Milk and Cookies A Sydneysider atempting to capture all things food. From shaking to baking, and everything in between.

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Easy As Muffins
2007-07-15 06:10:00
I’m feeling a bit better now; the good news is I’ve now managed a little spring in my step and I no longer feel like that seething cesspool of bacteria like I did a mere week ago. I think my immune system suffered a battering while at the conference last week eating lots of nutritionally deficient foods like hot chips, pizza and meat pies. All great when on the go, but terrible when you are trying to fend off disease.So in my effort to wage war against those recalcitrant little bugs that have invaded my body and have yet still to pack up and leave completely, I bought a whole bag of Navel Oranges. Not only are they delicious this time of year, when they reach their season but they are also full of virus-fighting vitamin C. I don’t exactly know how adept they are at fighting disease, but it was more to soothe my conscience than anything else. I have little faith in antibiotics and really hate to even more pollute my body with drugs that I am happy to be sick longer and just let my ...
Muffins 

Baba Who?
2007-07-13 11:10:00
We are now smack bang in the middle of winter and I can feel it. As I sit on the couch, in my warmest winter woollies, thick socks, scarf and if I didn’t have to type I would probably have a pair of gloves on too. Sydney homes weren’t really made for frosty conditions; they were built more to withstand those harsh Australian summers most people know about. But it appears that the construction industry seems to forget that we have winters down here too, and it gets pretty darn cold.You will hear me every winter, every year, complain about the cold, and I realise that what I mean by “cold” is quite feeble compared to what other people go through in say, Canada and Upper Siberia. It’s not even cold enough to garner any snow here, but no matter how you look at it, to me cold is cold. It’s cold when you can feel it in your bones, and feel it in my bones I do.So when on the hunt for recipes, all I was looking for was something to warm me up. Now after having a pumpkin stew for di ...

Outbarking the Dog and Surfing the Net
2007-07-09 07:25:00
I've confined myself indoors while recovering from what the doctor has now diagnosed as Laryngitis. So I have been giving Jack my dog a good run for his money as I've been pretty stiff competition in terms of barking it up. He's given up trying to out-bark me, i've won the past few rounds. The cough still persists and I've pretty much lost my voice, so on a social level, there is really no point in me going out or hanging out with anyone.So as I veg out at home alone, with the dog, lemon and honey tea in hand, the heater on, blankets strewn all over the couch and laptop firmly secured on where else but my lap, I browse the wide world of the web. I'm filling up my del.icio.us album with lots of tags of recipes I want to make and alas here are a few other things i've found that have caught my eye.Believe it or not, this is a toaster that I found on designboom.com. The toaster is called "Glide" because the toast simply glides through that little opening where the bread is heated by two al ...
Surfing 

Under The Weather
2007-07-08 05:47:00
I held up pretty well all week throughout the conference where I was serving on the televesion crew, but now I'm feeling a whole lot worse. To give you an apt description, my throat feels like razorblades, my nose is blocked, my eyes are bloodshot and all I want to do is sleep. In order not to spread my "cooties" to everyone else, I am opting to strike out of cooking and baking until I get a lot better. But so as not to neglect this poor old blog, here is a recipe from the vault that I haven't posted about.I made this layer cake about 4 weeks ago and took photos but then completely forgot all about it. I think it may have been overshadowed by other pressing posts- like all those cookies I made during the bad weather week in the series A Cache of Cookies. Not that those cookies tasted so much better, but this cake disappeared with such speed and stealth that I almost forgot that I made it.The original recipe asked for groundnut oil, although as I was making this cake on the fly, I subst ...
Weather 

Gone Shopping...
2007-07-01 19:53:00
You might be asking, why the influx of posts in the last few hours? Well the answer is that I won't be posting on the blog for a whole week. And this time, it's not just neglect but I am actually going to be away, so I thought that I would leave you with a few extra things to look at and muse over. I feel like this blog is my kid, so I feel the inclination that I should leave it an appropriate amount of rations while I'm gone. It must be that maternal instinct kicking in.I will be at a conference for a whole week and thus will be away from my laptop, my kitchen and that seemingly endless supply of sugar and butter. I might be able to sneak a peek or two at the blog, probably only short enough to read your comments and put them up. But during the week i'll try to secure myself a short pocket of time where I can make a quick detour to the supermarket and replenish my dwindling pantry. And soon enough there should be a new array of goodies for you to chew on.For now, let me take you down ...
Shopping 

