Baleboosteh - Tel Aviv Dreaming....

Back To Daily A Routine....At Last!

2012-01-20T08:42:00.000+10:00

The past 2 weeks have been busy....but don't ask me what I have been doing as I really couldn't tell you any specific 'events', I think it is just having all the children at home over the past 6 or 7 weeks for the summer school break makes for a busy household.

I did manage however to get myself off to the Doctors to confirm my pregnancy and get the appropriate forms for the appropriate tests to be done, which meant a few days after that I had blood tests and a 'dating' ultrasound to find out when exactly this baby is due. As it turns out the baby is due on the 6th of September - ages away, I know! After seeing the flickering of our tiny babys heart on the ultrasound makes it all a bit more real now. I felt very excited, but also relief to see that everything was on track, so far. Next is to get over all the pregnancy nausea I have had this time around. Of my 5 previous pregnancies, I have never really suffered from morning sickness. I wouldn't say I have really been 'sick' so to speak this time either, just the yukky feeling of feeling unwell at the most inconvenient times, particularly at meal times. I am sure this will all pass soon enough though.

On another note, the girls all go back to school next week which they are all very excited about. I must admit, I am just a bit excited about it too. It will be nice to be back into the day routine that school time brings. It will also be nice to have a little bit of peace and quiet around the house during the day (not forgetting the 2 littlies will be here) - it does become very noisy with 3 older girls constantly chatting all day long. So as we all get ready for the return of school, holidays for the girls draw to a finish - they have been fun, but very long, bring on school days!!

..... Just another day ....

School Holidays, Beach Trips and Shabbat

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001+10:00

School holidays can be so tiring. It's not that we are doing a whole lot, but just having everyone at home at once in a small house it gets crowded and noisy really quickly. By the time 3pm comes around, I need to have an afternoon sleep on the couch! I suppose that has a lot to do with my pregnancy to. I'm looking forward to Monday, I have an appointment for my first ultrasound to see how bub is going and to get a 'due date'. I had a Doctors appointment on Wednesday, he said I'm 9 weeks and due on the 8/8/12, but I'm not sure I'm that far along, I think I may be around 7 weeks.

The past few days the 5 girls and I have just been going out and doing some grocery shopping. Yesterday it was hot (like everyday here!) so we went for a swim in our pool in the morning. The water was cool, but very refreshing. We are supposed to be having a bit of a heatwave here over the next few days so I suppose swimming will be on the cards once again. The funny thing is, we swim a lot in our pool, but we live right on the beach front and although the older girls go down to the beach sometimes, I hardly ever do which means the babies miss out. Yesterday afternoon I decided to take all the girls just down the front to the beach. The 'getting ready' stage took way to long, organising drinks for everyone, getting the babies into their sun safe suits and getting their sunscreen on, getting the older girls ready - it ended up taking about 1/2 an hour. Anyhow, we eventually headed down to the beach and once we got there Topaz cried the whole time and Sapphire didn't want to leave the blanket we were sitting on as she didn't like the sand!! Not a very successful trip. I suppose I couldn't expect to much they are only little and don't go to the beach very often.

Today, I have a lot of cooking planned for Shabbat tonight. One of the things I'm making is one of my favorite meals, Pumpkin Broccoli and Chicken Hot Pot. I'm looking forward to a nice peaceful and relaxing Shabbos with my family. Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

To Step In... or Not?

2012-01-01T09:31:00.002+10:00

Every day it amazes me just how fast children grow. I find myself looking at my 3 'older' girls thinking how it seems like only yesterday that they were tiny, brand new babies, and now, here they are in front of me 8, 10 and almost 12 years old. In that sense, the past 10 years has gone so fast.

Since we live in a fairly quiet and safe area we allow the girls to go out by themselves on their scooters. It teaches them some responsibility. We have very strict rules that they must follow such as being home on time, staying together at all times, carrying a mobile phone at all times and behaving themselves whilst in public etc.

A couple of days ago, the girls were out on their scooters just down the road on the beach front esplanade. They were just playing and having fun when they saw a little boy aged about 2 or 3 years old running away from his mother, basically just being naughty. They didn't take much notice and continued playing until a few minutes later the same little boy was about to head out onto the road. My eldest daughter Jade stopped him while Amber and Ruby questioned where his mother was. The mother came stomping over and said 'I'm here!' and was really angry and snatched the boy away. The problem was, the girls had just stopped the boy from running onto the road where he could have been hit by a car (it's tourist season here and there's lots of cars around) and instead of showing some appreciation towards the girls for their fast actions, she took her anger that she had for her son running off on her out on the girls! She not only failed to be thankful but was straight up rude.

It seems all to often some people are quick to say there is something wrong with our society - that people just don't care about each other and it's no wonder when some people like this lady react as they do. I think it is fair to say the girls did the right thing and had noone taken action and her child been hit by a car she'd be complaining that noone had stopped him and society doesn't care about each other!

.... Just another day ....

Delicious Leek Fritters

2011-12-29T09:11:00.000+10:00

The thing I love about cooking is trying out new recipes. When I was flicking through my recipe book and saw these Leek Fritters I just had to give them a try out. They are really simple to make and even the kids loved them - which is always a bonus!

These crispy fried morsels feature prominently in the Sephardi kitchen. Legend has it that these were what the fleeing Israelites were missing and moaning for when they were in the desert.

They are best served at room temperature with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt.

Ingredients:

4 large leeks thickly sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cup coarse matzo meal
2 eggs lightly beaten
large pinch of dried basil
pinch nutmeg
oil for frying
salt & pepper to season
lemon wedges to serve

Method:

1. Cook leeks in salted boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender and bright green, drain and leave to cool.

2. Chop leek roughly, put in bowl and combne with matzo meal, eggs, basil, nutmeg and seasoning.

3. Shallow fry, carefully adding spoonfuls of mixture to frying pan of hot oil, Cook until golden brown on both sides, drain on kitchen paper.

4. Serve with lemon wedges.

.... Just another day ....

Pig’s Head Hung In Tree At Jewish Appartments In Sydney

2011-12-27T07:02:00.003+10:00

This just disgusts me, and the response from the local police even more so. It hasn't made it as 'important' news in any of the major daily Sydney newspapers such as Sydney Morning Herald or The Daily Telegraph - but 'more important news' such as Aussie ex-model Elle McPhearson holidaying in Byron Bay does? Hmmm...priorities? Thankfully J-Wire is on the ball and reported the following article:

A pig’s head, a traditional Eastern European sign of anti-Semitism, has been found in a tree outside a small exclusive block of flats in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill.

Of the five residents in the block, two are Jewish and a third Jewish-born. One of the owners spotted the head tied to the branch of the tree as she exited the block on the weekend.

Calls to the police and the State Emergency Services failed to get a response with replies stating that it was not in their domain.

The resident, who declined to be named, told J-Wire: “I also complained to Woollahara Council. In the meantime, a friend cut it down and the Council arrived, even though it was Crhistmas Day, to take it away”.

A spokesperson for the Community Security Group told J-Wire: “It was no doubt a lack of education which prompted Rose Bay Police Station’s response and we will act on this. This is not first time a pig’s head has been placed outside buildings with Jewish connections. Fortunately, it is a very rare occurrence.”

The resident told J-Wire she was unaware of any possible reason the head was placed in the tree.

Peter Wertheim, executive director of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told J-Wire: “Despite the general goodwill that prevails at this time of the year, Christmas and Easter are also occasions when a handful of nutters come out of the woodwork to give vent to their prejudices. They are invariably too cowardly to openly claim responsibility for this sort of a stunt. The community can have every confidence that the CSG is handling the matter appropriately.”

.... Just another day ....

Our Own Little Hanukkah Miracle

2011-12-26T10:33:00.004+10:00

I've been contemplating whether or not to share the news we received on the first day of Hanukkah. Most people would wait until a bit further down the track, but I figure, why not share the good news - it's kind of our own little Hanukkah miracle! Such a blessing should be shared! Mr Bagel and I discovered that we are expecting our 6th baby. It's early days yet, I'm around 5-6 weeks and due toward the end of August 2012. I'm hoping everything will be ok and we'll have a nice healthy bub.

We have chosen to tell the girls, they were all a bit stunned as we already have two babies under 2 years in the house at the moment. By the time this one arrives Sapphire will be almost 2.5 years and Topaz 16 months. As I said, it's exciting news for us and as I haven't shared the news with anyone outside of our immediate family, my blogging friends are first to know! I have decided I will wait a few more weeks until after I have had my first ultrasound and when I'm out of the 'danger period' - when I'm about 12 weeks before I tell my 'local' friends.

I wanted this Hanukkah to be special and being able to spend it with my husband and our 5 girls makes it very special of course, but this new makes it even more special. I wonder if this will be our 6th girl?!?

.... Just another day ....

A Simple and Delicious Latke Recipe

2011-12-23T13:06:00.004+10:00

Ok, so I'm sure there are 10 billion Latke recipes around, but I wanted to share the recipe I use anyway! This recipe obviously doesn't make a lot of Latkes, but can be doubled, tripled or whatever you like. I ended up doing 10 times the amounts below which was heaps for two days for my family of 7.

Ingredients:

2 potatoes
1 onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons matzo meal
oil for frying
salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Peel potatoes and grate along with the onion into a bowl (a food processor is a life saver for larger amounts!).

2. Place in a colander and press down to drain excess liquid and return to bowl.

3. Mix in lightly beaten egg and matzo meal. Season well.

4. Add tablespoon sized dollops of the mix to a frying pan of hot oil and flatten slightly with an egg flip. Cook until golden on both sides, drain on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil and serve hot with apple sauce or sour cream.

5. Enjoy....but not too many!!

.... Just another day ....

'The Promise' an accurate representation?

2011-12-22T08:51:00.002+10:00

Just over a month ago, my husband Mr Bagel and I were very excited to see advertised on the television channel 'SBS' the drama/mini-series, 'The Promise'. For anyone who is not familiar with the show, its about a young British girl who travels to Israel, retracing the steps of her grandfather - a British soldier stationed there in the 1940s.We really don't get many Jewish/Israel related television shows or movies on the television here in Australia. It ran over four Sunday nights at 8.30pm and what started out as excitment on our behalf soon turned to bitter disappointment that grew with each painful episode. This British production was horribly inaccurate and anti-semetic. Mr Bagel and I were horrified we had allowed our 11 year old daughter to be exposed to such rubbish. Mr Bagel had a few of his own thoughts to share - I suppose, a small review of sorts that he originally wrote on another site, which I wanted to share.

Finished watching the fourth part of this English produced 'drama' shown in Australia, it was horribly inaccurate, biased and appallingly acted.
What looked promising in the first episode became a tiresome justification for Arab terrorism, giving the mythologised Nakba narrative some pseudo historical foundation.
Simply stated the British soldiers were swell guys, the Arabs peace loving beatniks and the Jews, rich, uncaring and murderous. Just what the British viewing public needed to reaffirm their swelling antisemitic stereotypes of Israelis.

For a little more background try:

Channel 4: Breaking The Promise | HonestReporting
honestreporting.com
Channel 4?s four part drama “The Promise,” has caused a great deal of concern and prompted a number of complaints to HR UK.

I would love to here the thoughts on this show from others who have seen it also.

.... Just another day ....

Hanukkah Preparations - Are you ready?

2011-12-20T12:02:00.000+10:00

It's the 20th December today, and tonight is the first night of Hanukkah! I'm not sure who is more excited, the girls or I? Without putting to much focus on presents, I must say, I am looking forward to seeing them open their presents over the next 8 nights. As I said, it is not just about presents though, I also am looking forward to lighting the menorah tonight, watching the girls play dreidel and teaching the girls the history behind Hanukkah.

I have been making plans since mid year for Hanukkah and even though last Hanukkah was a good one, I wanted to make this one even better! The past few weeks have really dragged on awaiting the 20th December to finally arrive. Presents have been organised for many weeks, and now, it is a bit hard to believe Hanukkah is almost here!

This morning I put my final preparations in place and went grocery shopping with all 5 of the girls - who, thankfully, were well behaved while we were out (that always makes the trip easier!). Two hours and two trolley loads later, I have finished my grocery shopping also. I have many different recipes lined up for the next 8 days, so look out Kosher Cooking Carnival, I will be submitting a few recipes for the next carnival!! Hmmmm....I wonder if the 8kgs of potatos I brought will be enough for Latkes this year??

This video is one of my favorite for Hanukkah, I'm sure you have all seen it before, but I thought I would share it anyhow :)

Chag Sameach!! Happy Hanukkah to all!!

..... Just another day ....

Gingerbread Dreidels

2011-12-18T09:43:00.004+10:00

The first thing Ruby (our 8 year old daughter) asked me this morning when I woke up was, "How many more days to Hanukkah?". With only 2 days until the first night of Hanukkah, I am feeling really good to be so organised this year! The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur with getting presents for all the girls, deciding on food, Hanukkah related learning and activities for the girls. Thanks to the lovely Batya over at me-ander, we now have another activity for the girls.... "pin the candle on the chanukiya". I know the girls will have so much fun with not just playing this game, but also with the 'making' side of it all too. My 3 older girls love anything to do with craft and cooking. Which brings me to the whole point of this post! A few days ago, the girls and I made gingerbread dreidels, they hardly lasted long enough to be iced even after making a double batch! So obviously they were delicious! Here is the recipe for anyone wanting to give them a go.

Ingredients:

125g pareve margarine or butter, at room temperature
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) molasses
1 egg, separated
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp baking soda
150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
8-10 drops blue liquid food colouring

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the molasses and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and baking soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
3. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing between 2 bowls - one for white icing, one for blue (or whatever colours you choose). Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add blue colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a dreidel cutter (or cutter of your choice) to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
6. Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread to decorate as you choose.

{before icing}

Makes about 25 (depending on cutter size used)
Enjoy!

Just another day ....

Why do we really blog?

2011-12-17T19:13:00.002+10:00

It has been a very long time since I last blogged on this blog. I've had some major changes in my life since then - including the addition of 2 baby girls, one now aged 21 months and the other almost 8 months. That's right, they are only 13 months apart and I now really have my hands full with my 5 girls. We have also moved house once again to what was at the time a reasonable sized house to us as a family of 5...now we are a family of 7 and have quickly out grown this house over the past 2 years. It does have its perks though, we are right on the beach front and have fantastic views which somewhat compensate for our crowded house. Ultimately, we still dream of one day making Aliyah to Israel, I don't know if it will ever happen, Aliyah from Australia is quite a bit harder than it seems to be from the USA or UK. I would move tomorrow if I could. There are no programs for Aliyah from Australia, which is pretty disappointing, but, I will not give up on the hope of getting there in the end.

There are many other changes that we have had as a family, some big, some little, some significant, some not. Many to mundane to even bother listing here. I assume in the past 3 years since I have really blogged on a regular basis that there have been many changes to the Jewish blogosphere also. Bloggers come and go all the time - I've looked up a few of my old favorites who are still on my blogroll to sadly discover that they no longer blog. Even after taking such a long break from blogging myself, and after contemplating it numerous times, I have not been able to call blogging quits forever like some of my favorite bloggers have done. In my quick browse around the blogs, I have noticed Jewish bloggers who I have never heard of before, who are blogging regularly and climbing the ladder to the top of the JBlog world. So, I wonder if this post here of mine, on my blog that I haven't written on regularly for 3 years will even get read? Why do we really blog anyway? I guess it really doesn't matter anyway - for me its more about therapy rather than about pulling massive reader numbers - therapy that I would like to take up on a regular basis once again. At the end of the day, I guess everyone blogs for their own reasons...whatever they may be.

.... Just another day ....

Smooth Sailing??

2009-08-09T11:10:00.002+10:00

On Friday I experienced some health issues (which I won't go into detail) which made me seriously concerned about my baby. So at 6am, I found myself going off to the emergency department for a day of blood tests, ultrasounds, IV drips and any other test you can possibly think of! Thankfully, there wasn't anyone else waiting when I arrived, so I was seen by the Doctor straight away. It wasn't until about 8am that people started filing in with all sorts of ailments.
After numerous hours and all the tests, it turned out that the baby is fine and they sent me home with 3 days of bed rest ahead of me and no real explanation of what caused the problems. I have been resting, but not in bed, I think I would go crazy spending 3 days in bed - I have had enough trouble just sitting about not being able to do anything much.
The girls have been pretty good at helping out - it took them about an hour to hang out a load of washing and a whole lot of arguing over who was hanging what and where!
It's back to work for me tomorrow, I just hope that it will be smooth sailing from now on!

