Nice to see you!

Three major events occurred for me last year (2010), all in the space of about 2 weeks. I turned 50. The following day I got married. Two weeks later, my oldest daughter became pregnant with her first child and my first grandchild.

Most middle-aged people will tell you that in their minds, they still feel 20 something. It's the same for me.

Wasn't it only yesterday that I was planning a night out with guys from the surf club? That gorgeous new perm. Flaired, cuffed denims and the red t-shirt with the off-the-shoulder frill. Corked platform wedgies. **sigh**

Suddenly I'm looking in the mirror and wondering how 30 years can flash by so damned quickly!

So here I am in cyberspace, sharing my genuine shock and horror with anyone who'll listen and maybe I'll even meet some other over 50s who find themselves in the same predicament!

Welcome to my dilemna!!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

All About Happy

During the week, The Motivator shared this recipe with me. It's called Hainan Chicken. It's poached chicken with ginger, and I made it today for lunch. OMG, it was so delicious that Adoring Husband went back for seconds, then was disappointed when I wouldn't let him have thirds!

It's very simple to make and this is my modified version ...

INGREDIENTS:

6 chicken thigh fillets with skin on
3 spring onions (chopped)
1 cup of coriander leaves and stems (chopped)
1 tsp salt
7-8cm piece of ginger (sliced)
6 white peppercorns

SAUCE: 2 spring onions, 1 Tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp salt, 1 finely chopped fresh chilly, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 3 Tsp maple syrup, the juice of half a lime and 1/2 cup macadamia oil. Place in a saucepan, bring to the boil, turn off the heat and let it sit til the chicken is ready.

Instructions:

Place the chicken pieces, skin up, in the bottom of a large stock pot or saucepan. Scatter the remaining ingredients over the top and then cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 13 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the stock for about 1.5 hours.

Remove the chicken and slice into pieces. Place over steamed rice and steamed greens and pour the sauce over the top. The end!

The chicken turns out juicy and tender and full of flavour, while the sauce is tangy and even though it contains a whole chilli, it's not too hot.

It's going to become a firm favourite in our house :)

Meanwhile, it's been a while since I created a list, and I saw this idea on FB this morning.

Fifty things to be happy about ...
  1. Lists about happy things
  2. Delicious new recipes to try
  3. Sunshine on a Winter's day
  4. Rainbows
  5. Crystal clear river water
  6. Happy waggy dog tails
  7. Squishy faces of newborn babies
  8. Hearing birds singing outside my window
  9. Sunrises
  10. Sunsets
  11. A giant full moon rising on a clear night
  12. Shooting stars
  13. Friends
  14. Morning tea with the girls
  15. Friday nights at the club
  16. Fresh coffee in the morning
  17. Reading in bed on a quiet night
  18. Sliding in between fresh clean sheets 
  19. Eating fresh food straight from the garden
  20. Laughing so hard that the tears come
  21. An empty ironing basket
  22. Friendly neighbours
  23. Road trips!
  24. Fresh flowers in the house
  25. Bare feet on the sand 
  26. Organic Farmers markets
  27. Lazing in bed on a cold morning
  28. New shoes
  29. Re-reading my favourite book
  30. Picnics
  31. Riding my trike
  32. Music from my era
  33. Steady rain on a tin roof
  34. Butterflies fluttering by
  35. Sharing photographs 
  36. Social lunches
  37. Dressing up
  38. Hugs
  39. Home
  40. Cheering for my footy team
  41. Staying up all night watching Wimbledon
  42. Movie marathons
  43. Beautiful works of art
  44. Good news
  45. Quirky hats
  46. Ryan Gosling
  47. Best friends
  48. A kind and loving husband
  49. Chicklet giggles
  50. Family
What would be on your list?

I tripped over on our front porch today. I don't know how it happened but it happened so darned fast!

All I remember, is seeing the tiles rapidly coming towards me, so I put my hands out to stop them from hitting my face. Thankfully, I softened the blow by landing on my knees and hands with a loud smack and what I thought was a pretty loud grunt from me, then I performed an unplanned role onto my side.

I lay there, for what felt like forever, waiting for somebody to come to my rescue. I waited in vain. Adoring Husband was in the back yard and our front hedge and geisha girl tree hid me from the street.

So I gingerly moved my wrists and thankfully, there was no pain. They smarted a bit where I landed, but nothing serious. Then I checked my ankles and knees. They seemed ok, but one knee felt a little raw.

Whew! I was ok. I rolled up the right leg of my tracky dacks and there was a nice patch of skin rolled off my knee. Not even enough for it to bleed. It peeled every layer of skin except the last one, in the size of a 10c piece.

Basically, my pride was bruised and I felt like a doofus!

On the bright side though, it means that I must have pretty strong bones! I fell pretty hard! There's always a bright side.

To end, what has been a pretty great day ...


Nite all.

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