Weekly Photography Challenge - Week 4: Colourful

Or Colorful if you wish to be American.  ;)

This week I decided to try something I've wanted to do for quite a while:  make a rainbow cake!

Here is the final picture for the challenge:

Rainbow Cake, originally uploaded by rattyree.

To get to this point, we took the Edmonds Cook Book chocolate cake recipe and customised it.  We substituted cocoa for more flour, used mint essence instead of vanilla essence and then divided the mixture into six and added 2tsp of food colouring to each portion.  Mixy mixy and then drop into the cake tin.  The frosting is chocolate flavoured and full of black food colouring.  The spare Pebbles have since been consumed.  *shifty eyes*

I didn't get any pictures of the mixing process, but it looked like a leprechaun had vomited rainbows all over our kitchen.  :D  Here's the post-baking process for your viewing pleasure (pictures mostly unedited):

Despite looking so very wrong, I can confirm it is quite tasty.  

My baby is trolling me..

My day today consisted of this:

Well, she's actually been doing this for the last week.  Sometimes it's because I laugh or sneeze or talk or move my arm slightly...and sometimes she pulls back and grins at me for no apparent reason (unless my milk is just that damn tasty she feels the need to praise me mid-feed?).  If I stay really quiet and make no sudden movements she generally resumes feeding, but today she would only feed for 3-4 minutes before she'd pull off, arch her back and go all stiff until I sat her back up.  When she decided she was hungry again an hour later, she wasn't just hungry - she was OMG STARVING BABY.  *headdesk*

She's lucky she's so damn cute.

Weekly Photography Challenge - Week 3: Control

I wanted to get a photo of a lollipop man at some roadworks, but couldn't find one in time. So, here's the WCC's efforts at controlling pedestrians who don't know how to look before they cross the street.

Foot Traffic Control, originally uploaded by rattyree.

Moa Droppings

Moa Droppings sit

On the cookie tray to set

Tasty little balls

Moa Droppings, originally uploaded by rattyree.

That's right folks, I was a good housewife today and did some baking.  These even have the husband seal of approval:  "They're good!  ...For sweet food".  I wonder if he'd like them more if I had put the sultanas in like I was supposed to?  Vile little dried fruit that they are.

Weekly Photography Challenge - Week 2: Joy

Well, here's my effort for week two.  Alex is always so damn happy when she wakes up (unlike her mother), so I think that fits the theme quite well.

Good morning mum!, originally uploaded by rattyree.

Parenting in the '80s

Mum recently moved house (again) and found some of her parenting booklets and magazines from when my brother and I were born.  She'd like you all to know that she only gave them to me for my amusement, not as legitimate parenting advice. 

Today's information comes from Your Pregnancy, by the Department of Health New Zealand 1985.  My comments are in pretty italics.

Tip 1

When pregnant, you can still carry on with most of your normal activities.  Like doing the laundry.  What a good little housewife you are.

Tip 2

Antenatal classes are offered by maternity hospitals or private organisations such as the Parents Centre.  For parents unable to attend a class, a postal antenatal course is available.  Write to:  The Registrar, Correspondence School, Private Bag, Wellington.

I'm not entirely sure what they're doing here, but I love the slippers on the right!

Tip 3

Smoking and drinking is bad, mmkay?   Mostly.  Try to give up smoking now that you are pregnant.  Perhaps your partner will help you by giving up too.  And try to keep alcohol to a minimum as well.

Tip 4

If you suffer from pregnancy sickness, tea and toast in bed often helps.  Having your husband right in your face while you're eating your dry toast helps as well.

Tip 5

When you first visit your doctor, he will ask lots of questions about your health, illnesses, previous pregnancies etc.  He will then carry out an internal examination to check the womb and judge the age of the baby.  Try to find a doctor slightly less creepy than this one.

Tip 6

Most mothers should have their babies in hospital in case there is a complication during the birth.  Hospitals try to make conditions quiet and relaxed.  They encourage you to have your partner or someone else with you so they can watch you have a staring match.  It's much more interesting than whatever is printing out of that machine.

Tip 7

A partner can give the woman support and love during this time.  For example, he can make her comfortable by massaging her back, helping her change position, giving her sips of water and sponging her face.  He may feel uncomfortable during some of the procedures that are done during labour and delivery, such as an internal examination.  He should feel free to leave while this is happening, and you should feel free to get angry at him for being such a pussy.