Let Them Eat Ice Cream Cake?
2007-07-01 14:12:00
My first experience with ice cream cake was when I was at a birthday party; I must have been around 5 or 6 years old. And since then I never really gave ice creams cakes anymore thought. To me they are just part of those juvenile whims that you try to shed once you reach a certain age along with say, wetting your bed and running barefoot around the neighbourhood in your PJs. Okay, so it might be a bit of a stretch to mention ice cream cake in the same sentence as wetting your bed, but you get what I mean.So you might be glad to know that I’m way past those childhood dilemmas but I think that it’s time to resurrect the ice cream cake. I’ve only ever seen the ice cream cake come out for two types of birthday parties- they are usually reserved for children’s birthdays and for those over the age of 60. Is it because we revert back to that child-like state when we get older and thus requires the presence of an ice cream cake? Well, I say enough of having it merely at the polar end o ...
Cake  Cream  Ice  Ice Cream 

Intellectual Food
2007-06-30 22:15:00
I don’t want to upset any foodie aficionados here, but I am a bit reluctant to jump on this molecular gastronomy bandwagon. You might think why the heck not? I jumped right on top of the cupcake craze and was suitably taken in by the no-knead bread fad and am completely convinced by wagyu. But somehow I am happy for this speeding bandwagon to zoom right past me. Perhaps it’s because I’m not convinced. The idea of eating foam really doesn’t get my mouth salivating, and to be honest neither does the sound of bacon and egg ice cream or snail porridge; it actually gets my stomach churning. Call me boring but I would much rather stick to eating my bacon and eggs just how they were intended- crispy and sunny side up. All this said, I am no authority on the subject of molecular gastronomy and to be honest I have never experienced the stuff. It all sounds too scientific for me. This is coming from the girl who tried every trick in the book to skip her chemistry class. Once you start ...
Food  Intellectual 

A Cranberry Fixation
2007-06-26 15:32:00
It seems that I have been baking a lot from blogs lately. But who can blame me; I suffer from an overload of recipes from so many food blogs that continually tease and entice me with their recipes. And my eyes are never satiated; my bookmarks are full of recipes that I have spied, salivated over and envied and the list keeps growing. So what I decided was that it was high time I start tackling some of those recipes rather than just letting them go to waste. If my online bookmarks could gather dust, I assure you there would be a thick mantle of dirt that no feather duster could remove.So before virtual cobwebs start to form on these recipes, here is one of the oldest ones that has been sitting there for almost as long as this blog has been alive- Elise’s Cranberry Nut Bread Recipe. Now it not only seems that I have been baking from blogs lately, but it also appears that I have been baking with cranberries a lot too. I just can’t get enough of them, which I surmise is a probably a go ...

The Accidental Cake: Love At First Slice
2007-06-23 18:29:00
ADDED NOTE: For those of you who have been asking where I got these gorgeous paper cases, you can buy them at any specialised kitchen/baking supply store. If you are from NSW, VIC or the ACT then it will probably help to know that I got these ones from The Essential Ingredient.Contrary to what the title suggests, this cake never came to me through any sort of serendipity or eureka. It was by no means an inadvertent light bulb moment, but simply came about through pure chance; completely unintended and coincidental. Yet through this fortuity, this cake has afforded itself as one of my favourite gastronomic finds of late, tipped to become a staple in my kitchen and on future menus.The story of how the cake found its way on my kitchen table starts several months ago after receiving an email from a reader, K. She was looking for a “chocolate marbled pistachio cake” that she stumbled across while skimming through several food blogs, but could not remember exactly where she found it. She ...
Accidental  Cake  Love  Slice 

A Cache Of Cookies Part III: Checkmate
2007-06-21 16:47:00
THE WEATHER REPORTIf you have been reading the last few posts, you will have noticed that I have been chronicling this saga that we in Sydney have come to know as the weather. We’ve seen it all; being at the mercy of some sort of meteorological cataclysm, we’ve seen everything from rain to cyclones, to furious winds and even snowfall. After all the beating we endured in the last two weeks, it’s nice to see that rain clouds have finally been benched in favour of some sunshine. Although we’ve been told that this genial weather will be short-lived, it’s safe to say that sunshine is finally back in the game.COOKIE COMES FULL CIRCLEDuring all this bad weather, I started a so–called series of cookies from The Australian Women’s Weekly cookbook that I have been baking from while stuck indoors. So to cap-off this cookie trilogy of sorts, here is a recipe for cookies that comes full circle. Although these cookies are actually square, I use the same type of dried cranberries as I ...
Cache  Cookies 

