Before we had our new roof installed, we had no gutters to speak of on our house. When it rained, the water poured off the roof and into the ground. We got soaked getting into and out of the house but that was about it.
Now, we have a new roof and gutters and downpipes. When it rains, the gutters collect the water, it goes into the downpipes which then feed it into an underground pipe, from which it travels the length of our driveway underground to the footpath, where it spews out of a pipe sticking up out of the ground (since we are waiting for our local council to process an urgent application to have the pipe connected to the street storm water system) and runs back down our driveway and floods our driveway. Possibly the neighbours' driveways and properties, too, which is definitely not a good thing.
Sometimes, progress is not always, well, progress.
It turned out to be a toy. A toy grenade. But I wonder what would have happened had they known the group I was facilitating at that time was actually making bombs?
Bath bombs that is.
We woke to no power this morning. A dark wintery Saturday morning and no power. It gave me the opportunity to discover how much I love having gas hot water, how little light a candle gives out, how not to light our gas stove to boil water, and a reminder to keep my phone charged. DH pulled out our emergency kit to see just what it did contain by which time the power had been restored.
Ah, the civilised life is for me.
So now I have a loaf of gluten-free bread in the breadmaker because even though most times I am happy to forego bread and wheat, there are those times when a girl just has to have peanut butter on toast. My recipe is based on one I found online ages ago and which, hard as I've looked, I cannot find again. If I do, I'll post the link here. (I don't want to take credit for something which isn't mine and which someone else has put the hard work in to.) I changed it because I always have to change a recipe or pattern, and because I like to use what I have in my pantry and what works for my body.
Yummy Gluten-Free Bread to Eat With Peanut Butter (or whatever else you fancy)
This is the order I place the ingredients into my breadmaker - it may vary for different models.
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk or yogurt
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 + 1/3 cup brown rice flour (5/6 of a cup)
3/4 cup tapioca flour (arrowroot)
2-1/4 tsp guar gum
1-1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 tap breadmaker yeast
This is a wet dough but makes a light loaf with a crumb similar to some sourdoughs. I don't bother removing the blade before baking. I throw all the ingredients in and set it on the wholemeal/wholegrain cycle and just let it do its thing. When it's cooked, and cooled, I slice it and freeze it between sheets of baking paper.
Just the thing for a rainy Saturday! (Or Sunday ... or Monday ... or ...)
Now, we have a new roof and gutters and downpipes. When it rains, the gutters collect the water, it goes into the downpipes which then feed it into an underground pipe, from which it travels the length of our driveway underground to the footpath, where it spews out of a pipe sticking up out of the ground (since we are waiting for our local council to process an urgent application to have the pipe connected to the street storm water system) and runs back down our driveway and floods our driveway. Possibly the neighbours' driveways and properties, too, which is definitely not a good thing.
Sometimes, progress is not always, well, progress.
 |
| [Perhaps we should have moved to a rainwater system like this that we saw in South-East Asia?] |
There was a bomb scare the other day at work. Well, not actually at work, but in a building a few doors down. The police had cordoned off the intersection and the four streets into it. We weren't too concerned until someone mentioned the word bomb. I had staff and babies I was responsible for so I took a deep breath and went out to talk to the police. Apparently there had been a report of a grenade left in a building and they were taking it seriously. I was told to keep everyone inside and away from windows. The first fine Thursday this term and we had to keep everyone inside?
But we did it. Unlike some members of the public whom we saw who ignored the police barricades and warnings. Why would anyone do that? Seriously!
But we did it. Unlike some members of the public whom we saw who ignored the police barricades and warnings. Why would anyone do that? Seriously!
It turned out to be a toy. A toy grenade. But I wonder what would have happened had they known the group I was facilitating at that time was actually making bombs?
Bath bombs that is.
We woke to no power this morning. A dark wintery Saturday morning and no power. It gave me the opportunity to discover how much I love having gas hot water, how little light a candle gives out, how not to light our gas stove to boil water, and a reminder to keep my phone charged. DH pulled out our emergency kit to see just what it did contain by which time the power had been restored.
Ah, the civilised life is for me.
So now I have a loaf of gluten-free bread in the breadmaker because even though most times I am happy to forego bread and wheat, there are those times when a girl just has to have peanut butter on toast. My recipe is based on one I found online ages ago and which, hard as I've looked, I cannot find again. If I do, I'll post the link here. (I don't want to take credit for something which isn't mine and which someone else has put the hard work in to.) I changed it because I always have to change a recipe or pattern, and because I like to use what I have in my pantry and what works for my body.
Yummy Gluten-Free Bread to Eat With Peanut Butter (or whatever else you fancy)
This is the order I place the ingredients into my breadmaker - it may vary for different models.
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk or yogurt
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 + 1/3 cup brown rice flour (5/6 of a cup)
3/4 cup tapioca flour (arrowroot)
2-1/4 tsp guar gum
1-1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 tap breadmaker yeast
This is a wet dough but makes a light loaf with a crumb similar to some sourdoughs. I don't bother removing the blade before baking. I throw all the ingredients in and set it on the wholemeal/wholegrain cycle and just let it do its thing. When it's cooked, and cooled, I slice it and freeze it between sheets of baking paper.
Just the thing for a rainy Saturday! (Or Sunday ... or Monday ... or ...)
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