..... Just another day ....

224 Days To Go

2009-07-29T13:20:00.002+10:00

The girls are home from school this week - no, it's not holidays, a couple of the children at school have swine flu. I spoke to Amber's teacher last week, just to remind her of Amber's heart condition and her higher risk to swine flu. She suggested that if a child in the class appeared to have flu symptoms or a child in the school had been diagnosed with swine flu she would give me a phone call to come and pick up the girls. So on Monday the phone call came... while I was at work of course. Anyhow, the girls are home with some school work to do for the week. We just can't have Amber get swine flu - she has enough trouble handling the common cold at times.

On another subject, yesterday I went to my first antenatal appointment, which really just consisted of the doctor printing out an ultrasound request for me to take to the x-ray department to have a dating scan and find out the due date. This morning I was up at 7.30am drinking the required 1 litre of water before my ultrasound at 8.50am. The scan went well. I am officially 8 weeks pregnant now with the baby due on the 10th of March! Only 224 days to go! Lol!

.... Just another day ....

Easy Apple Crumble

2009-07-17T11:37:00.005+10:00

One of my closest friends works in the rehabilitation unit of our local hospital. Recently she put in a lot of time and effort to put together a recipe book to raise funds for the rehab unit and the patients. The book has loads of great, quick and easy recipes mainly designed for the patients who have mostly suffered from stokes or been involved in serious accidents, for when they leave hospital and have to cook for themselves again.
I know pretty much everyone has a really easy apple crumble recipe, but it is one of my favourites and I have made two apple crumbles for the weekend....

Ingredients:

Fruit filling:
~ 4-6 cooking apples
~ 1/2 cup of sugar
~ 1/3 cup of water

Crumble:
~ 1 cup of plain flour
~ 3 dessertspoon brown sugar
~ 3 dessertspoon coconut
~ 3 dessertspoon parve butter/margarine

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Peel core and slice apples. Place apples in a saucepan with sugar and water. Simmer gently until soft. Allow to cool then pour into a pie or casserole dish. Place flour in a bowl and using your fingertips rub in butter. Add sugar and coconut and mix well. Sprinkle lightly over the top of the apples and bake until lightly browned on top.

I like to include a sprinkle of cinnamon in the apple filling too.

ENJOY!!
Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

Three Years On

2009-07-13T22:11:00.004+10:00

Three years on since the Second Lebanon War (2006), the years have passed, but we have not forgotten those lost during the war....

.... Just another day ....

Bircat Hachamah - the blessing of the sun

2009-04-09T11:10:00.003+10:00

Once every 28 years....

Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday morning at Bondi's Waverley Park to celebrate Bircat Hachamah.

Photo: Chabad of Sydney

.... Just another day ....

Just a few pics from around town

2009-03-27T14:43:00.001+10:00

.... Just another day ....

Down by the river...

2008-08-17T23:46:00.002+10:00

It's time, time that is to dust off the keyboard and post another post. It is also time to check up on my old blogging buddies, must drop by on quite a few blogs! I hope everyone is well.
Everything has been going really well for us here, we are all healthy and very happy. All of us have adjusted well.
I haven't really had a lot of time to take many pictures even though we are out and about far more now that we used to be, I usually forget to take my camera!
These pics I took a couple of months ago down near the train bridge at the river.... enjoy! :)

.... Just another day ....

Funny how life changes.

2008-05-15T16:32:00.003+10:00

I grew up in Melbourne, moved to Sydney when I met my other half, had a family, moved to the country, started a blog (because I had nothing else to do) where I constantly whinged about living in the middle of nowhere, until the day I moved.... and then...
Now I live back in the city again, and instead of my daily complaints about living in the country and having nothing to do, I find that my life is now far more fast paced - like everyone else's in the city. I spend my time running around after the girls and working amongst other things. I just haven't found the time to blog very much since we moved. So I was just thinking... one day I might actually do a post and update this here blog!

..... Just another day ....

Heath Ledger Dead At 28

2008-01-23T11:50:00.000+10:00

I can't say I have ever been a real 'fan' of Aussie born actor Heath Ledger, but when I turned the TV on this morning to hear his death announced on the news I was very shocked - he was only 28, far to young to die.
From the way the reporters described the 'scene' with pill bottles strew around the room, his naked body found in bed, they suggest suicide. His family disagrees saying he was not that kind of person. Whatever the reason for his death, it is very sad - especially for his 2 year old daughter Matilda. Such a shame, such a waste of life....

.... Just another day ....

The Drought Has Broken

2008-01-22T20:26:00.000+10:00

....The blogging drought that is! Three months have past since I last posted and I must admit, while I am busy typing this and thinking what I can write about, I really wonder if anyone will end up reading this?? How long away from blogging is too long? For how long do blog readers return to see if you have posted yet? And, just how much have I missed out on in the blogging world in the past 3 months?... I don't really know the exact answer to any of those questions, but I do look forward to catching up with all my favourite bloggers.

I would just like to say how glad I am that the past few weeks are over! Moving house is a real drag - especially when you are going so far. I would love to share all the ups and downs over the past few months, but to be honest I wouldn't know where to start - everything seems like a blur.
SO, how about we start from now instead and I spare you from the boring details and just post a couple of photos of Amber (top pic) and Ruby (bottom pic) I took at the shopping centre today :)

.... Just another day ....

The 17th Edition Of JPix!

2007-10-18T13:14:00.000+10:00

Welcome to JPix 17!

Rabbi Shmuli Weiss shaking Lulav and Esrog with one of the Jewish Students at at McGill University - photo courtesy of Yossi from The Next Step

This edition of JPix is another great example of the talented photographers we have within the JBlogosphere!

About JPix:
JPix is a fortnightly carnival started by BagelBlogger, for Jewish bloggers and the photos they take. So if you're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, whether they be family, historical, art, funny, quirky, whatever, make sure you get them into the next edition of JPix!

Thank you to all the people who have submitted photos and please remember if you do not submit, you most likely will not be included - I only post what is submitted. (you can submit for other people)

The photos featured here in this post are just a small sample of what you will see in the bloggers posts - you need to click on the links to see all the photos!

Eretz Israel:

Akiva from Mystical Paths Blog & Emunah Paths Podcasts presents us with Life Guards a fabulos post which shows one of the IDF units which operate in, and around Jewish towns in the West Bank. They watch for movement where there shouldn't be and risk their lives to stop murderers far from peoples homes. This post includes some nightvision photos too.
Akiva has a few great photo posts up at the moment, another being a post of photos taken by his son - Hiking Tiberious - Safed. Also check out photos from Masada, taken from the top in Akivas post Masada - Topside.

Cosmic X in Jerusalem shares a great photo his son took during Rav Shapira's funeral procession as it passed through the Geula neighborhood in his post I Like This Picture.

A Mother in Israel and her family recently learnt about some of the local birds at the national park Afek near Rosh Haayin A Sukkot for the Birds .

Judaism:

Yossi from The Next Step has some great photos from Succot posted in: Succos Pictures Part 1, which were taken at the McGill University campus.

At Shiloh Musings Muse presents Easier Up Than Down, a photo post of the dismantling of the Succah after Succot.

Pop over to Planet Israel and make sure you have a look at this post - To Kill A Cluckingbird!

Occasions:

Teachers salaries have dropped in comparison to other sectors and Muse is on strike! Check out her post The Teachers Strike posted at Teaching English in Binyamin.

Muse has some lovely photos posted of her grandson, Yochai Arye's Brit Milah, posted at her blog me-ander. Mazel Tov!

Family:

Muse presents The Big Sisters posted at me-ander. As we know, her daughter recenly gave birth to a little boy Yochai Arye, and Muse had the job of looking after the Big Sisters - looks like they had fun!

While on the topic of family, Rafi G's family gained a new addition yesterday! Mazal Tov!

Out and About:

Mottel (the birthday boy) over at Letters of Thought presents The Industry of Wine - A Photo Essay after spending a week recently at a winery. He has heaps of cool photos, a must to visit!

Muse went Strolling in Jerusalem a few days ago and took some delightful snaps along the way, they, along with many other great posts, are over at me-ander.

Muse worries... Another Amona? posted over at Shiloh Musings.

Make sure you pop over to A Simple Jew and have a peek at The Photography Of A Simple Jew's Father - Part III - beautiful!

David at Temunot has found him! Yes he has found Nemo! Finding Nemo

Trips:

Evan of Planet Israel recently made a trip back to his old home in the US, but then came time to leave and return to his new home in Israel - Leaving Walnut Creek... he says goodbye once again.

That concludes this edition of JPix, thankyou to all who submitted posts. Sorry to anyone who has been left out of this edition. Make sure you submit your photo article to the next edition of j pix - jewish photo carnival using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

If you would like to host an edition of JPix please contact BagelBlogger.

.... Just another day ....

Good-bye Girl

2007-10-15T14:51:00.000+10:00

Needless to say, things have been kind of crazy in the past few weeks - hence the lack of blogging... I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted.

As many know, we are gearing up to do the 'big move'. We have a half empty house now - well, half empty compared to what it was... and trust me, it was pretty full! We have sold a lot of our things, but I feel like we have so much more to go and we are quickly running out of time to get rid of them.

About two weeks ago we gave our beloved pet dog away as we will be unable to keep her when we are living in Sydney (no backyard = unhappy dog!) Thankfully we were able to find a really good home for her, infact we couldn't have hoped for a better home for her. The people have another dog - same breed and same age, and they live on a really big property with a couple of dams so the dogs can go swimming whenever they like. It was a sad day, the kids were pretty upset, but, considering she has gone to such a good home makes it a bit easier for us, we know she is being spoilt!

So, today, I thought I would do a quick post to let my blogging friends know I am still around and everything is ok...

...Oh and don't forget to drop back in and check out JPix on Thursday, I am hosting - get your picture posts in!!

.... Just another day ....

JPix call for submissions

2007-09-18T13:58:00.000+10:00

JPix is due up later this week, if you are a Jewish blogger and have any recent photo posts make sure you submit them here!

.... Just another day ....

L'Shana Tovah!

2007-09-12T15:03:00.001+10:00

I had my Rosh Hashanah post all ready to post when my browser colapsed and I lost my post, so this time I will keep it short!

L'Shana Tovah, may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

.... Just another day ....

Hoping For A More Peaceful Night!

2007-09-10T18:29:00.000+10:00

Just thought I would post a random photo today, it is not really related to this post... but anyway.

I had a terrible sleep last night, Amber has croupe again so I pretty much slept with one eye open - ready for a coughing fit from Amber and ready to leap out of bed and down the stairs in the darkness to see if she is ok. Thank goodness she was ok last night although I think she will be worse tonight.

Apart from having a restless sleep, once I did fall into a sound sleep I woke to our dog's incessant barking at 2.30am. I ended up having to go outside into the cold misty night to call her back home and to get her to stop barking, which, she pretty much ignored once I went back inside.

The last time I looked at the clock it was 4am, the next time I looked at the clock it was 7.30am and time to get up - needless to say the night was too short.

Here's hoping tonight will be a more relaxed and peaceful night!

.... Just another day ....

The 15th Edition Of JPix!

2007-08-30T20:08:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 15th Edition Of JPix!

Photo courtesy of Sara With No H... wishing you all the best for the future...

Well it is that time again... time for another edition of JPix! This edition is bursting at the seams with wonderful photos for you to have a look at. We have had a few new submitters to JPix this fortnight which is great!

About JPix:
JPix is a fortnightly carnival started by BagelBlogger, for Jewish bloggers and the photos they take. So if you're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, whether they be family, historical, art, funny, quirky, whatever, make sure you get them into the next edition of JPix!

Thank you to all the people who have submitted photos and please remember if you do not submit, you most likely will not be included - I only post what is submitted. (you can submit for other people)

The photos featured here in this post are just a small sample of what you will see in the bloggers posts - you need to click on the links to see all the photos!

Mottel from Letters Of Thought shows us he is not just a talented photographer but indeed has many talents including being a great cook in his post A Lithuanian Summer In Italy VII -Coda del Lituania.

In this post, the last in the series of seven posts, Mottel shares some wonderful photos from the last night of camp and of the journey home.

If you have missed the past installments of this journey, you can catch up on them here: Parts one, two, three, four, five and six of a Lithuanian Summer in Italy, they are all great and certainly worth looking at each of them.

Batya over at Me-Ander shows us she is great at Multi-tasking, and what a great ending to a busy day! Pop over and check out the wedding photos - Mazel Tov!! Weddings mean Presents! and Batya has a few Weddings to go to in the coming weeks.

In another post, Batya claims 'I didn't buy anything'... although I am not sure how she managed!

A Simple Jew presents some beautiful photos taken by Jack Klein in A Hachnosas Sefer Torah In Tsfat. He also shares with us his two most recent Black & White Picture Of The Week - Sunflower and Mixer Attachment, which are as usual simply stunning.

Last year A Simple Jew posted some gorgeous photos taken by his Father in The Photography Of A Simple Jew's Father - once again we are shown where ASJ gets his photography talent from in this new lot of photos from his Father; The Photography Of A Simple Jew's Father - Part II - breathtaking shots!

Willy Wonker comes to Israel??... The Streets Of Jerusalem has some interesting snaps of The Malcha Technology Park Elevator - very cool!

Rafi G from Life In Israel recently went to the Championship game of the Israel Baseball League, he has a great photo post up of the day - We win! We Win! We Win!

He also has a photo post of yesterday's shchita, but be warned, if you have a queasy stomach, then you might want to skip this one.

Now if I was to tell you to go and have a look at a photo of a rock Snoopy the Goon at Simply Jews has posted you would wonder why. Right? Well this isn't just any rock, this is Shiprock at sundown and it really is quite spectacular.

Looks like poor Snoopy needs to have more for lunch in future too, check out his post Another critter.

Planet Israel's Evan always has great photos posted, and this week presents us with Selfish? Moi?, in which he has some impressive shots of Shiloh.

Josh's Photos has posted a beautiful sunset in Caesaria Sunset.

Littlebirdies considers the future musical talent of her two children ZB and SD in her post Flute, looks to me like they have natural talent!

She also shares some great snaps of their outing to the Beach - looks like they had a great time!

Frumhouse from Little Frum House On The Prairie has some pretty photos in her post Rainy Days, go have a look!

Sarah over at Sarah's Images presents us with Phone Pics: Kite Surfers.

After spending the first 21 years of my life in Melbourne, I can't ever remember the sky so blue in winter. Amazing weather! Enjoy!

Israel In Photos shares more great snaps in Images of Israel and Images of Safed, beautiful!

Psychotoddler shares with us his only in Israel experiences in; Only in Israel #1, Only in Israel #2, Only in Israel #3, Only in Israel #4, Only in Israel #5.

Tamara Eden presents us with My Achey Breaky...LEGS and also Yes, This Really is a New Blog Post... which has some very cute photos! :)

Therapydoc has some good pics in his post The 4th Carnival of All Substances-Therefore, Choose. . .

And last but not least, we say good bye to another Jblogger Sara With No H. She shares her final blog thoughts with us in It's been an Experience.

Oh and in case you missed it, I also posted Through The Stormy Clouds a few days back, check it out if you haven't already.

That's it for another fortnight, thanks to all who submitted their posts, I hope you enjoy the round up.

It is about time some new people put their hand up to host an edition of JPix, if you would like to host an edition of JPix you can contact BagelBlogger here.

And don't forget to submit your or someone else's photo posts to be in the next edition of JPix!!

Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

Fishing.... For Submissions!

2007-08-29T09:02:00.000+10:00

A couple more photos from our trip. I guess you could say they are fishing... and so am I - for submissions for JPIX! :)

JPix is due up on Thursday and I am hosting! If you have any photo posts you would like included please submit them. If you see any photo posts from other bloggers while you are blog visiting, feel free to submit them too.

