The BB cafe

[Kazzl]

The BB cafe is open for business!
Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum.

The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a pool outside, a bbq area, an annexe with comfy beds for a quiet sleep, tv, dvd, books and whatever else you would like to have here.

Most of all, it's a place to meet friends and fellow travellers for a bit of company. Talk over problems, tell jokes, share your day, escape into a world of your making. Grab a coffee and pull up a chair ... 

So, with a nod to the wonderful Carole King (Hard Rock Cafe) ...

Now if you're feeling just a little bit lonely
Don't sit at home just mopin'
Come on down to where the friendship flows freely
You know the door is always open

At the BB cafe
Come to the BB cafe
They will help keep your blues at bay
At the BB cafe

Important Message from ModSupport: 
The main intention of the BB Cafe is to encourage light conversation. Please look after your fellow community members by nuturing the BB Cafe as a place to escape some of the more pressing issues in life and save those conversations for personal threads. 

[ecomama]

Hey everyone sitting around in the BB Cafe today! 

What a beautiful day it is AT THE MOMENT lol. Sun shining, gentle breeze. 
It's already been raining today UGH!

We have my boys' birthday party tonight and the ground is SO soggy from days of rain (months of rain if we're honest lol). 
At least the Straw Bales are dry lol. They're in the garage waiting for the troops to carry them down the back to around the Fire Pit. 
Not saying there'll be a FIRE in it tonight! The logs for the fire would be soaked through... 

Ahhh some times a quick change can still work out. 

I'm off to whipper snip and leaf blow WET leaves out the front now. 

Hope everyone finds some thing lovely to do this long weekend. 

Many Blessings
Love EMxxxx

[ecomama]

Ooops SORRY for the many posts!! 

I DID attend Costa's talk yesterday and it was beautiful! 
He has so much passion and I love that it's for the environment. Makes my heart sing. 

BUT the most impact I felt was from the "Acknowledgement of Country" by a gentle spoken Aboriginal man. 
His words reverberated and I began to cry! Lol... I'm hopeless seriously lol. 
I felt GRATITUDE for being able to be there. 
Being able to share that moment in time with such magnificent people. 
LEARNING so much about Aboriginal Culture just from that one Acknowledgement! 

3 things I learnt was that Red Gums, Red Wallabies and FROGS are Women's Business... how apt. 

I tend our Frog Pond with fresh tank water regularly. What a compliment they come to our garden. 

Have a beautiful day and hope everyone can take in the nature around even for a moment today. 

Love EMxxxxx

[sbella02]

EM! Nice to see you at the BB Café today, as always. 

I love that you're sharing what you've learnt. I'm of the belief that there's something we can learn from everyone in every interaction. 

I went for a lovely bike ride today, it was super sunny and warm outside which has been a rare occurrence for a while so that was a pleasant change. To celebrate the arrival of spring, I'm bringing flowers to the BB Café today (the non-allergenic kind), and I'll bring a few bikes so we can travel around the garden and take in the sunshine. 

Wishing everyone a great week ahead!

SB

[ecomama]

1978 BB Cafe goers!!! 
We're inching towards our 2023 goal, bring it on! 

New posters are always welcome in the BB Cafe. 

SBELLA!   
Nice to see YOU in the BB Cafe today sweety girl, as always :-))

LOVE THE FLOWERS! 

That's a nice way of thinking about interactions... we can learn something from everyone. 

Ahh bike ride!! How wonderful. 
What did you see on your ride? 

We had indecisive weather yesterday again. Cold but sunny, then RAINING, then very cloudy, then patches of blue sky which gave me hope for the party lol... and it stayed calm ALL NIGHT thank goodness. 

The timber log pile was saturated so our Fire was difficult to start. 
A few party goers spent almost 2 hours out trying to buy timber, but there was none to be found. 
By the time they got back, I'd dug deep in the pile to find some damp logs so had the fire going well. 

Lovely party.
The kids decorated everywhere! So happy they're old enough to do virtually everything for their parties now, yay! 
We had waterfalls of long silver tinsel along walls and fairy lights up all over the place. 
It looked beautiful. 

Everyone behaved which is a relief lol. 
This morning there are passed out kids all over the place. 
I had to step over kids to get out to the balcony and find my laptop hahaha. 

I woke early to see one of the most beautiful mornings in a long time. 
People are out in their boats EARLY this Monday, enjoying the long weekend. 

It'll take me all week to clean up but that's OKAY, totally worth it lol. 

What's everyone up to today? 

Love EM

[mmMekitty]

So glad the party went well. The decorating sounds wonderful. 

I have imagined bike riding - but never achieved it in real life! Balance being the main problem for me. When I was younger it was about the idea of going fast & having wth wind blowing in my face & all around, something like being fast in water, too, which is also appealing to me. I'm not fast enough on my own. 

