A new camera :)

I have been upgraded :)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

113 photos in 2013 - hidden or concealed

here is the next instalment of my 113 photos in 2013

#21 - hidden or concealed




Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

more 113 photos

#02 - bird on water


#30 - face in profile



#88 - Balloon


#112 - I wish .....
When you wish upon a a dandelion and blow all the spores away, close your eyes, make a wish, and may they all come true some day.



Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Unusual Clouds

this is what our skies looked like this morning



the clouds formed this really strange wave pattern

linking with Skywatch Friday
113 photos in 2013 - #95 - Bad Weather


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

113 photos in 2013

time to catch up with some photos posted for 113 photos in 2013



#13 - Friday 13th - Lucky Charms


#73 - Something Old (technology)


#74 - Something New (technology)


#101 - Inconvenient

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Skywatch Friday - A little blue sky

Friday 13th

Skywatch Friday - A little blue sky - but not enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers - Enid Blyton.

Anyone remember  Nannie Wimple cutting a piece of blue out of the sky to see if the weather was going to be fine so that Harry and Joan could play Red-Indians in the garden after dinner.

I read that story in the 60's and it has stayed with me all these years ;-)


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.



Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Recipe Review - Cinnamon Tea Cake

I was in the mood for some baking last week - Mr Fixit wanted some more cake for 'the boys at work' who were doing another stint of overtime.

I had bought myself a new loaf tin recently and came across this recipe on Best Recipes and decided it would be perfect to christen my new tin.



This was a lovely cake - it took a little longer to cook than the recipe indicated, but I used a loaf tin and I am still getting used to my new oven.   Recipe for Cinnamon Tea Cake can be found HERE

It must not have been too bad LOL .... as Mr Fixit came home with only 1 piece left and he had to rescue that one for himself ;-)  Oh, and the boys have decided they will no longer work during the week, only on weekends because then they get cake :)

It has been requested for his birthday cake next week - along with Jazz's Triple Choc Brownies from Challenge #8 of the Cooks Club  see full Challenge #8 HERE

Must be off, my labour saving device (washing machine) is calling me ;-)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

The Ducks are back

some of you may remember way back when I first got my NikonD3100 (August 2011) some of the very first photos I took were of some ducks that surprisingly appeared on our driveway and front garden.

Well, I went out on Saturday morning (24th August 2013 ) to get the paper, and the ducks were back - well, I presume they were the same ducks ;-)








For those that missed the post, way back in 2011 - here are some pics





EDITED:  Just checked the dates on the photos - it is two years to the week (11th August 2011)


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Bake Club Challenge - September 2013

Over on taste.com.au the current Bake Club Challenge is to make something for morning or afternoon tea from their selection of recipes.

The September challenge winner will be taking away a copy of "Planet Cake: Celebrate Cake making for all occasions" by Paris Cutler (Murdoch Books).
I had bought myself a new slice tin last month with the intention of taking part in the August Bake Challenge of Slices, but the month disappeared into the blink of an eye ;-)

When this month's challenge came out, I searched for slices within the recipes provided and came across the Rasberry Coconut Slice that I was intending to make in the previous month's challenge - so I figured it was meant to be :)   MissBingley made it and it looked yummy, AND it sounded like something Mr Fixit would like.







This slice is sooo yummy - and not as sweet as it looks ;-)

The selection of recipes to choose from is HERE
The Rasberry Coconut Slice recipe is HERE

It is so nice to be back baking again - I am still getting used to my new oven, but I am still a happy little vegemite ;-)


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Why did I wait so long?

I have been wanting one of these fancy capsule coffee machines for so long - I was happily looking after the SIL's coffee machine, but it took up a lot of room on the benchtop, and it was a bit fiddly just to make one coffee - I found myself using it less and less.

So many people have spoken positively about the DeLonghi Nespresso, that I finally bit the bullet and got one ;-)



So easy to use and to clean - here is one very happy camper :)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Tryout Tuesday - Double Choc Brownies

For Tryout Tuesday this week, I 'tried out' my new oven and a new baking tray.

Mr Fixit has been working long hours this last few weeks - so much so that management have approved some overtime ;-)

As a reward for 'the guys' I made a batch of Jazz's Triple Choc Brownies from CCC - but they are actually Double Choc Brownies, as I didn't have any dark chocolate :(

The link to the original recipe is HERE -  oops, the Taste forum is down at the moment and the link does not appear to be working - will update with link as soon as I can.

I typed up the recipe back when I made it, so here it is

Jazzie’s Triple Choc Brownies - these really are the BEST! 

185g (6 oz) butter

185g (6 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

2/3 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

¾ cup white chocolate chips or roughly chopped

¾ cup milk chocolate chips or roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place butter and dark chocolate in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until smooth.

Allow to cool. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer (or wire whisk) until light and creamy. Add vanilla. Fold through chocolate and butter mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and mix to combine.

Add white and milk chocolate and pour into a 23 cm (9 inch) square pan that has been lined with cooking paper and sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 35-40 mins or until set. Check with a knife. Allow to cool and then cut into squares.



Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Big Day Out with PACC

Last weekend a Big Day Out was organised by my camera club.

I designed the flyer ;-)

It was a huge ask for Mr Fixit - getting up at 'sparrow fart' (6.30 am) on a Sunday!  but the day turned out great - a little chilly in the morning, but the sun shone most of the day, so much so I ended up taking my jacket off, and a great day was had by all!

linking with Weekend Reflections

Mr Fixit grabbed my camera and took this blackmail photo ;-) 

 This is me, talking to my friend Lynn (with her back to the camera) - I realised when I got home that night, that the last time I had been on that particular carousel was possibly the early 70's - I had forgotten just how fast it went (and the operator only had it running at half speed ;-) )

PACC  Big Day Out Group Shot - Taken by Paula McManus

After we left the Carousel, we went for a short walk and this Life Saver tower just screamed at me to take a picture ;-)  For the next hour or so, I had the Baywatch theme music running through my head ...........

I’ll be ready (I’ll be ready)

Never you fear (no don’t you fear)

I’ll be ready 

Forever and always

I’m always here.

The visit to the Aviation Museum was more interesting that I expected, but I think Mr Fixit enjoyed it a bit more than I did.

You could actually get inside some of the planes!

Lunch was great, 23 people were fed relatively quickly at The Railway Hotel, then we had a wander around the Port Markets - it was about 3.00 pm, when we both confessed to each other we were so very tired ;-) - it had indeed been a Big Day Out!

I wanted to go on the cruise, but I get so seasick, so easily - I get seasick walking on a jetty!  So we decided to forego the cruise.  We watched the rest of our group board the boat, and as we were pulling out of the carpark, we had a great idea to drive over the one of the docks and take some photos of them going under the Diver Derrick Bridge - Mr Fixit spent some time on the underside of that bridge as it was being built as part of his job with Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty at Adelaide University.

photographers taking photos of photographers (see last photo)

Mr Fixit took the above two photos - he has a bigger zoom than me ;-)

(click to view bigger)

this photo was taken by fellow club member Paula ;-)

(seen taking this photo in the first photo displayed above)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Australian Pumpkin Soup

Time for a foodie photo, I think ;-)

Over on Taste.com, the current Cooks Club Challenge is to make up a soup.

My go to soup, is the Australian Pumpkin Soup that was originally posted in the Cooks Club Challenge in 2008 ;-)





Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.