I have had a quick browse of the submissions so far and it looks like this edition will be a particularly good one. Besides making sure you submit your photo posts please also check back on Thursday for the JPix round up!

For those who are wondering what JPix is...
"Simply put JPix is a carnival for Jews and their pictures, it doesn't necessarily have to be that 'joyous expression of art' which photography can capture, it doesn't have to be just about photos of Eretz Israel, though they are most welcome, its not even about communicating some deep spiritual meaning in a long photo essay, although that's alright too, its about two things. You're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, wether they be family, historical, artful, funny, quirky its about sharing."

Now I need to get to it and put all the great submissions I have so far together - don't forget to submit if you have a post!

.... Just another day ....

Through The Stormy Clouds

2007-08-23T09:46:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been really busy working over the last couple of weeks. Part of my work included driving 2 hours on Sunday to deliver a package. Considering once I would get there it would take 10 minutes to drop off the package, I decidnger to take the whole family - we don't go on day trips very often.

It ended up being a really nice trip, the girls were so well behaved in the back seat for 2 hours and I dropped off the package with no problems at all - I didn't even get lost! Earlier on Sunday we had visitors and we didn't get to leave for our trip until 2pm, so we arrived to drop off the package at about 4 pm. At 4pm on a Sunday afternoon there are no shops open or anything like that, so we decided to take the girls down to the forshore to have a look at the boats.

The sun was setting and looked so pretty shimmering on the water, the breeze was getting colder and stronger by the minute, but I did manage to get out of the warm car and take some photos which I have posted some of today and will post a few more over the next couple of days. Enjoy!

.... Just another day ....

Still Around

2007-08-21T18:51:00.000+10:00

It would be nice to just go out for a coffee and sit back and relax, but things have been so hectic over the last couple of weeks - hence the lack of blogging. Work, work, work, and no play!

Anyway, with a couple of days off I am hoping to get a few more posts up - we will see what happens.

.... Just another day ....

The 13th Edition of JPix Is Up!

2007-08-03T16:09:00.000+10:00

The 13th edition of JPix is up over at BagelBlogger!

Be sure to go over and have a look at all the wonderful links, as always there are tonnes of great photos to check out.

Well done to Aaron on another fabulous edition!

Make sure you submit your blog photo post to the next edition of JPix - Jewish photo carnival using the carnival submission form. If you don't submit, you probably won't be in it (unless someone else submits for you!)

Have a great weekend!

.... Just another day ....

Get You Submission In For Fridays JPix!!

2007-08-01T19:26:00.000+10:00

It is JPix time again! On Friday (3rd of August) Mr Bagel will be hosting the 13th Edition of JPix .
SO, do you have any photos you have taken and posted recently?? Submit your photo post to JPix or if you have photos that you have been meaning to post, now is the time to do it - just don't forget to submit to JPix!

Once you have submitted your photo posts to JPix don't forget to pop over to Mr Bagel on Friday to check out the round up. If you would like to host an edition of JPix on your blog click here to contact BagelBlogger.

.... Just another day ....

Sorry I haven't Been Around

2007-07-30T09:22:00.000+10:00

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I have been visiting many of your blogs, but don't always have time to leave comments, just like I haven't had much time to write on my blog either. I have been quite busy over the past couple of weeks with a stack of work to do, plus of course house work on top of that - but the days lately have been to nice to stay inside.

The girls have been spending a lot of time playing outside on the swings and in the cubby - it has been such nice warm sunny weather. While they were out playing I discovered the weeping cherry tree is covered in the most beautiful sweet smelling pale pink blossom, so I decided to take a few photos to post - I wish I could share the beautiful fragrance with you too!

Now that the days are so nice, hopefully the nights will start to warm up a bit too!

Also, I just wanted to say Mazel Tov to Sara With No H on the birth of her cute baby girl!

.... Just another day ....

A Frosty Update

2007-07-24T13:17:00.000+10:00

Ok, so I don't live in Canada or the USA in areas where it snows, and for those of you who read this blog and actually live in an area that recieves snow fall you will probably laugh at this post. We just don't get snow where I live, in fact there really isn't many areas in Australia where it does snows, but the other morning it was so cold, we had so much frost on the ground it looked like a thin layer of snow.
When I took the girls down to the bus stop I took my camera with me and took a few quick photos.

Good news is we have had some beautiful sunny days even though we are having really cold nights! Yay!

.... Just another day ....

Welcome to the 12th edition of JPix!

2007-07-20T10:51:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 12th edition of JPix!

This stunning photo is from Yossi at The Next Step...

Sorry this JPix is a day late, it has been a busy kind of week with the girls going back to school after the holidays and Aaron's Birthday on Wednesday (Happy Birthday Mr Bagel! hee hee hee!), I actually forgot about JPix. Anyway, there have been a lot of really good submissions this fortnight, but first lets start with a little bit about what JPix is.

About JPix:
JPix is a fortnightly carnival started by BagelBlogger, for Jewish bloggers and the photos they take. So if you're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, whether they be family, historical, art, funny, quirky, whatever, make sure you get them into the next edition of JPix!

Thank you to all the people who have submitted photos and please remember if you do not submit, you most likely will not be included - I only post what is submitted. (you can submit for other people)

The photos featured here in this post are just a small sample of what you will see in the bloggers posts - you need to click on the links to see all the photos!

The wonderful Submissions!:

Let's get started with Jewish Blogmeister. He presents an unbelieveable view of the flood waters at Great Neck train Station in 'Jewish Blogmiester Exclusive: Pictures from the Flood!'.

Rafi G from Life In Israel has posted a very funny photo in his 'Only in Israel' post. Very cute!

Sara with No H is having trouble sleeping and this fortnight presents us with 'Delirium' - Sara, you better get used to not getting much sleep! :P Also check out more great shots from sara in 'Losing my Memories...'

I know I usually rant and rave about A Simple Jew's Black and White photos, but this one has to be one of the best of his I have seen - 'Black & White Picture Of The Week - Matryoshka Cross Section', beautiful! ASJ also posted an amazing photo by Yehoshua Halevi/Golden Light Images have a look at it in ASJ's post 'Song Of Ascent'.

Israel In Photos have some great posts up full of beautiful photos, but their most recent is 'Rosh HaNikra ' and the picture are stunning as usual!

Batya seemed to be missing Israel even before she left! She presents us with some lovely photos of trees in Israel in 'Eretz Yisrael Yaffah, The Land of Israel is Beautiful!' and also 'Fighting the Heat'. She also shares some great snaps in 'Jerusalem, again, busy day!' and she speaks up in 'I didn't have to "stand for it" and other Jerusalem adventures'.

Sarah at Sarah's View has posted some great examples of the cold and foggy weather us Aussies are enduring at the moment in 'Sites Obscured' Brrrrr! She also posts some warmer photos of her trip to the US in 'City Square'.

David at Temunot has come up with a really cool idea - 'Where in Israel', he post a photo or two from locations in Israel and we have to work out where the picture was taken. Go and have a look at the first 'Where in Israel?' and the second - 'Where in Israel 2'. We don't normally include videos in JPix but David submitted one this fortnight which I certainly feel is worth including and that is in his post 'It Only Takes 11 Minutes - Sderot', it gives us just a little insight into the terror Sderot faces.

Mottel from Letters Of Thought is pretty busy at the moment and didn't get around to submitting this fortnight, and I no longer search for submissions myself, but because Mottel is a regular submitter to JPix I just wanted to point out two of his latest posts 'The Roving Rabbis And The Roving Doctor' and 'A Story of Two Mezuzos' which include some really cool photos, do take a look.

Aaron has just gone off at me for not including some of my own posts so if you want you can click here to see them - 'Relax...' and 'Under Construction' or just scroll down the page a bit!

That's it for the 12th edition of JPix, I hope you have enjoyed it and sorry again for being a bit late.

If you would like to host an edition on your blog click here to contact BagelBlogger. It is really quite easy and fun to host and I believe a host is needed for the next edition.

July 05, 2007 Baleboosteh

Jun 22, 2007	Mr Bagel
Jun 06, 2007	Letters of Thought
May 24, 2007	Life in Israel
May 10, 2007	Temunot
Apr 26, 2007	Baleboosteh
Apr 12, 2007	Baleboosteh
Mar 26, 2007	Life of Rubin Blog
Mar 11, 2007	me-ander
Feb 26, 2007	Bagel Blogger
Feb 08, 2007	Bagelblogger

And don't forget to submit your or someone else's photo posts to be in the next edition of JPix!!

Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

The 50,000 Edition Of Haveil Havalim Is Up At Yid With Lid!!

2007-07-16T13:21:00.000+10:00

Yid With Lid has done a wonderful job of putting together a giant sized 50,000th edition of Haveil Havalim. Make sure you pop on over to YWL and check it out...

If you are wondering why this edition of HH - formerly known as the '125th edition', is now known as the 50,000th edition , well, that is because it was recently Sammy's 50th Birthday and this HH post is the 1000th post on his blog! So 50 x 1000 = 50,000 and hence the 50,000th edition... anyway if you go over and take a look you will know what I am talking about!

Happy Birthday Sammy! ....And Mazel Tov on 1000 posts!

.... Just another day ....

Relax...

2007-07-14T14:16:00.000+10:00

The gently tapered wings of swift lake swallows, cut
through the air like soft whispering sighs, while they
dart in and out of a clustered hovering mass of
mayflies, that drift just inches above the shimmering lake
that reflects the orange hued light of the setting sun.

On a floating dock, worn in spots by the rubbing of
moored boats, I sit in a weathered adirondack chair
with the purpose of only to relax to the rhythmic
rocking caused by small rolling waves from cruising
pleasure boats, with people waving as they pass by.

Looking down through the clear jade tinted waters
I notice the octagonal amber markings on a small box turtle
that seems to be ambling, rather than swimming through
the still water as it passes by, seemingly without a care
for anything but its mysterious unknown destination.

These moments pass fleetingly, but remain ingrained in
my mind for those times where I feel the sides pressing
in, my escape is into these simple moments, where all that
the world requires of you is to sit back and take in what
is offered, without asking for anything in return.

by James Bowie

.... Just another day ....

Under Construction

2007-07-10T14:15:00.000+10:00

It seems the cold weather has brought our landlords building activites to a holt. The old wheel barrow and cement mixer just sit in the rain now where they were left one warm day long ago.

It is the second week of school holidays here right now and the whole family is sick. We all seem to have some sort of flu, Jade has had it for over two weeks now and Amber still hasn't kicked it since her stay in hospital. It doesn't really make fun school holidays for the girls.

I am looking forward to warmer weather when the kids can go outside to play and not get sick from the cold. I never thought I would say this, but.... bring back summer!

.... Just another day ....

JPix - The 11th Edition!

2007-07-05T11:59:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 11th edition of JPix!

A view of the country near Bantam, Connecticut

'Picture of the week' - Letters Of Thought

JPix is a fortnightly carnival started by BagelBlogger, for Jewish bloggers and the photos they take. So if you're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, whether they be family, historical, art, funny, quirky, whatever, make sure you get them into the next edition of JPix!

Thank you to all the people who have submitted photos/posts and secondly I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

The photos featured here in this post are just a small sample of what you will see in the bloggers posts - you need to click on the links to see all the photos!

Let's Get Straight Into It!...
No one takes black and white photos like A Simple Jew. He has a special talent and an eye for beauty like no other 'Jblogger photographer'. This fortnight he presents to us two beautiful black and white photo posts 'Winter Shadow' and 'Wrinkles'. I hear he has broken his camera, lets hope he gets a new one real soon!
He has also posted 'More Through The Eyes Of A Space Cadet' - not black and white photos, but an example of ASJ's creativity and talent in taking beautiful colour photographs too.

Muse over at Shiloh Musings shares with us 'Just wondering...'. Have you seen the size of the Arab mansions lately? Or have you seen just how many are being built? Muse wonders just how big it will end up being? And I think that is a really good question!
With a rough start to her trip it seems Muse had a big day in 'South of Jerusalem Is...'.
Make sure you pop over and have a look at all the photos she posted of the day, and while you are there, Muse has another wonderful post 'What a beautiful Land!'. She wonders why anyone would ever want to travel away. Beautiful it is!

Little Frumhouse on The Prairie has some gorgeous snaps posted in ' North Park Village Nature Center' and also 'Montrose Harbor'. If you love stunning scenery and pretty flowers you should really take a look! I love the Harbor photos, very soothing.

Personally, I think Mottel from Letters of Though takes the most breathtaking landscape and scenery photos, and he has done it again with 'White Memorial Photo Essay', photos from his trip to the White Memorial park and also in 'The Farm' which he visited after White Memorial park.
It seems Mottel has been travelling a bit lately, I believe he is staying in 'Litchfield' for a few days.

Sarah over at Sarah's Images presents us with an interesting photo post of 'Still Life: Summer Scent' and also a colourful photo from downtown LA - 'Garment District'.

Seems David over at Temunot is 'Driving his Wife Crazy' after the adventure they went on to return a hire car in Israel!
If you are looking to take on a challenging team in ten pin bowling ...just ask 'Team Linn'! They are defiantly up to the challenge in 'Bowled Over'. Very cute!
David has another beautiful picture in 'No Fancy Title, Just the Kotel' - he's right, it needs no fancy title, the picture speaks for itself.

SoccerDad points out some 'Yerushalayim anamolies' in a great photo post. I am guessing these are photos he took on his recent trip to Israel?

Pity I wasn't quicker in visiting Cosmic X this week, I might have been the winner of this weeks 'Mystery Tree' - it is the first one I have known! Jacob seems to be getting all Cosmic X's competitions right at the moment, he also got the 'Blood And Cola' one right too! Cosmic X also has another photo post - 'Death To Capitalism!', see what it is that Cosmic X is sure the Stock Exchange members would be on the run from!

SWFM has a very calming set of photos posted - 'Beauty and the Beach', make sure you hit play on the piano music too!

Batya at Me-Ander presents us with 'Shavua tov, what's new?' - seems she is as quick as a flash with her camera!
She has also posted a stunning dawn shot in her post 'Gentle Dawn' - really pretty, have a look.

Last of all, don't forget to have a look at the photos I posted this week of the local foreshore and also of my little angel and 'The Fluffy Bunny'.

That's it for the 11th edition of JPix, I hope you have enjoyed it.

If you would like to host an edition on your blog click here to contact BagelBlogger. It is really quite easy and fun to host and I believe a host is needed for the next edition.

And don't forget to submit your photo posts to be in the next edition of JPix!!

Past editions can be found at:

Jun 22, 2007	Mr Bagel
Jun 06, 2007	Letters of Thought
May 24, 2007	Life in Israel
May 10, 2007	Temunot
Apr 26, 2007	Baleboosteh
Apr 12, 2007	Baleboosteh
Mar 26, 2007	Life of Rubin Blog
Mar 11, 2007	me-ander
Feb 26, 2007	Bagel Blogger
Feb 08, 2007	Bagelblogger

.... Just another day ....

8 Things About Me

2007-07-04T12:39:00.000+10:00

I have been tagged by MizEllie, Jewish Blogmeister and Batya to do this meme, so, I guess it is about time I did it!

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

So, here are my 8 things, some of which you may or may not know about me already.

1. I was very naughty and rebellious in High School which resulted in being suspended on many different occasions.

2. I have lived in 15 different houses in 2 different states and would love to not have to move ever again.

3. I was the lead singer and guitarist in a reasonably well know Melbourne 4 piece grunge/punk band for 4 years (1994-98).

4. I used to regularly pierce my nose and lips with just a few ice cubes and a large tapestry needle.

5. I was invited to compete at state level swimming when I was 6 years old. I didn't because I was to shy and now looking back, I wish my parents had encouraged me more to do it.

6. Although I was raised as an only child and have always thought of myself as an only child, I actually have 2 older half sisters who I have never met.

7. I trained at a very strict karate dojo for about 4 years and with a lot of hard work gained my purple belt (7th 0f 9 belts) and was in training for my brown belt when I moved away and never took it up again.

8. My husband and I have known each other since I was a very little girl (our parents were friends) - When I was about 3 I remember hoping to marry someone like him when I grew up!

That ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would be! I know a lot of people have already done this meme, so I tag anyone who has not already done it who wants to do it.

.... Just another day ....