Tip 8

Helping yourself with depression:  Talk about your feelings of depression with someone; don't be afraid to say how you feel.  Your partner is closest to you but he may not be very good at listening.  He may even get impatient if you are still depressed after all his efforts.  Other mothers are the most sympathetic and can usually help you dispose of his body.

Weekly Photography Challenge - Week 1: Electricity

So I decided to join a weekly photography challenge this year. I chose this particular challenge by Googling and clicking on the top link. God I'm good.

Here's my attempt this week for "Electricity".

Plasma Ball, originally uploaded by rattyree.

That's just the way we do it!

My husband likes things that are logical - like science and computers.

One morning this weekend I was busy feeding Alex and mentioned to Nev that he should hop in the shower while I'm feeding her, then he can play with Alex while I have my shower.  End result:  we'll be ready to go out sooner.  While we both agree this is a very logical plan of attack, it was impossible to carry out.  Do you want to know why?  Well I'm telling you anyway.

At some point in our past, our routine before work was established so that Nev would get up, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, leave.  I would get up, shower, get dressed, eat my breakfast and then leave.  Nev takes a while to become coherent in the mornings so I would shower while he ate his breakfast and read news websites until he'd woken up properly (or else there's a good chance he'd wash his face with my conditioner).  

Shortly after this routine was established, Nev decided that it applied to weekends as well.  We've had stand-offs where I've refused to shower first because it's a silly rule!  Why should I have to?  What is stopping him just getting up and having a shower??!?!  rawr!  Sadly I never win - the need to be showered, clean and ready to start my day properly always trumps proving a point.  

He can't provide me with an explanation beyond "that's just the way it has to be done!" and seems happy enough with this reasoning.  Surely if a routine is inefficient the logical move is to correct this inefficiency?  

Why does his need for routine override his love of logic?  JUST GO AND HAVE A SHOWER!

  

Guard Cats

Those of you who know my Basil know that he's..uh...special.  He usually looks something like this:

He may be special but he's not small.  Weighing in at 7.5kg, he "carries the weight well" according to our lovely polite vet.

Zari on the other hand is your typical girl cat.  The boss of Basil and the humans, enjoys pats when it suits her (but likes knowing she can get them anytime she wants) and acts like she meant to fall off the cat fort thankyouverymuch.  She's no lightweight either at 5.5kg.

Big fluffy Ragdoll cats need to live indoors because they are so precious placid and friendly that they don't tend to fight back when confronted with another cat or dog.  How overjoyed we were when we bought a house with a courtyard surrounded by a 6' tall fence!  Kitties could roam free out front and chase all the moths and snails they liked.  Basil soon discovered he could climb fences and subsequently got his ass whooped by a ginger cat not long after we moved here.  He lost a lot of fur and a bit of pride but was otherwise OK.  I lost the ability to leave them outside unsupervised.

All was going swimmingly until the neighbourhood bully - or Black and White Kitty - invaded their territory.

BWK had been taunting our darlings for months.  Rolling about on the footpath just out of swipey reach by the front gate or playing in the car port where they couldn't reach him.  One day Basil was fence climbing and found himself with gravity on his side.  He puffed up, put his angry face on, and shot down the fence at BWK.  Poor BWK was somewhat terrified, and frankly you would be too if an angry brown puffball three times your size had you bailed up in a corner.  I got there just as Basil was about to chase BWK across the road, nabbed him and let BWK speed off into the distance.  I praised Basil lots while Zari huffed and puffed from within the courtyard, clearly angry that she wasn't able to join the fun.

We hoped that BWK would return to stealing other cats' food instead of harassing our two.

But today BWK returned.  I opened the front door to wheel the pram out (Alex and I were off for a walk) and BWK was right on the doorstep!  The nerve!!  Zari spotted him first and bolted out the door before I could stop her.  There was a hiss and a spit and a black, white and grey blur bolted up the fence and across the road.  Again I found myself chasing angry cats, catching up to them while they were staring each other down across the street.  I grabbed puffy crab-walking Zari and brought her back.  I praised Zari lots while Basil huffed and puffed and...well...Basil was still inside sniffing the pram, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.

I am Zari, hear me roar.

Tui in the Rain

It can be handy living on a hill - tree tops are at eye-level from our lounge! 

If I ever have disposable income again, I will be investing in a decent zoom lens. The kit lens just isn't as sharp as our Tamron 17-50mm.