Monday, April 30, 2012

Bean Paste

I found this in Draft Form and am not sure if it ever got posted so here it is (again?)

In my search for healthy Mediterranean-type recipes I stumbled on a Maltese recipe for bean paste for using as a dip or spreading on bread so I looked in Licorice which is a shop which stocks all manner of unexpected things and sure enough, it had dried broad beans. I'll put the recipe (modified) onto my web page because it is really delicious but needs some adjustment such as more lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. I'll make another batch to make sure that I have it correct before I set it in concrete.
It used up the whole capacity of my food processor and there is a great deal of it so I am testing its freezeability as it would be a great standby and much healthier than butter. It tastes a bit like hummus but no chickpeas so no MSG which gives me hives.
I developed severe pain in my right leg yesterday and D3, making a timely visit, diagnosed it as pseudo-sciatica - probably due to the ruptured gluteus minimus tendon which I did a couple of years ago. Anyway, I found a stretch online and tried it with disastrous results so I took a strong pain-killer and went to bed. I slept very well and woke up with no pain so obviously the stretch put something back into place but I am not keen to repeat it in case it reverses itself.
The kittens are growing up and Parsifal is noticably bigger than Poppy now and is getting quite chunky when I pick him up. Poppy feels fragile but seeing her toughing up her brother makes me realise that she is a match for him. He tries to bully her but she seems to give as good as she gets.
They have found their way into my bed and they are usually there when I wake up in the morning. Parsifal is still trying to turn on the taps and I caught him trying to lift the lid on one of the toilets. They are far too heavy for him, though, and he will not be able to open them enough to climb in.
My cousins N2 and H1 are working on our family tree and are giving me some contemporary information which is not available to me so I have added some people to the tree and Cousin H1 is going to check names dates etc with her siblings regarding children and grandchildren to bring the tree more up to date.

The End of the World as we know it 2012

Parsifal is finally big enough to jump onto the kitchen benches.  From now on NOTHING will be safe.  Poppy hasn't made it up there yet but it is only a matter of time; she is smaller.

I caught the train over to Cottesloe this afternoon and had my flu vaccination.  A bit late in the year but it is all done now.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

CAT Scans

D2's cat, Hibou, has lymphoma.  He was looking off colour and vomiting quite a lot so she took him to the vet who referred him on to a veterinary oncologist for a CT scan and blood tests.  He has had biopsies as well and the cancer is in his liver so he started chemotherapy last week.  Yesterday and the day before I had to go and give him cortisone tablets as D2 was attending a conference in Melbourne.  He seemed fine on Friday and was spending his time with a neighbour so he had company.  But yesterday he looked miserable, wasn't eating and his fur was coming out although D2 says that is just that he needs grooming.  He also needed his claws clipped as he understandably took great umbrage at an almost stranger invading his home and shoving pills down his throat.


Anyway, it bothered me that he looked as though he was feeling awful so I went back and gave him some anti-nausea stuff.  By the time D2 arrived back last night he was eating again and she was just about to clip his claws.  Hopefully, as a doctor, D2 knows what she is doing but I would be very reluctant to put a loved and loving cat through what he is having to endure.


My two babies are well and growing fast. I thought that they were quite big until I picked up Hibou; he is huge.  Poppy is sleek and very oriental in shape but I am afraid that Parsifal is looking quite porky.  I may have to stop the food browsing which is a pity because Poppy is doing well on it.  They get a small serve of mushy stuff morning and night, more as a treat than anything else as I prefer them to have dry kibble for the sake of their teeth.  I recommended their favourite mush to D2 and Hibou likes it as well so when he is eating he is getting that along with kibble.


The weather seems to be finally breaking and we had quite a lot of rain last night.  The days are still warm but the nights are getting chilly and the kittens creep into bed with me in the morning.  They have learnt that I do not welcome them when I am trying to get to sleep because I am very restless and it is difficult trying to dodge around them: but I love having them in with me in the mornings  -  they are warm and cuddly and it is like old times.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Addressing the problem

I think that I mentioned, back in August 2011, that I have multiple addresses for this apartment; five at the last count. But it hasn't been an issue for months so I was surprised when I received a phone call from Telstra to say that my phone bill was overdue for payment. I asked what address the account had been sent to and was told "23 St Quentin Avenue" which is the address of the whole complex - shops, two apartment blocks and who knows what else.

I told the caller that I would pay the account when I received the paper confirmation and had checked that the postal address which I gave her was the right one. So far ... nothing! So this morning I phoned Telstra and got a real person and I think that it was the same one who was so helpful when I asked to be allowed to keep my old number when I moved. He confirmed that I was still listed as 23 St Quentin Avenue and actually contacted the Claremont Post Office and checked that they recognised the address and will, although I used BPay to pay the account, send an account to confirm that the address is the right one. Yeah for efficient bureaucrats!

Himself and I gave our second presentation for COTA yesterday and again I had problems with the computer but I am now convinced that the fault is not with either me or the computer but with the system and the connection to the overhead projector. About half the screen was cut off when I went online so that both sides of the pages were missing and it wasn't until almost the end of the talk that I realised that it had put in a very pale scroll bar across the bottom so that I could access the login box and the 'close' box. I'll know next time ... if there is a next time. We received some positive feedback although Himself can't seem to get his mind around the machinations of Nigerian scams. Not important, though as long as people do not respond to them.

The babies are growing up and now look like cats rather than like kittens. They are learning that I do not appreciate being used as a trampoline when I am trying to get to sleep but that I enjoy waking up to find them in bed with me in the morning so they usually put themselves to bed in their own beds in the bedroom. Bless them ...

They are the most demonstrative and loving cats I have ever shared my life with and since I have, for most of my cat-owning life, kept Burmese cats this is quite something. Poppy can still be demanding and she has developed quite a loud voice when I ignore her but for the most part they communicate with soft little chirrups.

Parsifal looks very oriental with a longish face and big ears while Poppy looks a bit like a teddybear. She is much smaller than he is now but when they are not together I still need an occasional peep under the tail to tell them apart. And they are molting and losing their milk teeth; I have picked up four little teeth so far and I am sure that the vacuum cleaner has accounted for a few more. They are growing up ...