The Fluffy Bunny

2007-07-02T14:54:00.000+10:00

Ruby, Mum's little angel will go nowhere without her fluffy bunny. Even if we are going to the bus stop to pick up the girls after school... bunny has to come, if we go shopping... bunny has to come. Where ever we go... bunny has to come. It makes me wonder what will happen if bunny ever gets worn out...

Also, don't forget I am hosting JPix on Thursday, please make sure you submit your photo posts as I will not have time to search for extra posts. If you do not submit, you will not be included.

You can submit your photo posts here.

If you would like to host an edition of JPix please contact Mr Bagel.

.... Just another day ....

Re-floating The Pasha Bulker

2007-06-30T13:42:00.000+10:00

Since June the 8th the Pasha Bulker has become a household name in Australia. What is the Pasha Bulker?? It is a 76,741 tonne 225-metre long bulk carrier which ran aground 20m off Newcastle's Nobby's Beach during a storm on June 8. Since then there have been many plans for re-floating the enormous coal freighter, even talk at one stage of dismantling the ship.

The ship was emptied of any cargo after it ran aground, although it does contain around 700 tonnes of fuel oil, 38 tonnes of diesel and 40 tonnes of lube oil, which if released could cause a major ecological disaster. Although there is no signs of fuel leaks at the moment, the outer shell of the ship's double hull has a crack.

The Pasha Bulker has drawn huge crowds to Nobby's beach over recent weeks, everyone wanting to have a look at the unusual sight of such a big ship so close up on the sand.

The first attempt to pull the Pasha Bulker back to sea began on Thursday night in heavy seas, high winds and sheeting rain. Three of the six steel salvage cables linking tugboats to the ship snapped and the attempt was aborted.

The cables were to be reattached by helicopter and apparently they will be making the second attempt to pull the carrier out tonight. Meteorologists say the Newcastle coast will face strong west/south westerly winds up to 65km/h on Saturday and south/south easterly waves up to three metres high. The salvage team is believed to be working in a window of favourable tides that will end on July 4.

Since I live nowhere near Newcastle, I obviously cannot take my own photos to post, so I am posting some photos that have featured in the Sydney Morning Herald - it is quite an incredible sight.

I wonder if tonight's re-float attempt will be more successful than the last one.

***UPDATE***: On posting this post, news has just come in that tonights re-float attempt has been put off now until tommorrow night.

.... Just another day ....

A Few Days In Hospital

2007-06-29T15:24:00.000+10:00

I have had a few emails from people wondering if everything is ok. Yes, everything is ok now. I have just come home after spending a lovely couple of nights at the local hospital - no I am not sick, it was Amber.

Amber suffers from croup quite a bit. As you all know she has had some quite serious heart problems, she suffers from Asthma and due to the distance from home to the hospital we just can't take any chances with her. I knew the other night she had croup and had given her medication for it, but when she woke up at about 8pm with purple lips, totally gasping for breath and in a real panic we decided to call an ambulance to take her to hospital. I stayed with her in hospital and the first night I think we ended up getting about 1 hour of sleep. She was quite sick - they ended up giving her Adrenalin which was rather scary.

Anyway, we have just got home, and to prove just how obsessed I am with blogging.... well here I am telling you about it! So, to the people who have emailed worried about where I am - that's what happened!

I have also posted some photos today of the inlet near where I live, no particular reason, mainly because I didn't expect to end up typing so much and I like photos! Lol!

Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

12 Months Down The Track

2007-06-24T14:40:00.000+10:00

A whole year has now passed since I started this blog. In many ways it seems so much longer ago, but in other ways it seems like only yesterday.

There have been so many things that have happened in that 12 months that I have posted - the thousands of images I posted in the 'Images of War' series during the Israel-Lebanon war, Amber's operations, loads of photos I have taken, the Australian drought, the kids birthdays, a few editions of both JPix and KCC, and just day to day events.

Also in that time I have managed to win a People's Choice Award at Israel Forum and a silver JIB Award, I have also had more than 30,000 hits to the site, which really just blows me away.

I just wanted to say thankyou to all the people who read my blog and especially to those who are regulars, apart from a couple of incidents, blogging has been quite enjoyable and I have met a number of really nice people (and some not so nice too!). I don't know how long this blogging thing will go on for for me personally but we will see how we go.

Thanks to all who have contributed to a really enjoyable blogging experience!

On another note, I have been tagged to do a couple of meme's in the last couple of days, one from Yid With Lid and one from Mizellie. Unfortunately, I am going to have to politely bow out for the time being as I am currently sick with some sort of stomach bug and plan on having the next few days off resting. Sorry guys, nothing personal, you both know I think the world of you - maybe next time, you know I love meme's!

.... Just another day ....

JPix 10 Up Now At Bagelblogger - it's Enormous!!

2007-06-22T10:35:00.000+10:00

Home 2005

courtesy of The Next Step

JPix 10 - Up Now At Bagelblogger!

Jpix edition number 10 is up over at BagelBlogger and what a huge edition it is!

Now, I know Aaron spent a hell of a lot of time putting together all the submitted links and as I said to him, all that time and effort has really paid off - he truly has done a wonderful job so do make sure you pop over and have a gander. There are so many beautiful photos to have a look at!

Is it just me or does each eddition just keep getting bigger and better?

Looks like I have my work cut out for me, I am hosting next fortnight! I love putting JPix together so make sure you submit your blog article to the next edition of JPix - Jewish photo carnival using the carnival submission form.

Have a great weekend!

.... Just another day ....

The Kosher Cooking Carnival's 19th Edition!

2007-06-21T13:21:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 19th Edition of the
Kosher Cooking Carnival.

The Kosher Cooking Carnival is a monthly treat of kosher blog posts from all over the blogosphere. KCC is not just recipes - any post that relates to kosher eating will be included and guest-hosts are welcome.

Here's the list of the previous KCC's: KCC #1, KCC #2, KCC #3, KCC #4, KCC #5, KCC #6, KCC #7, KCC #8, KCC #9, KCC #10, KCC #11, KCC #12, KCC #13, KCC #14, KCC #15, KCC #16, KCC #17 and KCC #18.

Now, lets get straight into it. I hope I haven't left anyone out, if I have, I apologise in advance.

The best way to start the day is with a good healthy breakfast....

If you are looking for a Very simple, no sugar breakfast, it seems Batya has the answer!

Thanks to Batya's persistance, Cosmic X has proven he is quite the wiz in the kitchen with his Za'atar Eggs.

The Chocolate Lady came across some ladies in the street preparing Zongzi, she has posted a great photo post of the process as well as recipe links.

Need some help with your Challah? Juggling Frogs can help with their post Virtual Challah Lesson: Step-by-step instructions for making challah, recipe and photos.

I'm a biologist speaks of 'My First Carnival' and shares a great recipe for a 'light and springy' challah.

Soccer Dad also presents us with a challah post in The 6 Braided Challah with great before and after pics too!

Frugal Journey shares with us a recipe from her Mother In Law, Fancy Orzo, Bubby Style and also gives us a great bruschetta recipe to make out of left over stale bread!

Batya has a quick and easy recipe up over at Me-Ander for Presto-- PESTO!! Sounds delicious, and so easy to make!

I'm a Biologist has a very interseting post Adjusting to Israeli Cooking after making Aliyah, the post includes a lovely Tuna Pashtida recipe too. Yum!

A Mother In Israel presents us with two great posts - A Cooking Legacy and also Homemaking Goddess, make sure you check them both out.

Shoshana over at YeSHEvish has a mouth watering Cheese Cake recipe...Yum!

Tamara Eden shares an interesting story with us in My Melons - great photos too!

Whilst browsing the blogosphere I came across a great recipe at Gluten Free By The Bay, Reduced Fat Cheesy Baked Ziti. I believe they made it for Shavuot, but as they said, it can be made any day and it is reduced fat which is a bonus!

The Jewish Life has a topical post in Baked Beans with Pork Labeled Kosher - Oops! and also shares with us a delicious recipe in Easy Three Bean Salad.

The Perfect Pantry discusses Kosher Salt, an interesting post which also includes a recipe for Moroccan Eggplant Salad.

Rafi G at Life In Israel puts forward some interesting points in 'Is one hechsher better than the next?'

Jewish Blogmeister has an interesting post - 5 Towns Restaurant Update: Goodbye Dougies? and also has started a new segment Best in Kosher Food : Dietetic! and Best in Kosher Food : Dietetic III.

Soccer Dad thinks his daughter may be a chocoholic... 4 signs my 5 year old is a chocoholic.

Andrea over at Wise Bread gives us plenty of reasons and methods for giving up caffeine.

Are you a salad lover? Batya over at Me-Ander discusses salads for all seasons in Seasonal Salads.

Batya also proves why we have to be so careful and ask what is in the food we eat in her post Hidden: Dairy, Meat and Traif.

I would also like to point out that KCC now has an entry in Wikipedia! You can check it out here.

That's it for this months edition of the KCC, I hope everyone has enjoyed it!

If you'd like to host an edition, please contact Batya at shilohmuse at yahoo dot com, Batya is looking for a host for the next edition of KCC due in July in particular.

Send your kosher food links to shilohmuse at yahoo dot com or via blog carnival, since this carnival is based primarily on submitted contributions, not searches. And please don't forget to remind your readers to visit and try out the recipes.

Happy reading... and cooking!

.... Just another day ....

Nationwide Manhunt For Christopher Wayne Hudson

2007-06-19T09:47:00.000+10:00

pictures from yesterdays Flinders Lane shootings scene from the Herald-Sun

I wrote briefly about the Flinders Lane shootings in Melbourne CBD which occurred yesterday morning. This has been a huge story Australia wide, it is in all the newspapers and on all the news programs. This morning more information about the shooter and his victims is in the newspapers.

Police suspect Hells Angels motorcycle gang member, Christopher Wayne Hudson (left) is the man they are looking for. Police have also stated that Hudson has a fairly extensive criminal history and no one should approach him.
Police have stated they have found Hudson's 2002 black Honda CRV which was parked only four blocks from the shooting scene. They are now looking for the other vehicle owned by Hudson - a 2003 black Mercedes sedan with Victorian registration UTA 879.

Being a gang member, police say Hudson has criminal friends in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. I would say that right now he really could be anywhere.

As for the victims, it has been revealed that the 24 year old woman shot is a Sydney travel agent and former model Kara Douglas, also known as Kaera. She is currently in Royal Melbourne Hospital fighting for her life. Apparently she was a friend of the exotic dancer who was punched in the face just before the shooting by the same man.

The second victim, Solicitor Brendan Keilar (left), 43, who died at the scene yesterday was the father of three young children aged 8, 6 and 4 years old.
I feel so sad for this man and his family, he was just trying to do the right thing in helping a woman in trouble and for that he has lost his life and his wife and children are left with no husband or father. Very sad.

Police have revealed that the third victim, a passerby that came to the aid of Kara Douglas as she was being pulled out of a taxi by the hair is in fact a Dutch backpacker. He is in hospital fighting for his life. Apparently family are on the way to Melbourne from Amsterdam.

Just on the news update, police have announced a nation wide manhunt for Christopher Hudson. Let's hope they find him real quick.

*** Comments for this post have now been turned off ***

**UPDATE**: This post has been re-posted on the Wanted Criminals site for anyone wanting to leave comments on the topic (30/06/07)

.... Just another day ....

Melbourne's Flinders Lane Shooting

2007-06-18T20:56:00.000+10:00

It is days like this I am glad we live in the country. Since we moved away from living as inner city as you possibly could in Sydney, the city has become a very scary place - so many more violent robberies, car jacking's and shootings including drive by's, which were basically unheard of when we lived in the city 7 years ago.

This morning there was a shooting in Melbourne CBD. Three people were shot, a woman and two men. Apparently the gunman grabbed the woman out of a taxi by the neck and hair when two by standers came to her aid, they along with the woman, were all shot at point blank range. One man, a 43 year old lawyer died at the scene, while the woman and other man were critically injured and underwent surgery today.
Police believe the 24 year old woman knew the gunman and it was a domestic related attack, not random. The gunman is said to have fled the scene up Flinders Street towards the Flinders Street train station. Police cordoned off a number of streets, but if he got on one of those trains at Flinders Street he would have been out of the area in minutes.

I have been reading about it and watching the news a lot today. I know incidents like this one can happen anywhere, but, it just makes me think how lucky we are here to not have to worry so much about things like that when we go down the street here in our quiet little country town... hence today's 'country shots'.

.... Just another day ....

Free Gilad Shalit - A New Blog

2007-06-18T10:28:00.000+10:00

Almost a year has past now and still there is no word of the release of Gilad Shalit, who as we all know to well was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on the 26th June 2006.

Mr Bagel has started a new group blog - Free Gilad Shalit. So far, there are a few authors including Evan, Elaine, Muse, Rafi G, Jerusalem Joe, Meryl Yourish, Mr Bagel and myself.

The site will be dedicated to news, stories and pictures about freeing Gilad. If you've written a poem, or short story and would like to publish on the site please send your copy to GiladShalitFree or send an email to join the blogroll of people who actively support Freeing Gilad Shalit.

Gilad Shalit's kidnapping and captivity is simply not a priority to mainstream world media anymore, some people have forgotten, some people are more focused on other terrorist kidnappings such as that of the BBC reporter, hopefully this site will help bring back awareness to some and remind people that Gilad is still, 12 months later, being held against his will.

Please do have a look at the site, feel free to join the blogroll, add the small banner to your blog sidebar or leave a comment.

.... Just another day ....

So Much...But So Little??

2007-06-16T20:23:00.000+10:00

I don't have much to blog about at the moment... Amber is over her stomach bug and I got a new (second hand) car yesterday which I am ecstatic about - a big thank you to my wonderful husband Aaron who went all the way to Sydney on the bus at 5am to pick it up and then drove 6 or 7 hours home in torrential down pour the whole way home.... Ahh, I am a lucky girl!

For some reason I feel like there is so much going on at the moment, just nothing worth blogging about, I mean really, who wants to hear about uploading new websites for work and housework?? So for now, I am posting some more photos which I took a couple of weeks ago of the inlet at the next town along from our little town. I have recently posted photos of the bridge there which were also taken on the same day, you can see them here.

On another topic, Batya over at Me-Ander is holding a little guessing competition. Seems she came face to face in the street with a famous JBlogger. Now I haven't a clue who it is, but, she did say if the post was linked to she would give more clues...so...MORE CLUES PLEASE Batya!! :D

.... Just another day ....

Extreme Conditions - The Coldest Day On Record!

2007-06-13T13:50:00.000+10:00

It is the coldest day on record here today. When I went shopping this morning right after I dropped Jade off at school (amber is home sick at the moment) it was only 2 degrees! It is freezing!... well it is freezing by my standards anyway, which I might add, has got me thinking. If it is only 2 degrees and I consider it freezing, how on earth would I manage to live somewhere where it snows?? I complain about the cold - and we don't even get snow! I don't think it helps that we live on the very top of a rather large hill - right on the ridge and it gets very, very windy up here, and the wind is...well, freezing!

Maybe I just can't handle extreme conditions - and I say that with a certain level of sarcasm. I mean, I can't handle the heat when it's summer - anything above 30 degrees is a heatwave for me, and I can't handle the cold either...maybe I was just born to kvetch?! If I wasn't, Aaron certainly was, geez, anyone got some ear plugs? He just said he is thinking of setting himself on fire he is so cold! Lol!

Anyway, today I am posting some photos I took of Ruby (3yrs) at the playground in the next town when we went a few days ago - that was a sunny day!

Ok, I can't feel my fingers anymore so thats it from me today.

.... Just another day ....

Another Year Goes By - Happy Birthday...

2007-06-11T11:32:00.000+10:00

Another year goes by... you are missed terribly.
Happy Birthday Mum.

The finger painted photo frame above was made by my Mum when she was in kindergarden as a present for my Grandmother, the photo is of my Mum when she was about 4 years old (about 1953).

.... Just another day ....

Paris Hilton Should Be Sent Back To Jail...

2007-06-08T14:07:00.000+10:00

Paris Hilton Should Be Sent Back To Jail...

and that is about all I can manage to say with out getting totally annoyed about the whole saga. Sent home from jail after only 72 hours of her sentence is just unbelieveable.