A Cache Of Cookies Part II: On Days Like These
2007-06-19 17:38:00
As the rains continue to pour over Sydney, it appears that most of the city has occupied itself in the business of talking about the weather. It has become somewhat of a national sport, where strangers who normally would have no business talking to each other find themselves engaged in conversation about the wild weather. While Sydney engrosses itself in a collective dialogue about climate conditions, predicted rainfall and dam levels, allow me to put my two bits in- in the form of biscuits that is.With all this wet, dreary weather, what one desperately needs is a good dose of comfort eating, something to cosy up to on the couch and of you're lucky in front of a fireplace. Now if you are thinking, warms stews and hearty casseroles, then you are at the wrong blog. Although stews and casseroles are probably the perfect remedy for a cold winter's day, I am the kind of blogger that usually turns to something sweet on a day like this. On cold days, carbs are my best friend. So another mis ...
Cache  Cookies 

A Cache Of Cookies Part I: When Indoors
2007-06-12 04:21:00
A week has come and gone, the heavens have opened, the sun has shone and the rains have returned. The city is once again covered in a mantle of grey clouds, and is perhaps bracing itself for another destructive run. The rains’ homecoming was at first received gladly, although now that it has left our state with a potential billion dollar clean up bill, we are hoping that Mother Nature eases up a bit. Bring on the rains but hold off the floods and gale force winds please. If only the weather was as easy as ordering a chicken chow mein at your local take away; but unfortunately we have to take what can get.Now although it’s great that we are finally getting some rain, what comes with it isn’t always that agreeable. The temperature has dropped and it is officially freezing outside, the hems of my jeans always seems to get wet no matter how high my shoes are, the ground is eternally muddy and my hair in a perpetual state of frizz. Now it may seem that this is just a lot of whining an ...
Cache  Cookies 

At Last...
2007-06-09 02:05:00
It’s Thursday morning; I hear the pitter-patter of raindrops against my bedroom window. It’s been a long time coming, but finally Sydney and pressumably the rest of the state receives a serious drenching that it has been waiting a long time for. I don’t think it’s safe to say that the drought has been lifted but it certainly was nice to see some moisture descending upon this dry state. I know I have never been happier to see a thick blanket of grey and a continual downpour, and I am sure many farmers were ecstatic too. No sooner than when I said that the winter weather has been “unusually clement” that we get a beating of gale force winds and heavy rains, let’s just say the weather turned inclement all of a sudden. I guess we all wanted it to rain, but the weather has been out of control. I know I’ll be spending my weekend curled up in a ball at home but I really don’t mind.* * * * *On a sweeter topic, you have heard me harping on ...

Lazy Sunday Lunch On A Not So Lazy Day
2007-06-04 09:26:00
Sunday afternoons in Sydney are meant to be spent lazily, it’s almost mandatory, especially when our newly started winter season is unusually clement. Not that I am complaining but where have our Sydney winters gone? It seems that every year the winters get milder and milder. Could Mr. Gore be right about this inconvenient truth? Well, wherever it is our winter has run away to, it has given Sydneysiders the rare opportunity to enjoy a June weekend outdoors unladen with the burden of a thousand layers of clothing. So what do you do when you have become locked away indoors working on a Sunday afternoon while everyone you possibly know is either lounging at home, or enjoying the Primo Italiano Food Festival?The obvious answer would be to throw yourself a pity party and wallow in that pool of despair that you have created for yourself. Perhaps sit in a dark corner crouched in the foetal position passing the hours pondering on how much more pitiful your weekend can get. I know that’s ex ...
Lazy Sunday  Lunch 

Baked, Not Fried
2007-05-31 10:53:00
I never met a donut I didn’t like. Those fried yeasty rings of saccharine indulgence always seem to crush any sort of will power I may have to resist them. There’s no escape, but only to yield to the inexorable temptation that they put forward; and what they put forward sounds like a really good offer- yeasted dough fried up then coated in a sprinkling of sugar and spice, oh that sounds real nice! And having been introduced in 2003 to the beguiling and sinister powers of Krispy Kreme after they set up shop here in Oz; the donut has been given a new evil persona. You just know there is something so sinfully wrong about them, but it’s not until downing five consecutive Original Glazed™ that the shameful recognition of what you’ve done becomes apparent.What is it about the excessive consumption of donuts that brings so much shame? It certainly never stoped Homer Simpson, but neither does an all you can eat buffet until he has eaten all he can physically eat. But that aside, is i ...
Baked 

