..#2

Really, NEVER PAY RETAIL.
I organised my son and husband to come the Matt Blatt sale with me, I was looking for some dining chairs, I knew my son was also looking for a chair for his bedroom.  He found the chair below, but in lovely Black leather.  Its a Rioco Lounge Chair, priced at $998. 

He bought it for $150!  What a bargain, and it is a chair he can put anywhere, in any decor, because it is fantastic design. 

 

On the way to the sale, browsing ozbargain, came across an offer from Microsoft to upgrade to Office 12 for FREE if you had bought Office 10 in the last year.   Of course we had!  So we upgraded the office computer for free.

 

 

Really, NEVER PAY RETAIL...........




Sydney breaks all records

Oh my! Yesterday we had record heat wave of 47 degrees C. 

Of course, we had the air conditioner on all day, but it has now given up the ghost.  First indication was that smoke started coming into the house, and a very bad acrid smell.  Oh well, at least we survived until the southerly winds arrived and the cool weather.

So, this morning it is a phone call the the aircon company and go out and buy some fans to try to keep as cool as we can until it is fixed.

A minor thing really, as many people lost their homes in bushfires yesterday. My father taught me one thing about bushfires, and that was "get out and get out early".  The silly advice of stay and defend your home was proven to be very bad advice recently when over 100 people died in Victoria. Fortunately the fire dept has revised its processes and is now telling people to leave when bushfires are heading their way.  The problem is, if you leave it too late the smoke and embers make it almost impossible to leave, and in a bushfire with lots of fuel behind it you cannot defend your house with a hose.

I remember driving through areas where fires were close to the road when we were staying with my grandmother in Scotts Head.  Very scary, but dad was insistent everyone leave.  He was right.

So, if you are ever in Australia in a bushfire - go to safety early, do not wait and get trapped.

NEVER EVER pay retail

So, on the advice of my son I did not purchase Office software for the new computer from Dell at a price of around $400.  Or from Microsoft at $499.

No, instead we used one of his favourite sites http://www.ozbargain.com.au/  This is a site where lots of people post bargains they find online.  Anything from cheap soft drinks to pedestal fans, to buffet lunches!  Its quite a site, and you can search, which we did.  (I just saw a trip to Bali for less than $300 on ozbargain)

We found an offer that was put on a couple of months ago for Microsoft Office for $15!  Yes, a saving of over $400.  To take up the offer, you needed an email address at one of the participating companies, so I used my old company, and a friends email address.  When I rang him to tell he was about to receive an email, he could not believe the price.  I only left the company a short time ago, and I knew nothing about the offer, neither had he heard of it.  Yet it must be available to all staff.

Anyway, the moral of the story is SHOP AROUND and NEVER PAY RETAIL.

I found the full kit my husband needed for taking photos at $600 less than he was able to get it, simply by using some nifty searching.  I usually search "buy XYZ online" as the first choice, then look for the shopping engines like http://www.myshopping.com.au/ who do the hard work for you, and list a whole lot of companies selling the one thing.

This is how I found the light box kit, pictured below and bought from http://www.fotogenic.com.au/index.php?route=common/home  they seem to have some great photogrphy stuff.

Thanks Will for the good advice, and thanks Nemia for the use of the email.

Thanks to Cynthia Nelms for the final word :
 “If men liked shopping, they'd call it research.”