I read that she has another court appearence at 9am pacific time Friday, I hope the judge returns her to jail to serve the remainder of her sentence just like any other 'normal', non celebrity would have to. What a joke this makes of the justice system!

Anyway, that is all I will say about it or else I will go on a hour long rant. It seems there are a lot of people who disagree with her being released, here are some of the comments from readers of Sydneys Daily Telegraph.

"Paris has been crying on the phone, saying she's not sleeping or eating. Paris says her cell is 'freezing cold'. She has three little blankets and no pillow. She's using one of the blankets as a pillow. The room is bright and jail noise echoes through her space," What the hell did she expect??!!!!!! Its' JAIL.. What a princess.

Posted by: Krissy K of ACT 10:53am today

Money talks, nothing new there. But do the US authorities realise what a precedent they have set? Every spoilt rich kid or Hollywood starlet will throw a hissy fit each time they get booked and get away scot free. What if she breaks the rules yet again and goes off driving and this time kills some poor unfortunate soul? Will the surname and daddy's money save her again? She should go back into the jail cell and be treated like every other inmate there. Her sobbing and cracking up only shows what a hollow, shallow and weak person she is... Her parents should spend their money getting the best shrink in the US to straighten their brat's brains out instead of buying her yet nother expensive toy. Michelle, Sydney

Posted by: Michelle of Sydney 10:46am today

How does Paris Hilton rock???? She's a skank who's only fame has been an absolute farce of a tv show, a sex tape, and a disgusting beer advert. If she had killed people whilst driving drunk, would she get the same compassion from you??? It's not that I'm surprised that she got off easy, I just can't believe how anyone would think she rocks.

Posted by: rob of sydney 10:45am today

She is an embarassment to the human race.

Posted by: Grant of Brisbane 10:45am today

Nobody should be above the law!

Posted by: James of Hornsby 10:35am today

She should recieve the same treatment/sentence as any other person would.

Shabbat Shalom!
Have a great weekend!

.... Just another day ....

The First Rain In Almost 4 Months!

2007-06-07T16:46:00.000+10:00

It is raining!! I can't believe it is finally raining!

I have posted a number of times in the past months about the drought Australia is going through. It has been ages since it rained, I think my post back in Feburary - A Drink For The Land was the last real rain we had, and that really says something considering we have just come out of Autumn and are in our first week of winter.

I know it will be cold tonight, but by the time I have finished this post I am sure the rain will most likely be over. Oh well, at least I know what I will be doing tonight while I am rugged up in front of the nice cozy fire... reading the latest edition of JPix! Mottel over at Letters of Thought has done a wonderful job of putting together all the latest photo posts of the JBlogosphere to present us with the ninth edition of JPix.

Next fortnight Mr Bagel will be hosting the tenth edition of JPix, if you have any photo posts be sure to submit them to be included in the next edition.

If you are interested in hosting an edition of JPix you can contact Mr Bagel here openings to host have usually been booked months in advanced. At the moment there's two openings in the near future (JPix 12 and JPix 13). If you have been thinking of submitting your photos, well do it, and if you already are a carnival participant then its time to think about hosting an edition of JPix, it is really quite simple.

Oh and by the way... I think the rain has stopped already!

.... Just another day ....

Local Aboriginal Wall Painting

2007-06-05T11:31:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I posted some photos from the next 'much bigger' town along from our little town. Well today I am posting some photos I took two weeks ago from the 'next bigger town' but in the opposite direction of yesterdays town... if that makes any sense at all. What I mean is yesterdays town is south of our little town and this one I am posting today is north of our little town, wow it is really hard to describe these towns without naming them!

Anyway, while Mr bagel was at an appointment, I decided to take Ruby for a walk and take some photos while we waited for him. There is a nice little park with big fig trees down next to the river and bridge where I thought I would take her to play for a while. When we arrived we discovered you can actually walk under the bridge. I was quite surprised to see that the walls under the bridge were covered in Aboriginal paintings rather than horrible, ugly, graffiti you would normally see in the city. There is a large number of Aboriginals that live in our area and they have obviously been very busy painting at some stage - I am not sure how long the paintings have been there although they do not look 'new'.

On a whole different topic now... I wanted to remind everyone that Week 2 of the JBlog Bunch series is up over at BagelBlogger. I think the names belonging to each photo will be revealed in the coming days so make sure you pop over and have a go before it finishes!

.... Just another day ....

Water Under The Bridge

2007-06-04T13:47:00.001+10:00

Just thought I would post a few photos which I took last week while I was in town. This is not the two head town I live in, it is the next town along - the 'much bigger' town of a whopping 3000 people rather than 300 people.

This 'much bigger' town is actually really pretty and is really, really, busy during summer with loads of tourists around. This is the town that we actually wanted to live in when we first planned on moving down here from Sydney, but it is really hard to find rental properties here so we moved to where we are now. I think our experience of living down here would have been a whole lot different if we had have moved to this 'bigger' town - it seems to be a whole different world to the town we live in. Won't be long now before we are out of here anyway.

Even though it is winter now and the water in the photos above is quite dark blue and look freezing, during the warmer months the water is an incredible bright turquiose colour and is always crystal clear, really beautiful. I remember the first time I went across this bridge while on holidays from Sydney 7 years ago. It was the turquoise water that made me think how beautiful it was here and how nice it would be to live here and raise children.

In the past 7 years I have driven across this bridge soooo many times and even when the weather is cold and the water dark, it is still always really beautiful.

.... Just another day ....

Do The Right Thing

2007-06-03T12:33:00.000+10:00

'Do The Right Thing', Taken at the local primary school

My one week blogging break is over, it was actually really good too, not that I did anything really exciting, but it was nice to be away from my blog and the blogosphere for a while. I actually felt happier last week not blogging than I have been feeling while blogging. I did manage to get a few mundane chores done though which is good. I also went out a bit and took some photos too, which I will hopefully post some time in the near future.

The only thing that happened that is really worth talking about is that Amber had an appointment with her heart specialist last week. It is a 3 hour drive to get there, which is a long way with little kids, and of course then it is another 3 hours back again. The good news is that she is off another of the medications she was put on after her heart surgery and by the end of this month will be off all the medications she was put on last December. She will only be on Asprin and will stay on it, basically forever. Her specialist was very pleased with how she is going, thank goodness!

The other thing I want to remind people about is that JPix is due up at Letters Of Thought this Thursday the 7th of June. If you have posted anything with photos you have taken and would like to submit it to be included in JPix, you can submit it here. If you don't submit your articles, they may not be included so it is important to remember to submit!

We are also looking for a host for the next edition of JPix, so if you are interested in hosting on the 21st June please let us know here. I can't host the next JPix as I have already committed to hosting KCC on that day.

As for todays photos, there is no other reason that I am posting photos of rubbish bins other than I loved the colour of them, they were taken at my daughters school and I thought they looked cute all lined up together and all painted lime green!

.... Just another day ....

Priorities

2007-05-27T20:39:00.000+10:00

I must admit, I am a bit 'over' blogging right now. I don't know that it is as simple as loosing interest, I just feel that right now I have far more important things going on in 'real life' that need more attention and are more important than my blog. Although over the past 11 months of blogging I have met many lovely genuine people, there are many aspects of blogging I just can't be bothered with and sometimes blogging is not as fun as it should be.

Before anyone asks, this is not a goodbye, you can't get rid of me that easily. This is just a post to say I will be back in a week or so... it is all about priorities, and spending time with my girls is far more important than spending time in front of the computer....plus, I have some other work to do at the moment too.

So until then, see you later.

.... Just another day ....

JPix Is Up At Life In Israel!

2007-05-25T09:23:00.000+10:00

JPix is up over at Life In Israel with loads of great photos to go have a look at, so make sure you pop over and take a look. While on the topic of JPix, Mottel from Letters Of Thought will be hosting the next edition in a fortnight so if you have any photo posts be sure to submit them to be included in JPix.

If you are interested in hosting an edition of JPix you can contact Aaron here.

The photos I have posted today are of one of the towns near where I live. I took them on Wednesday while I was out...don't you love the colour of the pub?? I guess the paint must have been cheap!

Well, it looks like it is going to be a beautiful day here today - sure my feet are freezing to the floor, even with my great big thick pink explorer socks on, but outside, the fog is clearing, the dew is melting away and the birds are singing in the beautiful sunshine.... and I have work to do for Shabbat...

Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

.... Just another day ....

JBlog Bunch - Week 2 up Over At BagelBlogger

2007-05-23T09:39:00.000+10:00

Week 2 of the JBlog Bunch series is up over at BagelBlogger.

This week is a little harder than last week, seems Mr Bagel has 9 JBlogger photos but has 12 JBlogger links - guess you will just have to try to work out who is there... and who isn't there!

Here is a little sneak peek at the latest JBlog Bunch....

Who do you recognise in the photos? Is there anyone there that stands out?... Just remember, just because their name/blog is listed doesn't necessarily mean their photo is there!

So anyway, pop over to BagelBlogger and have your say! And while you are there don't forget to check out last weeks answers to these photos...

.... Just another day ....

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2007-05-21T18:17:00.000+10:00

The Barber Shop...drop in and get your mullet trimmed...

I haven't written a post since last Friday, I have been working on another (creative) project that has taken any spare time I have had.

I have been out and about quite a bit over the past couple of days, I took the photo of the Barber shop on the weekend. There has been a few things going on in the blogging world too...

Of course there is the JBlog Bunch contest over at BagelBlogger that I spoke of in my last post. If you haven't been and had a look/guess pop over as the answers will be reveled sometime Monday US (Tuesday Australia & Israel) time and a new JBlog Bunch will be posted ready for linking with the correct blogs.

Kosher Cooking Carnivals 18th edition is up over at Me-Ander. As usual the lovely Batya has done a marvellous job in putting it all together. There are loads of great links, so make sure you go take a look if you haven't already! Also I will be hosting next month so start thinking about any food posts/recipes that you can submit.

Rafi over at Life In Israel is hosting this weeks JPix due out this Thursday 24th. If you have any photo posts that you would like to included please submit them straight away so they can be included! Time is running out!

To all the people who always leave me comments, thankyou and I am sorry I haven't been able to visit so many blogs over the past few days - hopefully I will be able to catch up on everyone in the next few days. Same goes for the emails I still haven't got around to answering - hopefully I will have time to reply real soon.

Last but not least, congratulations to all the people that won a JIB... honestly... and fairly...

.... Just another day ....

The JBlog Bunch - Week One... Who Do you Know??

2007-05-18T13:25:00.000+10:00

Do you know who the JBloggers are in the pictures above??

9 JBloggers Reveal a Photo of themselves!
The Mystery Blogger Series No #1

Bagel Blogger has created a really fun game for JBloggers to see just how well they think they know each other. Week one is already up, so make sure you pop over and have a go... All you have to do is match the 9 JBlogger photos to 9 of the 10 JBlogger blog links. Now that doesn't sound too hard, does it? A few people have already stepped up to the task.

Who can you see there? Can you see Rafi G? Muse? What about Yid With Lid? Or A Simple Jew? Hmmm...

Are you up to the task? Think you know all nine?

Go and leave your answers in the comments section of Mr Bagels post!

I would also like to point out the nice job Mr Bagel did of creating the JBlog Bunch Cartoon picture above... very cute, nice job!

.... Just another day ....

My Inspiration

2007-05-17T09:44:00.000+10:00

Over the past couple of weeks I have had a few people ask me if I am a professional photographer. The answer is quite simple... no... absolutely not.

I do have a passion for photography and have had since I was about 7 or 8 years old. Many members of my family work for the 'Herald-Sun' newspaper in Melbourne. It started with my Grandfather working there, then Dad worked there for almost 30 years holding a rather high position, along with many of my Aunts, Uncles, cousins and even my Mum. There was a joke amongst the workers that the building was really the family mansion because so many of my family worked there and had done so for so long. So, I guess I had an interest in newspapers and photography through family interest for a start. When I was in primary school I had a friend whose Dad was a very well know photographer for 'The Age' newspaper in Melbourne. It was the day that he came and visited my grade 2 class to talk to us about being a photographer for The Age that I became interested in photography myself.

The photo above is a day I clearly remember. It was 1984, John Lamb asked all us kids to sit in a circle and he stood in the middle - spinning around taking photos of us all, showing us how his camera worked and how quickly he could take photos. The photo above is one of those photos (that's me second from the left).

John is one of Melbournes greatest photographers and worked for many, many, years for the Age. He has had a very successful career winning numerous awards. I have found that John no longer works for the Age, apparently he left back in 1998, but, it was only back in March this year he won another award - a Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award

The Melbourne Press Club gave a Lifetime Achievement Award to former Age photographers John Lamb and Bruce Postle, described by the club committee as two of the greatest cameramen in the history of Australian press photography." (that's John on the left)

I believe John now owns and runs a Corporate Photography business and a Family Photography business in bayside Melbourne.

It is kind of strange to think that one visit, from a particular person, to my grade 2 class all those years back, has made such an impact on me.

Maybe one of these days I can spend the time, get the training, develop the skills, work damn hard, put in all the blood, sweat and tears I need to be as good and as successful a photographer as what John is. Maybe...

.... Just another day ....

Moussaka - Vegetarian Eggplant and Cheese Recipe

2007-05-17T08:38:00.000+10:00

MOUSSAKA
(Vegetarian Eggplant & Cheese)

Ingredients:

4 eggplant, - stems removed
2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup oil
4 Cloves garlic, - chopped fine
1/2 cup Tomato sauce
170g Tomato paste
1.5 cups Water
2 Eggs, beaten
225g Mozzarella cheese, grated

Method:

1. Cut each eggplant lengthwise into 3 equal slices. Sprinkle with the salt and let stand for 20
minutes, dry the slices on paper towels to absorb the liquid that accumulates. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan and stir-fry the garlic over moderate heat until golden,
about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water and mix well. Simmer the sauce over low heat until it becomes thickened, about 15 minutes.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in askillet. Dip the eggplant slices into the beaten eggs and fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Fry all the eggplant slices this way.

4. Put a layer of eggplant in a heatproof casserole dish. Cover with about 1/2 cup of the cooked tomato sauce. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese. Cover this another layer of eggplant, then sauce, then cheese. The last layer (there should be three) ends with the cheese. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for 30mins.

Serve warm. Serves 6 with spaghetti or other dishes.

.... Just another day ....

Life In A Non-Bustling Town...

2007-05-16T14:51:00.000+10:00

I just though I would share a few photos of our 'non-bustling' little country town. As you can plainly see it is a hive of activity.... not.

Basically the 'shops' in our town consist of: 2 Timber Slabs shops, both of which are closed unless it is tourist season (1st and 5th photos), A Pub (of course! 2nd photo), a Post Office, 2 Petrol Stations and a Bakery. Plus the Motel, Fire Station and the Primary School. There's not a lot to choose from!

It is not really the most exciting town on the planet, it is kind of cute... if you are passing through, and you pretty much have to drive a long way to see anything exciting. Most of the people that live here have lived here for 30+ years and everyone seems to be related in some way or another...but anyway here are some photos I took this morning after taking the girls to school.

The other thing I wanted to say today is that the Jewish and Israeli Blog Award's voting finishes at 10pm US EDT on the 16th May (which is around 12 lunchtime Thursday 17th for my Aussie readers). I am currently coming 2nd in Best Photo/Graphics Blog - it is really close between 1st, 2nd and 3rd. So with around 18 hours of voting time to go, if you haven't yet voted, now is the time to do it!

If you would like to vote for me in "Best Jewish Photo/Graphics Blog", you can do so here.

.... Just another day ....

JIB Final Round Of Voting

2007-05-16T12:12:00.000+10:00

**This is a sticky post and will remain at the top - normal daily posting below**

It is now JIB voting time again. I have made it to the final round of "Best Jewish Photo/Graphics Blog". I am actually quite amazed that so many people voted for me in the last round and before I ask you all to consider voting for me again, I just wanted to say thankyou to you all, I was quite shocked.

I said in the last round I was not expecting to get through to the finals and I have, well, I will say it again, I am not expecting to win either.