So, if my little mmMekitty self can fit into a basket at the front of a bike, that'll be better for all concerned. Just install a shield so my shedding cat hair doesn't get in your face! 😹

I was trying to make a meatloaf, with hidden veges, such as some of the frozen pumpkin cubes I have, chopped very finely, with finely chopped brocoli & fresh continental parsley, some chopped up beetroot, some instant potato, some tomato paste, some frozen spinach & an egg yolk. Maybe only 20% was beef mince.

It wasn't firm like a proper meatloaf, & after a while, I put some cheese on top & let that melt before eating for a late lunch.

I think I'd like some egg & lettuce with corn & gherkin relish, like what I"d make for sandwiches, but not the bread, later. I must use up some more of the parsley before it goes off. Wonder if I can freeze that? I know I could buy these little frozen things of parsley, or garlic, or ginger, if I want... but I think they are very expensive for what you get. So maybe I can freeze fresh parsley.

Another experiment, & we'll see! 😺

mmMekitty

[mmMekitty]

So I tried freezing a little conttinental parsley, & when thawed again, it didn't seem fresh was not crispy - okay if I'm cooking it, so I can do more of thet & not waste any of the whole bunch.

*

How do you tell Google you want to find a shop where you can see & try out an exercise machine, & not be told about all the online only sites? (& near where I live, too).

Same goes for finding a nurse who will come to my home - not a nursing home, or aged care facility (I doubt I can afford, when I might want one, in a few years, anyway).

Although the weather fined up this afternoon, it looks like it won't last. Sorry folks in other states where the rain looks likely to be pretty bad again. I think of you every time the weather is mentioned.

mmMekitty

[Hanna3]

Hi mmMekitty

I just tried googling both those things you mentioned.

If you google, home care services ******* (name of where you live) it will bring up local providers. I just did it for my town.

Also google, home gym equipment TOWN NAME, it brought up two stores near me that I could visit.

I hope this helps! 🙂

[ecomama]

Good morning everyone, what are you up to today? 

I'm enjoying an early morning decaf to welcome the day. 
About to make some French toast with soft bread slices and eggs from our chooks. 
I like Vegemite on mine and the kids like Maple syrup on theirs. 

What's your favourite? 

Hey Kitty, I doubt it's possible to freeze fresh foods and have their full integrity maintained. 
When I've wanted to store basil (which is similar, cellularly, to parsley) I've cooked up fresh tomatoes (and sliced zucchini) from my garden at the same time, then when cooled I've added the basil.
Then put this mixture in plastic containers to freeze them. 
Alternatively you could use tinned tomatoes as is, they're already cooked so that makes it easier. 
If you don't want huge amounts of this mixture, you can put the mix in ice cube trays to freeze. 
Then pop out what you need for your meal. 

I've found that having air around fine cellular foods when freezing them, assists in their deterioration more rapidly. 
So surrounding them in a mixture of moist foods helps to keep them delicious. 

We're off to the hairdresser's today. Still not sure if I'm brave enough to get my long hair chopped short but right now I want to! Lol. 

Have a great day 
Love EMxxxx

[mmMekitty]

Thanks EM & Hanna for the tips. Trying whatever I can - while I have the space in my freezer, that is.

Maple with French Toast, yum, but so is the brown sugar syrup my family used to make on the stopve, simmering until the mix of simply brown sugar & water. Not healthy, of-course, but neither was the amount of butter we also used on the toast.

It astonishes me what we used to eat, how much, as well.

Today, I might have a little spread & sprinkle on some brown sugar & cinnamon. 

mmMekitty

[ecomama]

Hey everyone in the BB Cafe today! New posters always welcome! 

Lol that brown sugar cooked on the stove sounds like TOFFEE lol!! 

Yes wow. My mother was super health conscious and I just thought that was normal! hahaha. 

We literally had an individual salad made for us every lunch time we were home and every dinner time all year round. No dressing on the table. Just pepper, lemon juice or herbs from the garden to season. 
Plus cut up fruit before breakfast, lunch and dinner. She's really into Hygienist Theory, grew so many herbs and veg, we always had chickens etc. We drank water or freshly squeezed juice to drink. 

The ONLY time we had any sugar laden foods was at our birthday parties, Easter and even Christmas was a healthy food event lol. Never any fizzy even at parties. 

I admire this about my mother, she laboured for us for sure! 

Ahh today our Rescue Poodle is off to the vet for preventative Dentistry work. What next? 
Apparently because he refuses to chew on bones etc, he doesn't get this naturally. 

YES I got all my hair chopped off! 
Love it. 
I brought home all our hair clippings for the garden lol. 

Have to find a fancy outfit to wear for a Wedding tomorrow aww. My multiple boys are all Groomsmen in the Wedding party! They'll look so grown up and handsome in formal suits and bow ties! Can't wait to take tons of photos of them. 

Have a great day everyone! 
Love EMxxxx