I wish everyone that is in the finals in all categories the very best of luck and I really do hope people vote honestly and fairly - and not just for the people you like, but for the people who are deserving.

If you would like to vote for me in "Best Jewish Photo/Graphics Blog", you can do so here.

While you are there please consider also voting for my husband Mr Bagel in his two categories. He puts a hell of a lot of work into his blog and really is deserving of an award for his time and effort.

Vote 'Bagel Blogger' for "Best Designed Jewish Blog" here

Vote 'Bagel Blogger' for "Best Of The Rest Jewish Blog" here

Please also remember anyone can vote and it is quick and easy - no registration is required.

.... Just another day ....

Yummy Baklava!

2007-05-15T12:42:00.000+10:00

This months edition of the KCC is due soon over at Me-Ander, so I thought I would post a couple of recipes. The first recipe I am posting is for Baklava, which for those who don't know is a sweet syrup-soaked pastry that is popular in Greece and the Middle East. This version is flavoured with lemon and rose water. You should get about 30 pieces from this recipe.

Ingredients:

200g shelled pistachio nuts
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp rose water
270g filo pastry
1/4 cup oil

For the Syrup
3/4 cup water
1.5 cups caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Chop nuts in a food processor, don't grind them too finely. Stir in sugar and rose water.

2. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Cut sheets of filo pastry in half. Brush a little oil on the base and sides of a 25cm/10in square baking tin. Put in sheet of pastry, brush with oil and cover with a second sheet. Use up half of the pastry this way.

3. Spread the nut mixture over the pastry and cover with a sheet of filo. Repeat until oil and pastry are used up.

4. Using a sharp knife, cut vertical lines 4cm apart. Cut right through the pastry and nuts, then cut diagonal lines to form diamond shapes. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 - 20 mins.

5. To make syrup, put the water and sugar in a small pan and heat slowly. Stir once or twice and when it boils add 2 tbsp lemon juice. Boil the syrup for about 6 mins. Stir in remaining lemon juice and leave to cool and thicken slightly.

7. After 20 mins turn the oven to 150C/300F and cook the Baklava for another 20 mins. Cool for about 10 mins.

8. Pour the syrup over the Baklava. Leave for several hours or overnight.

9. Enjoy!

taken from 'The Jewish Cookbook'

.... Just another day ....

My Little Helper

2007-05-14T12:37:00.000+10:00

Mondays always feel like such busy days to me. I think it is because I feel a real need to give the house a really good clean up with the girls back at school after the weekend. The girls, like all children I suppose seem to make so much mess, although when they are asked to clean up they always do a great job. There is nothing worse than when they get out something to play with, get bored of it, leave it there and just get something else out. They know they are to pack it up before moving onto the next thing to play with.

With my Monday morning urge to have a good clean up becoming a regular occurrence, this morning when I woke up, little Ruby led me around to her bedroom to proudly show me she was already working on the clean up! Her room was spotless, especially considering she is only 3 years old and had done all the work herself!

Ruby seems to be becoming a real little helper, whether it is cleaning the bedrooms, putting dishes away, sweeping the floor, folding washing or even hanging wet washing, she is always there to help her Mum.

.... Just another day ....

Some Like It Hot

2007-05-13T15:00:00.000+10:00

It just keeps getting colder and colder here at the moment and it is not even officially winter yet. It was only a few days ago that I posted the photos of the incredible sunset we had recently (bottom photo).

Forget the sunsets now, it has been cold and overcast ever since! Thankfully we have our trusty fire place (top two photos) to keep us warm and a big wood pile. This morning was so cold, I went out onto our back verandah at about 10am to take some photos of the clouds still hanging in the valley and the cows eating the wet grass (middle two photos).

Anyway, things haven't really warmed up today, it has been cold all day, but, even still it has been a lovely Mothers Day! When I got up this morning, Jade had already made breakfast for her and her sisters and she also made them lunch, she is a very helpful girl! I also recieved some beautiful presents from Aaron and the girls. The girls made beautiful Mothers Day cards at school and little presents and I also got a new microwave, some new shoes, some biscuits in a beautiful tin (which I will add to my collection!) and some chocolates. So I am feeling very lucky!

Tonight I am looking forward to curling up in front of the fire to to keep warm!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mum's out there!

.... Just another day ....

The Love Of A Child

2007-05-12T23:01:00.000+10:00

The greatest love of all is be able to have a child’s love

To love your child and to have your child love you back

Waking each morning with your child’s eyes on you.

A child’s love keeps you believing in brighter days

Believing that dreams do come true

Giving you hope for a brighter future

Bring happiness to your heart

Bringing rainbows to every gray sky

Having the love and comfort of a child is the greatest gift in life

A child’s love is forever lasting

No matter how far you travel

No matter how many miles away,

You will always have your child’s love in your heart

It will never go away

You can always feel your child’s presence in your heart

Your child’s home is in your heart

Their love is always here to comfort you.

poem by Stacey Chillemi

.... Just another day ....

'JIB Chatter' - New Discussion Site

2007-05-12T13:23:00.000+10:00

This is a bit of a mixed up post tonight, there are a few things going on, so here goes....

Firstly, I would like to let everyone know that there is a new blog open 'JIB Chatter'. If you have something you would like to say about the JIBs feel free to pop over and take a look - it will also be a good place to check out the opinions of others on the JIBs.

Some people may feel uncomfortable talking about what they really think of the JIB's on their own blog, so this is a great place to go and say what you think. Another great benefit of this site is that you can catch up on the latest voting results in real time and also the latest JIB articles in the Jblogosphere. Click here to go and have a say. JIB Chatter is also accessible via BagelBlogger (JIB Chatter button in top menu of Bagels home page).

Certainly worth checking out...

-----------------------

The other thing is JPix. Jpix is up over at Temunot, David has done a wonderful job, it is a enormous and it is certainly a must see. So if you haven't already had a look, go over and check it out! Well done David!

Now for some more normal everyday news... Later this month Jade's class is travelling almost 3 hours away to one of the major regional centres for a poetry competition. Her year 2 class has made it to the state final with a poem they wrote. She is very excited about the whole thing so hopefully they will do really well. The poem they wrote is about a moth being caught by a Willy Wagtail - hence today's moth photos.

The photos of the moth were taken from my kitchen window, the moth was stuck on the window glass - the first photo was taken from inside the house and the second was from outside.

.... Just another day ....

Life In The Days of The Old Schoolhouse

2007-05-11T12:27:00.000+10:00

Back around the time of the 1850's this block of land we live on was actually the site of the old local school house. Around 150 years ago, this little town of ours was a hive of activity - believe it or not. Apparently there was heaps of people that lived here, many more than the dwindling 300 people we have now. Our town was so busy and populated because it was a gold mining town.

About 50 meters from our front door is the remnants of the old school house that stood on top of this hill we now live on. Unfortunately, over the years the school house has crumbled away and today there is not much left of it at all - in fact there is only the chimney left - barely standing.

As you can see by the photos, every so often more bricks fall off of it, and soon enough it will probably be gone altogether, which I think our landlord will be happy about - then he can build there.

It is quite sad actually, to imagine that 150 years ago children ran around and happily played here and went to school in the old school house which now barley exists and will one day be completely gone.

We have two huge, very old pine trees out the front of our house which would have been here back in those days - I can imagine the children playing, chasing each other around the trees - I suppose one day they will be gone too.

I often wonder what life was like back then. I went to our little cemetery the other day and was shocked to see how many graves were there of such small children. Here I am today, complaining of how far away we live from things and how long it takes to go anywhere, but I now realise how much harder it would have been then, especially if a child became ill - there would be no 40 min drive in the car to the hospital. Help would have been much slower then, and I suppose that is why so many small children died.

.... Just another day ....

Show Some Respect Jack

2007-05-10T08:00:00.001+10:00

I obviously need to make this crystal clear as Jack doesn't seem to be getting the message.

Jack left a comment on my post "A Piece Of My Mind - JIB Finalists" yesterday, part of which said this:

"It is the equivalent of two 14 year-old boys fighting about who has the bigger winky.

I have seen more impressive work from monkeys flinging crap at the wall. Go ahead and keep up the little circle jerk, this mutual masturbation is ever so impressive.

Better yet keep taking time out of running big impressive companies to argue on message boards about who craps bigger."

I am highly offended by this comment. In response and for the second time I politely ask him to to keep his negative talk on his own blog:

"Jack,
it is obvious we don't see eye to eye on the topic of Ploni - and that is fine.

But, to come here and talk in the manner you have on my personal blog using the language you have and the discriptors you have shows a lack of judgement you are becoming famous for.

I don't care that we disagree on points, but keep your sewer talk on your own blog.

Baleboosteh"

Instead of realising his mistake in speaking in the disgusting and disrespectful manner he did on my blog (keeping in mind I am a woman not one of the boys) and doing the right thing about it and apologising he chose to respond with this:

"Actually I suspect that the reason you are upset is because it is an entirely accurate portrayal of the immature behavior of some regarding the JIBs."

No, Jack, that is not it at all. As I said I don't like the language you have used, the attitude you have displayed or the total and utter disrespect you have shown me on my blog.

I am offended by you, your language and the fact you couldn't even bring yourself to apologise. My husband would never ever speak in the manner you have around me so why should I put up with it from you. How would you would feel Jack, if your wife had a blog and some guy who you don't even know was leaving comments like yours? I suspect you wouldn't be very happy.

The whole thing makes me feel quite ill and very uncomfortable, especially now that I know Jack is not who he says he is.

I am now asking you Jack, publicly, to stay away from me and my blog. You are not welcome here anymore, any comment you leave will be removed.

For anyone who would like to read the article and comments in full - it was quite a 'discussion', go here.

------------------------------------

To my regular readers, I hope to be back to normal postings tomorrow, but for now, I just don't feel in the mood for blogging, sorry. I have also had to turn comment moderation on again, I know it is annoying so I am sorry about that, but I am sick of the filth comments being left.

.... Just another day ....

Amber's Progress 5 Months On

2007-05-08T10:30:00.000+10:00

As many of you are aware, our middle daughter Amber had rather radical open hear surgery late December last year. It has been 5 months since her surgery now, she is 5.5 years old and we have been very lucky in that she has had a very good recovery.

The photo above is of Amber eating her breakfast a couple of weeks ago. She is looking so good now, she is healthy, happy and really enjoying school. She is now able to run around just like all the other kids without getting really puffed out and tired.

The photos below are of amber in hospital. The quality of the photos aren't to great as they were taken with my film camera and then scanned, so the colour is a little bit funny, but anyway it gives an insight into what she has been through recently. Why am I posting them now? Because it has taken me 5 months to finally get the camera film processed!!

Above and below: Approx 1 hour after surgery in ICU. It is quite scary at first walking in to a room and seeing your child rigged up to so many machines.

Below: 1 day after surgery, still in ICU of course. The actual incision was not the worst part from my point of view - the four big thick drainage tubes sticking out of her chest was worse by far. It is hard to tell from the photos, but the tubes were about a centimeter thick.

Below: 2 days after surgery and slowly loosing bits and pieces of machinery! Hooray!
She was also feeling happier at this point as long as the nurse stayed away from her.

Below: approx 10 days after surgery. Only 2 drainage tubes remaining. Even after a sedative, getting those last tubes out was a nightmare. The fight she put up was incredible, she was so physically strong it took 5 of us to hold her down while the nurse removed the tubes - I have never seen her so upset before or since that day.

They say that they forget most of it as they get older, but I don't know about that....

.... Just another day ....

Happy Birthday...

2007-05-07T11:11:00.001+10:00

Just a couple of photos I took while I was out on Sunday, they are of the dam and bridge out the front of my neighbours house.

It is my Dad's birthday today, he is 65 years old. I called him on the phone last night to wish him a happy birthday for today.

Just thinking about him makes me feel really sad. You see, we have quite a few issues - this is the shortened version. I am an only child, Dad didn't spend much time with me when I was young. Now that I am older, I don't 'blame' him in any way - he worked two jobs, one at night and one during the day so I only saw him for about an hour per day. He didn't work so much because he liked it - it was only for my Mum and I, to support us.

When I was a teenager my parents seperated and got back together numerous times. Family life over those years is quite a blur. There is one occassion though that I remember very clearly. When I was 16 years old, I remember laying in bed listening to my parents argue. It was durning that arguement I discovered my Dad was not my biological Father. I couldn't believe it - it felt like some horrible nightmare. It had been kept from me for all those years, I felt betrayed. He may not be my biological father, but to me, he is my 'real' father - he fed me, clothed me, loved me and protected me - that is a real father.

A few years later, Mum and Dad had sorted their problems out and were very happy together at last when suddenly my Mum became sick with Cancer and passed away after battling the disease for 6 months. So, then it was just Dad and I. Basically since then (9 years ago) we have not seen eye to eye. I was 21 when I moved to sydney to live with Aaron a few months after Mum died.

Dad sold our house, he wouldn't let Aaron and I buy him out (I was on the title of the house along with both my parents names) nor did he want to give me my share of the remaining money from the sale let alone any of my Mums share. He then moved in with his new girlfriend and 6 months later he was getting married again.

His wife doesn't like me and I have made no secret of the fact the feeling is mutural. She has made me feel very uncomfortable when ever I call my Dad and just recently didn't bother to pass on the message that I had rung to tell him Amber had just come home from hospital after her heart surgery. That is just the tip of the iceburg. There are lots of nasty little things that go along with her, but I won't go into them right now.

Out of the four grandparents my children should have Dad is the only one still alive and yet has no time for my kids whatsoever. He never calls, never visits, never even sends a birthday card for them - it is quite pathetic really. He has never even seen Ruby, he saw Amber when she was about 6 weeks old - that is more than 5 years ago. He just doen't care at all anymore. My Grandparents (my Mums parents) are horrified as would Mum be if she was alive. I hope my relationship with my children never ends up like the one between my father and I.

Anyway, I just want to say, I know you don't read this Dad and even though you don't care about us anymore, behind my anger, I really do care and your attitude and actions are breaking my heart.... Happy Birthday....

.... Just another day ....

Country Mail Box Photo Series - week five

2007-05-06T10:59:00.000+10:00

Welcome to week five of my Country Mail Box Photo Series!
If you missed previous weeks, you can find them here: week one, week two, week three and week four.

This is the sort of mail box you will only see in Australia! It is a wombat mail box! Kind of quirky don't you think? This mail box actually belongs to one of our neighbours (keeping in mind our nearest neighbour is about 1 km away!).

It was such a beautiful sunny day yesterday I decided to go for a drive and take some photos. I will be posting some of them over the next few days.

Speaking of photos, JPix will be up this Thursday 10th over at Temunot. Make sure you submit your photo posts so you are included in this edition, the deadline is Tuesday the 8th May, so you had better be quick!!

Batya is also looking for any kosher food posts, including:

* halachik news
* traditions
* menus
* pictures
* restaurant and cookbook reviews
* oh, recipes, too!

So make sure if you have any kosher food posts you submit them here.

Well, that's it from me for another day. There is nothing going on around here in hell town worth blogging about at the moment :)

.... Just another day ....

Inspection! Inspection! Inspection!

2007-05-03T11:02:00.000+10:00

We had our real estate inspection yesterday morning. It sucked. I worked my butt off for 3 days straight cleaning and tidying this house until everything was sparkling so the real estate had nothing to complain about. I mowed, weeded, swept, cleaned gutters, windows, floors, walls and so on and so on. As Aaron said, it was like Pesach cleaning, but for dust specks.

Anyway, they came in and pointed out... some cobwebs up in the vaulted ceiling in the loft that we don't use. Ok, I am not going to make excuses, there are a couple of cobwebs there, but the roof is sooo high I have nothing that reaches fully and the exposed roof beams are rough sawn wood and don't take to well to the feather duster. Oh, and just as important and damaging as the cobwebs, they also complained about our winter firewood pile. "It's a pitty you can't put it around the back somewhere." she snarled. Well, duh, we would if there was somewhere to put it undercover where it won't get wet when it rains and besides that, we are not allowed to drive across the back lawn!... Photos below of the very offensive wood pile...

There was two of them to do the inspection. One inparticular didn't take to well to the full sized Israel flag hanging in the computer room/studio downstairs and our rather large bookshelf which is full of only Jewish books in our bedroom upstairs - she didn't say anything but you should have seen the look on her face!

Ah, to just have a little bit of privacy would be nice....

.... Just another day ....

Fire In The Sky

2007-05-03T10:16:00.000+10:00

We had the most amazing sunset here last night behind the hills just over the otherside of the river. The colours went from really pretty yellow, pink, purple and blues to such an intense red colour as it got darker - just like the colour of fire. It was the most red I have probably ever seen the sky in my whole life.

These are some of the photos I took, they have only been resized since taking them off my camera - they have not been played with in Photoshop AT ALL!!

Sorry there is so many photos, but the colours were so incredible I had to post a few to show the colours as the sun went down. After all, I nearly burnt the chicken I was cooking for dinner at the time when I noticed the sky and ran outside with my camera, so I really should make you see them all! LOL!

I will also be posting later today about our real estate inspection yesterday morning, so stay tuned!

.... Just another day ....

A Piece Of My Mind - JIB Finalists

2007-05-02T17:15:00.000+10:00

As many will know, I have been feeling a bit annoyed over the past few days. There have been somethings I have wanted to say. The time has come to say something because it has really been eating away at me.

Batya has posted an article today, which for me is just the tip of the ice burg, you can read it here.

In the article Batya speaks of the difference between blogs with a large base of readers due to lots of friends and family and those who are 'media-based'.

She goes on to say:

"Dry Bones is great, but he has been featured in the Jerusalem Post for decades. He shouldn't be running in JIB Awards against ordinary bloggers, even the megas. The same goes for Tamar Yona of Arutz 7. She's a major radio personality there."

This is the comment I have left on Batya's blog:

"Hi Batya,
I understand where you are coming from and I agree somewhat.

Dry Bones does have a great blog and it is very popular.

Tamar Yonah however, may be a 'major radio personality', but she certainly is not a 'major' blogger.

Check her technorati ranking here
Rank: 536,218 (22 links from 9 blogs). It seems she gets hardly any traffic to her blog, yet she managed to get almost 200 votes all up in the 2 categories she was nominated in, even beating Aussie Dave in one of them!

Now, I ask, these are 'blogging' awards aren't they?

I don't remember the JIB's being radio awards?!

It was never supposed to be a popularity contest, it is supposed to be about awarding quality blogs, but now it seems its a contest who can rort the voting the most, it seems you don't really even need to have a blog."

I am sick of it. I am sick of the amount of people who have rorted these awards, and who expect other bloggers - 'real bloggers' not to say anything. It is not just this one, it has happened in other categories also. There were a few other blogs that either have basically very few readers and/or post very rarely and yet have somehow managed to get heaps more votes than some of the very well known bloggers who have large readerships.

This is certainly not a case of sour grapes - and I don't care what anyone says about that, but, I was against a similar blog in the 'Best Personal Blog' group I was in. The 90th Minute, this blogger also happens to be a journalist with articles appearing in publications including Haaretz, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Jerusalem Post and European Jewish Press. Her technorati ranking can be found here, she is ranked Rank: 1,083,235 (8 links from 4 blogs)

Considering her readership and traffic to her blog, I find it hard to believe just over 100 votes have been from legitimate readers and not from the fact she is in the media and able to pull votes that way.

Another 'blog' that is in the service industry is JobMob. JobMob is a web site which helps people find jobs in Israel. They qualified in the JIB's for Best New blog with 79 votes (placed 2nd behind Tamar Yonah) and just missed out qualifying for Best Overall Blog with 68 votes. Both nominations of which I find a joke.

It seems that some journalists/ media organisations and service industries are using these awards purely as a promotional campaign to expose themselves to traffic and further their media profiles.

It is the real bloggers who are suffering because of this. The awards have been well run by the committee, but in hind sight, there really needs to be some form of criteria for each category for blog nominations to prevent this sort of abuse - it is not what the awards are supposed to be about.

.... Just another day ....

Another Beautiful Day!

2007-05-01T09:02:00.000+10:00

It is Autumn here now and in the part of Australia where I live it gets really cold, especially at night. As I have said many, many times, I live on the very top of a ridge over looking the valley below. I am grateful we don't live in the valley, I am positive it gets so much colder down there. We see the clouds of frost in the early mornings which fill the entire valley before the sun comes out and then they disappear.

During the recent warmer months, I complained about how little rain we had had and now for the past week it has rained everyday! Today, looks like it is going to be a beautiful sunny day. This morning it is still cold and frosty, but the sun is out and the birds are singing and insects flying around.

We have a real estate inspection in the morning - which I think everyone knows I hate. They come through the house to make sure we are not punching holes in the walls or anything like that - something they have never had to worry about, but still, they have checked every 3 months for the last 4 years. I think they should know by now that we are looking after the property.

So anyway, I have housework to do to make sure things are sparkling before they arrive!

.... Just another day ....

To Speak Up Or Not To Speak Up

2007-04-29T19:13:00.000+10:00

So far I have written and deleted this post three times. I can't find the right words to truly express how I am feeling at the moment. I have never been a person who holds their tongue, I have always spoken my mind - even if no one else agrees, I am usually not very tactful either which isn't a great thing, but hey, that's me. Right now, I just feel that I can't say what I want to and it doesn't make me very happy at all.

I am feeling quite flat, pretty annoyed and a bit angry - as I said, I can't give exact details right now, but it is related to blogging. I might elaborate a bit more in the next couple of days, I will have to wait and see. I am sorry this is not a more positive post. Sorry for the rant, I am sure you will leave wondering what on earth my problem is.

Anyway, I hope you like the photos above, I took them a couple of days ago. They are photos of a beautiful amethyst embossed glass bottle from our antique bottle collection, from Melbourne circa 1910.

Until I am feeling a little more lively, that's it from me...

.... Just another day ....

JIB's Vote 'Baleboosteh'! - Sticky Post

2007-04-28T23:53:00.000+10:00

Please note: This is a sticky post and will stay at the top for the next few days, normal daily postings are below this one.

VOTING CLOSES THIS SUNDAY 29th APRIL!!

As we are all aware it is JIB time. Nominations have now finished and it is now voting time from the 22nd April to the 29th.
I am happy to say, my blog is nominated for Best Photo/Graphics Blog and also Best Personal Blog.

I know I have only been blogging for 10 months but, If you would like to vote for me in either (or both! :P) categorys please click on the titles below. Even though I have no expectations of winning any award, votes would be greatly apprecited and each one counts! Thankyou to all who have voted for me so far!!

Vote for me for Best Photo/Graphics Blog here
Vote for me for Best Personal Blog here

Voting is very quick and easy - no registration is required.

And while you are there... Please consider voting for my cute and lovable husband Mr Bagel (BagelBlogger). He puts a HUGE amount of effort, time and work into his blog and deserves an award for his efforts far more than I do. He is nominated for:

Best New Blog
Best Designed Blog
Best Of The Rest Blog
Best Overall Blog

Country Mail Box Photo Series - week four

2007-04-27T08:52:00.000+10:00

It seems like this week has been such a busy week. The girls went back to school on Tuesday after school holidays, then it was ANZAC day holiday on Wednesday and then there was yesterday...don't even get me started on that. And I am still trying to get the house tidy back to the way it was before the school holidays!

With all that has been going on this week, I had forgotten to post this weeks Country Mail Box photos. If you missed previous weeks, you can find them here: Country Mail Box Photo Series - week one, Country Mail Box Photo Series - week two and Country Mail Box Photo Series - week three.
This weeks photos were taken on the highway on the ourskirts of our little town.

Amber had a check up yesterday, it is 4 months now since her open heart surgery. She has since had a reduction in some of her medication, which is great, but one of her other medications was a bit too low and has been increased a little bit. She is supposed to stop taking some of her medication by about June, so that is something to look forward to! She is on three different medications at the moment, but after June I think she will just be on Asprin to keep her blood thin. Other than that she seems to be doing ok at the moment - lets hope it stays that way.

Today is another busy day so I had better get off this computer!!

Shabbat Shalom
Have a great weekend!

.... Just another day ....

The JIB Awards Have Been REALLY HACKED This Time!

2007-04-26T11:49:00.000+10:00

I got up at 7.30am this morning to get the girls off to school. While I was getting breakfast ready, I booted up my computer and went to check on the JIB's. Much to my horror, I discovered that the entire website is gone - it has been Hacked.

I quickly went to a few of the committee members blogs to see what they have to say about it, but it seems noone yet knows/or is talking about it.

Bagelblogger has more info on it and will be updating as more news comes to hand, so go over to his site and read his latest post "The JIB awards have been hacked"

It is very sad considering the amount of work Akiva in particular had put into it, but, unfortunately it seemed bound to happen.

********* UPDATE *********
- It now appears that Bagelblogger may have found some rather 'personal' details belonging to the hacker of the JIB's...

- Good news, JIBs site now seems to be back up...hmmm

.... Just another day ....

Welcome To The 6th Edition Of JPix!

2007-04-26T10:09:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 6th edition of JPix!

After hosting JPix 5, I enjoyed it so much I put my hand up to host JPix 6 too! I hope you all enjoy it and like last time, discover a few new bloggers you had not previously come across before.

JPix is a fortnightly carnival started by BagelBlogger, for Jewish bloggers and the photos they take. So if you're Jewish and you have photos you want to share, wether they be family, historical, art, funny, quirky, whatever, make sure you get them into the next edition of JPix!

Previous editions of JPix can be found here, 1st edition - hosted by BagelBlogger, 2nd edition - hosted at BagelBlogger, 3rd edition - hosted by Me-Ander, 4th edition - hosted by Life-of-Rubin and the 5th edition hosted by me.

Thankyou to all the people who have submitted photos/posts and secondly I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

The photos featured here in this post are just a small sample of what you will see in the bloggers posts - you need to click on the links to see all the photos!

Here we go...

What better way is there to start of this edition of JPix other than with a celebration!
Irina has some gorgeous photos posted over at IG Nobel Experiment of her Birthday Weekend (and all the beautiful presents she recieved)! Happy Birthday Irina!

A Simple Jew is back into the swing of things after his short break over Pesach with two great 'Black & White Picture of the Week' posts - "Budding Dogwood" and "Cul-de-sac". ASJ has quite a talent with the camera and the way he sees things, so make sure you have a look at his photos.

Cosmic X always has great photos of Israel, this past fortnight he has posted "Another Picture From The Holy City Of Tel Aviv", "Pic Of The Day", "Some Pics From The Mosad HaRav Kook Book Sale", and "Rot In The Heart" - all of which have great photos, so pop over to Cosmic X and have a look!

Rafi G has posted some amazing photos in his post "My Spontaneous Middle of the Night Trip to an Arab Village" posted over at Life in Israel. This is a really interesting photo post, don't miss it and while you are there have a look at this post: "The Woman from the Amona photograph."

The lovely Batya over at Me-Ander loves to take a few snaps here and there, this fortnight she presents "Paying Tribute To A Chalutz Pioneer" and also "Israeli Flags this 59th part 1" and "part 2", two great photo posts for Israel's Independence Day.

Akiva at Mystical Paths has some lovely photos in his post "Pictures: Prayer".

Also over at Batya's other blog Shiloh Musings, she presents us with "Fleeing the TV".

Frumhouse, after browsing the last edition of JPix was Inspired to Post a Few Israel Trip Pics posted at Little Frumhouse on the Prairie. Also at Little Frumhouse on The Prairie you will find "Israel Flash Slide Show " - both are great photo posts and both are not to be missed!

The Babka Nosher presents Our Foreman posted over at A Bisele Babka - a very cute couple of pics!

Mottel over at Letters Of Thought shares with us "Picture of The week" - and it is truely beautiful, certainly worth a look. Mottel's Father also took some stunning snaps in Sedona.

David over at Temunot has many great photo posts, I am not sure which order to put them in - it is hard "Tying it All Together".
David's wife is obviously a fabulous cook and very creative too, have a look at his post "Say it with Cake...." YUM!

He also shares some great photos of a Bris Milah he and his family attended in Chevron last year in his post "No Bagels but What a Memorable Bris".
Lucky last from David, is what I consider one of the most interesting photo posts this edition - "The Kibbutz Lavi Shul Furniture Factory". Don't miss this post!

Evan at Planet Israel has more fantastic photos and takes us on "A Walk Through the Muslim Quarter".
He also takes us on a tour of the old neighbourhoods of Yemin Moshe, Nachlaot in his post "A Day on the Streets of Jerusalem".
While you are there also have a look at his most recent posts "Hiking Nahal Ein Hogla" and "Beit Hogla".

Sara With No H has some more of her stunning pics in her posts "Imagine" and "On top of the world..." Beautiful as usual.

Soccerdad, shows us his daughters artistic ability in his very colourful post "My blog as refrigerator".

Sarah presents Step Up posted at Sarah's View, it has a very eerie sense to it.

Last of all for this edition, I would like to point you to an article A Simple Jew was kind enough to email to JPix. It is a YNet News article - "Longing Photographers Miss Israel"

'In honor of Independence Day 2007, we asked a number of Israel's finest photographers - specializing in a range of fields from news to nature scenes - to choose one picture from those that they had shot in their lifetime. One picture that reminds them of the Israel that they miss. ' - Ynet news

That's it for the 6th edition of JPix, I hope you have enjoyed it. The next edition, JPix 7, will be hosted by the talented David from Temunot, which I am really looking forward to. Should be great! Get your submissions in, submit your photo posts to be in the next edition of JPix!!

Rafi G from Life in Israel will be hosting JPix 8 the following fortnight, so that is something else to look forward to, keep it in mind.

Thankyou to BagelBlogger. If you would like to host an edition on your blog click here to contact BagelBlogger. It is really quite easy and fun to host!

And don't forget to submit your photo posts to be in the next edition of JPix!!

Just another day ....

ANZAC Day - ANZAC biscuits 'The Army Biscuit'

2007-04-25T12:08:00.000+10:00

Our ANZAC biscuit tin from last year

It is ANZAC day here is Australia today, and I decided to make a batch of ANZAC biscuits for the kids and of course take photos to go along with it!

There are a few theories on the origins of ANZAC biscuits ('The Army biscuit') but it is certain that they came about during the First World War, around 1914/15.
Some say that they started as biscuits made by the Troops in the trenches with provisions they had at hand to relieve the boredom of their battle rations. And some say they came about due to resourceful of the women on the "home front" in an endeavour to make a treat for their loved ones that would survive the long journey by post to the war front.
Whatever the origin, they have won the hearts of Aussies the globe over as the pseudo National Biscuit. And here is how to make them, it is really easy.

The finished product cooling on the wire rack

Chewy ANZAC Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats (regular oatmeal) uncooked
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Method

Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.

Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat.

Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading (as you can see in the photos, I just didn't leave enough space between mine).

Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers.

Tips

The American tablespoon is a little smaller than our tablespoon, so be generous with your Golden Syrup (or Honey) and Water.

An original recipe for much harder biscuites can be found at the Australian War Memorial web site

Above, Ready to go in the oven and Below, Just out of the oven!

What is ANZAC Day?

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a day that is very dear to the heart of Australians, a day when we remember those that have fallen in times of war, in service to their country. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corp.

ANZAC means much more than that, it is what it means to be a Digger - a Battler. The official Gallipoli Campaign historian, CEW Bean once said the ANZAC spirit "stood, and still stands, for reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance that will never own defeat".

The Gallipoli Campaign

Anzac day is held in both Australia and New Zealand on the anniversary of the first major offensive to use ANZAC troops on the shores of Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915.
When World War I began nine months earlier, 4^th August 1914, Australia committed 20,000 volunteer troops to the war effort under the control of the British Armed Forces. Those troops were soon on their way to Egypt where a plan was underway at the request of the Russians to neutralise the Turkish war effort and effectively take them out of the war.

At 06:00 hours on the 25th of April 1915, the First Expeditionary Forces of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp landed on the beaches of Gallipoli, now known as ANZAC Cove, to an unexpected welcome. The plan was for the ANZAC's to attack the Turks across the peninsular destroying the Turkish defences in the Dardenelles and leave the channel open for the British to sail into Constantinople and remove Turkey from the war completely.

However, the British plans were made based on outdated tourist maps of the area, and instead of landing on open grasslands the ANZACs found themselves facing rolling hills and steep cliffs covered with prickly bushes and defended by a very tenacious Turkish Army.

What was planned to be a quick and decisive strike soon turned into a stalemate.

source 'Aussie Slang Website'

.... Just another day ....

Get You JPix Submissions In!

2007-04-24T09:03:00.000+10:00

It is JPix time again! On Thursday (26th of April) I will be hosting the 6th Edition of JPix - YAY! I am really looking forward to it! I never knew putting carnivals together could be so much fun. :D
SO, do you have any photos you have taken and posted recently?? Submit your photo post to JPix or if you have photos that you have been meaning to post, now is the time to do it - just don't forget to submit to JPix!

Once you have submitted your photo posts to JPix don't forget to come back on Thursday to check out the round up - I can tell you already that due to the amount of submissions so far this is going to be another big round up, so it should be good. If you missed the 5th edition of JPix you can catch up here. If you would like to host an edition of JPix on your blog click here to contact BagelBlogger.

For now, that's it from me - I have heaps of work to catch up on now that the girls have gone back to school today, and of course, I have a lot of work ahead working on putting together another fabulous edition of JPix.

.... Just another day ....

Grapes From The Judean Hills

2007-04-23T13:22:00.000+10:00

Well, it is time, the girls go back to school tomorrow - two weeks of school holidays always seems like such a long time. Amber has been asking Jade everyday, "Do we go to school tomorrow?".

I know of many parents who have trouble getting their kids excited about going to school, thankfully my girls LOVE school. They love learning - reading, spelling, maths, art - anything... we are very lucky. I think a lot of their enthusiasm has come from the fact that when they first stared at school they received heaps of encouragement from my husband and I. I would often say to them "Oh, you are so lucky to be going to school, I wish I could go to school again like you - you are going to have so much fun!", and it really seems to have had a very positive effect on them. Schooling is such an important thing and I think it is best that they achieve the very best they can right from the start.

It sure will be very quiet at home again with two of them at school, but at least I will be able to catch up again on my cleaning!

Anyway, above are a few photos I took the other day, yep, I know there are 6 photos, but I just couldn't decide on which ones to leave out :D

.... Just another day ....

The Kosher Cooking Carnival's 17th Edition!

2007-04-22T12:35:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the 17th edition of the much loved Kosher Cooking Carnival!

It is quite an honour to be hosting this months edition, a special thankyou to Batya from Me-ander for not only starting this carnival all those months ago but also for her help in sending me links for this edition.

The Kosher Cooking Carnival comes out monthly and guest-hosts are welcome. Here's the list of the previous KCC's: KCC #1, KCC #2, KCC #3, KCC #4, KCC #5, KCC #6, KCC #7, KCC #8, KCC #9, KCC #10, KCC #11, KCC #12, KCC #13, KCC #14, KCC #15 and KCC #16!

You can check out what's new and old on Blog Carnival, and you can also add the automatically updated KCC "widget" and/or listing to your own blog.

Now, lets get straight into it. There have been lots of links to include, I hope I haven't left anyone out, if I have, I apologise in advance.

Passover

Passover may have come and gone, but there is still Passover blog talk and these recipes may be a little too late for Passover this year, but are just too good to not include, and after all, there is always next year - print them out and put them in your recipe book!

There was a lot of talk recently about the decision Rabbi David Bar-Hayim, the rabbi who heads the Machon Shilo made last month regarding the eating of legumes during passover, Batya shares her thoughts on the topic with us in 'Maybe he shouldn't have started with Kitniyot'.

Gillian Polack from over at Food History presents Passover preparations and shares with us a great biscuit recipe of her Mothers - sounds delicious!

Batya at Me-Ander wonders 'When To Switch?' which brings up some very interesting points and thoughts on when is the best time to switch your kitchen to Pesach mode.

She also gives us a peek into her home with 'Pesach so far' and shares a great chicken soup recipe in 'Food, Family and....'.

I think we are all aware of Batya's brillance in the kitchen, she has proven to be a very creative cook as she has shown with her veggie pies in her post ' Pre-Pesach Creativity or The World's Easiest Vegetable Pie!' YUM!

Where do I start with Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen??

My goodness, Ted has been very busy, check out his post 'Right Before The Seder' and all the wonderful photos that come with it!

He also shares with us a fantastic 'Fruit Salad' recipe, not forgetting to mention the Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover RecipesGrandma (Bubby) Sarah's Potato Kugel', 'Grandma (Bubby) Sarah's Matzah Balls' and 'Grandma (Bubby) Sarah's Gefilte Fish'

Catherine over at Albion Cooks presents us with her version of 'Farmers' Market Matzo Ball Soup' - looks wonderful!

Lydia at The Perfect Pantry delights us with her Matzoh Brei recipe - delicious!

Gluten-Free By The Bay has put a lot of effort into producing a HUGE round up; 'Gluten-Free Passover Recipe Roundup 2007', this is a must see!

Now for something a little bit different, Ariela from Baking and Books shares with us 'Ethiopian Siga Wot'.

Tamara Eden may be sick of Matzah but she's sure getting creative and cooking up a storm with her Matzah Pizza, Parmesan Grilled Matzah and Matzah Brittle.

Soccer Dad asks 'Why is this food different from all other food' in which he includes a couple of great photos of Potato Kugel and some delicious soup.

The Chocolate Lady presents 2007 Vegetarian Peysekh Survival Guide, which includes many recipes such as 'Bananaless Walnut Banana Cake for Passover', 'Very Nice Potatoes', 'Root Vegetable Puree' and more!

Jewish Blogmeister updates us on 'Le Maraislll: The Lawsuit continues...' and also presents us with a great eBay oppertunity.... To bid on The Rights to the First Pizza After Peasach..., wondering how much it's selling for?... go have a look!

Adena over at the MotherThoughts blog has written a very interesting post about growing up in a kosher house. Now that she is married she doesn't keep kosher, read her story in her post "To Be or Not To Be...Kosher."

Josh over at The Food Section has a very interesting post up about the special kosher for Passover edition of Coke that is sweetened with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.

The Martha Stewart web site also has some great recipes including a whole section on Passover Entertaining which, I know is a bit late for this year but may be handy for reference next year. They also have recipes for all year through.

Now that Passover is over, lets move on to some more everyday recipes!

Dan from Tsmicha.com has posted a excellent recipe 'Dafina! - Kosher Moroccan Food Recipes' (Moroccan cholent [Sabbath stew]), sounds perfect for the cold winters days that are soon upon us here in Australia!

Frum Satire has posted his own interesting indepth reviews of various pasta sauces, check it out!

A Bisele Babka shares a great bread machine recipe for Challah. I must admit, I to have a bread machine and I love it, I use it every Friday for making Challah, it make the job so easy!

The lovely RaggedyMom also sent me this great recipe:

Flounder in Spicy Tomato Sauce

adapted from the "Spice and Spirit" cookbook

I use this as a substitute for gefilte fish more often than not. I season it a little more heavily than the cookbook calls for, omit the water, and use less fish. Double as needed. My kids are young, but have grown to really like the spices and vegetables too. It's especially tasty when served hot.

1 lb box frozen flounder fillets (or other fish)

2-3 Tbsp. oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cinammon

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

Defrost fish and separate fillets. If desired, the fish can be cut up resulting in more of a stew.

Heat oil in large skillet, and saute onion and pepper until soft. Add garlic, then remaining seasonings. After a moment, once the vegetables are well-seasoned, add tomato sauce. Simmer 10 minutes until smooth and incorporated. Stir from bottom to bring up vegetables.

Lay slices or chunks of fish over the seasoned sauce in skillet, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until fish seems done (flakes with a fork).

Delicious alone or over rice. Make sure you have extra challah on hand if this is a Shabbos appetizer - we love to dip ours in the sauce!

Sounds wonderful!

Psycho Toddler recently featured in the article What Doctors Eat in Milwakee Magazine.

As an Australian, I found Gillian Polack's post "Jewish Butcher Story" about two shochetim who arrived in Australia in the 1960's quite a funny tale, pop over to Food History and have a read - you will enjoy it!

Andrea Dickson from Wise Bread has a great post up talking about her wishes to become a vegan once again - and has posted a number of different recipes for peanut sauces in her post Perfect Peanut Sauce.

Elisson presents us with "Comfort"... in the form of home-made-from-scratch chicken soup - the perfect cold weather comfort food.

Batya always comes up with great recipes, she has "A Couple Of Recipes" posted over at Me-Ander - the vegetable kugel sounds and looks fantastic!

This following recipe was sent in by Fred Reifenberg. I am not sure if Fred has a blog - I wasn't sent a link, but here is his recipe - it sounds wonderful, I can't wait to try it out!

Go stuff your smoked salmon

6 oz. smoked salmon, chopped
One half cup mayonnaise
One half cup Parmesan cheese, grated
One quarter cup green onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 large Belgian endives

Combine all ingredients except endive in a bowl and mix well. Fill endive with mixture and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Endive is a form of lettuce that has small oblong heads. When the leaves are pulled away from the head they resemble a small boat; just perfect for stuffing.

The Skinny: Use light or low fat mayo.

The Kosher Blog has a great review on the latest kosher joint in his area Smokey Joe's BBQ. An indepth review illustrated with loads of beautiful photos.

Recipe Zaar is a excellent web site that has a dedicated section to Kosher Cooking and recipes - in fact they have over 4000 kosher recipes and loads of colourful photos so certainly worth having a look at.

Last but certainly not least is not a blog, but a great web site with loads of interesting links The Orthodox Union.

Part of their network is OU - The worlds best known kosher trademark.

They have a great web site which you can find information on The Basics of Kosher, Behind the Union Symbol, Kosher Videos, Newly Certified, Kosher News and Events, and of course Kosher Alerts, plus much more, make sure you check it out.

That's it for this months edition of the KCC. If I left anyone out, I apologise, please submit your article again to be included in next months edition.

If you'd like to host an edition of KCC, please contact Batya at shilohmuse at yahoo dot com.

And of course, send your kosher food links to shilohmuse at yahoo dot com or via blog carnival, since this carnival is based primarily on submitted contributions, not searches. And please don't forget to remind your readers to visit and try out the recipes.

Happy reading... and cooking!

.... Just another day ....

The Rustic Scarecrow

2007-04-20T16:05:00.000+10:00

Well, there's not much going on here right now worth blogging about - except... it is the last week of school holidays! So anyway, I have decided to post a couple more photos.

These photos were taken a few weeks ago of the scare crow down next to our chicken pen. Our landlord is a builder and I am pretty sure he has made this scare crow himself. Mr Scare crow is actually life size, so you wouldn't want to bump into him in the dark! Lol!

Anyway, I would like to also mention the Caption Contest over at BagelBlogger, pop over and enter - it is a great photo of Ronald McDonald check it out! Very funny!

Also, don't forget to get your kosher recipes in for the next Kosher Cooking Carnival which I am hosting and which will be up on Sunday.

That's it from me for today, have a great weekend!

Shabbat shalom!

.... Just another day ....

Country Mail Box Photo Series - week three

2007-04-18T13:10:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the third week of my Country Mail Box series!

If you missed week one or two you can find them here: Country Mail Box Photo Series - week one, Country Mail Box Photo Series - week two.

As I have said previosly, I am running a weekly photo series of country mail boxes in my area - we have some really cute, weird and unusual ones around here!

Here are this weeks photos, this one is just down the road a bit from my house:

.... Just another day ....

The Old Farm Gate

2007-04-17T00:38:00.000+10:00

We have many 'farm gates' here on this property. Most of them never get used. The gate in the pictures above leads down to the river. In the 4 years I have lived here I have never taken that trek, I have been told it is quite a trip - very rough and over grown, no real path and very very steep. Maybe one day before we leave I will get around to taking that trip, who knows....

As much as I am looking forward to moving back to Sydney, there are a few things I will miss about living here. I will miss the peace and quiet, the scenery, the quiet roads and I will miss seeing the cows come over to the farm gate, peering into our yard with their big brown eyes.

.... Just another day ....

Memory Trigger

2007-04-15T12:01:00.000+10:00

Often people associate a certain song with a certain time in their life or a certain person that has been in their life, some times it is a particular place or smell. I know if I smell Pinetarsal, it brings back a very strong memory of me sitting in the bath tub when I was about 4 years old with a extremely bad case of Chicken Pox. Pinetarsal, is what my Mum would pour into the bath to stop the itching of the Chicken Pox.

Yesterday, I noticed some really pretty flowers out in our garden. Not just any flowers though, they were Dahlias. I haven't seen Dahlias in years and these particular flowers for me, bring back memories of staying at my Nanna's house when I was about 5 years old. She had a row of these beautiful flowers growing down along side of her old dilapidated garage - I can still see it quite clearly in my mind. They remind me of the warm sunny days I spent outside playing in her yard - digging up the fresh carrots from her veggie patch - sneaking the big red strawberries of her strawberry plants and the big bowl of freshly made warm custard that would be inside on the table waiting for me.....

(click on images to see larger)

.... Just another day ....

Baleboosteh - Tel Aviv Dreaming....

Back To Daily A Routine....At Last!

School Holidays, Beach Trips and Shabbat

To Step In... or Not?

Delicious Leek Fritters

Pig’s Head Hung In Tree At Jewish Appartments In Sydney

Our Own Little Hanukkah Miracle

A Simple and Delicious Latke Recipe

'The Promise' an accurate representation?

For a little more background try:Channel 4: Breaking The Promise | HonestReporting honestreporting.comChannel 4?s four part drama “The Promise,” has caused a great deal of concern and prompted a number of complaints to HR UK.

I would love to here the thoughts on this show from others who have seen it also.

Hanukkah Preparations - Are you ready?

Gingerbread Dreidels

Why do we really blog?

Smooth Sailing??

224 Days To Go

Easy Apple Crumble

Three Years On

Bircat Hachamah - the blessing of the sun

Just a few pics from around town

Down by the river...

Funny how life changes.

Heath Ledger Dead At 28

The Drought Has Broken

The 17th Edition Of JPix!

Eretz Israel:

Judaism:

Occasions:

Family:

Out and About:

Good-bye Girl

JPix call for submissions

L'Shana Tovah!

Hoping For A More Peaceful Night!

The 15th Edition Of JPix!

Fishing.... For Submissions!

Through The Stormy Clouds

Still Around

The 13th Edition of JPix Is Up!

Get You Submission In For Fridays JPix!!

Sorry I haven't Been Around

A Frosty Update

Welcome to the 12th edition of JPix!

The 50,000 Edition Of Haveil Havalim Is Up At Yid With Lid!!

Relax...

Under Construction

JPix - The 11th Edition!

8 Things About Me

The Fluffy Bunny

Re-floating The Pasha Bulker

A Few Days In Hospital

12 Months Down The Track

JPix 10 Up Now At Bagelblogger - it's Enormous!!

The Kosher Cooking Carnival's 19th Edition!

Nationwide Manhunt For Christopher Wayne Hudson

Melbourne's Flinders Lane Shooting

Free Gilad Shalit - A New Blog

So Much...But So Little??

Extreme Conditions - The Coldest Day On Record!

Another Year Goes By - Happy Birthday...

Paris Hilton Should Be Sent Back To Jail...

The First Rain In Almost 4 Months!

Local Aboriginal Wall Painting

Water Under The Bridge

Do The Right Thing

Priorities

JPix Is Up At Life In Israel!

JBlog Bunch - Week 2 up Over At BagelBlogger

Busy! Busy! Busy!

The JBlog Bunch - Week One... Who Do you Know??

9 JBloggers Reveal a Photo of themselves!The Mystery Blogger Series No #1

My Inspiration

Moussaka - Vegetarian Eggplant and Cheese Recipe

Life In A Non-Bustling Town...

JIB Final Round Of Voting

Yummy Baklava!

My Little Helper

Some Like It Hot

The Love Of A Child

'JIB Chatter' - New Discussion Site

For a little more background try:

Channel 4: Breaking The Promise | HonestReporting
honestreporting.com
Channel 4?s four part drama “The Promise,” has caused a great deal of concern and prompted a number of complaints to HR UK.

9 JBloggers Reveal a Photo of themselves!
The Mystery Blogger Series No #1