Cake Of My Dreams
2007-05-28 12:53:00
A few years back, I dreamt that I had won $50,000 in a raffle and consequently spent almost the entire length of my morning shower mentally calculating how I would spend the money. A car? A vacation perhaps? Clothes, shoes? Definitely shoes. I had already spent at least half the money when somewhere in between shampooing and conditioning came the stark realisation that this money that I had surprisingly come into was in fact all a dream. Haplessly duped by a mirage of my own mind. So I stepped out of the shower and back into reality, $50,000 poorer. It seems that I tend to blur that fine line between consciousness and sub-consciousness all too often. Often times my being awake gets all muddled up with the sub-consciousness of sleep, perhaps because sadly sometimes my dreams seem a lot more eventful. One time, I dreamt that there were bush fires near my house and convinced myself of it when I woke up. I rounded up the dog and a few keepsakes and just before I was ready to leave, I reali ...
Cake  Dreams 

Methinks, that I should say Thanks.
2007-05-22 09:26:00
She’s not just a pretty blog...I was delightedly surprised when I chanced upon a post by Megan of Chez Mégane that tagged this blog, among other illustrious ones, with the Thinking Blogger Award. Like I said, I was delighted, however quite amazed and very thankful for the nod. I commented on Megan’s post that I never thought that my musings, or should I say ramblings about food, and on occasion life in Sydney would ever be considered thoughtful. I don’t particularly aim to instigate thought; usually what appears on the blog is a written up version of the verbal diarrhoea that goes on in my brain. Nonetheless, I am very honoured and thankful that Megan would choose me. And in the spirit if the award, here are four other blogs that I always come away from, thinking. I am a visual person, so it makes perfect sense to me that some of these blogs have a visual or photographic element.1. THE SARTORIALISTAside from food, I love clothes. I know that not all women love to shop, but I ha ...

Northside Produce Markets, Miller St
2007-05-19 16:00:00
I don’t normally go to the Northside Produce Markets, simply because I never wake up early enough to get to them. And besides the drive to get to these markets is the same route I take to get to work and it just pains me to go even remotely that way on my days off. I like to stay as far away as I can from the vicinity of my workplace whenever possible. Anyway, I did happen to be at these markets as I was picking up some product for some photography work I am doing and managed to get some snaps of the place while I was at it. The sun was out and the morning was just starting to warm up. I quickly unravel the scarf around my neck, take off my jacket and eagerly snap away. I have to say though, that these markets are a lot harder to manoeuvre around than the Pyrmont ones. The thoroughfares are a lot narrower and it seems that the newest accessory around is a stroller. I don’t mind prams at all, although I do mind mothers that feel they have the right to bulldoze anyone and anything in ...
Markets  Produce 

La Plage, Bronte Beach
2007-05-17 12:58:00
along the Bronte walk and the Bronte Swimming PoolI adore breakfast. The very concept of it excites me and as one who isn’t at all interested in engaging in anything in the early parts of the day, the prospect of having a great breakfast is enough to pry my lifeless body out of bed. The odds do get slimmer when the climate becomes much cooler, the warmth and comfort of my bed seems to stitch and hedge me in, and it would take something extraordinary to get me out.I’m sure you all know what I mean. It is a rarity to find a person who isn’t belligerent when woken up from deep hibernation, especially during cold wintry nights. I’m sure a caterpillar won’t have a bar of being taken out of the comfort of its cocoon until the time is ripe; and okay, I am no butterfly, but I feel the same way.reading the morning paper...But with every rule always comes the exception- the however. So if there is one thing that will haul me out of bed prematurely in the morning, it is a little place c ...
Beach 

The Autumn Morning
2007-05-14 16:49:00
As the morning breaksSleepy eyes pry openContemplating the dayDaylight awaits,The traffic and soundsWhispers and notionsHints of commotionShades and huesAll waiting for cuesAs the day urges to beginThe autumn leaves fallEvergreens and leavesAll sounding their callYearning for beautyIts beckon so strange,Waiting and wishingFor something to changeI cannot help but thinkThat this feeling insidethis longing for somethingjust cannot abide.So I give in to you, morning lightArise and call out its nameYou have me by the handLead me wherever you please.I am in your charge,Crisp autumn wind,Blow me to wherever you please.Finishing a shift at 7 in the morning at different times comes different sentiments. There are those earnest longings for slumber, just craving to get some much needed shut-eye; and then there are those times, though seldom, that I greet the morning with expectation.You take a huge breath, the new day ahead and somehow it’s yours for the taking. As infrequent as this disposit ...

No Alarms and No Surprises
2007-05-12 08:08:00
Fearing a backlash from faithful readers, I thought I should post about food again. I know you can only take so much of this I love my city so much it hurts chatter. Now back to the grub. If you ask me, there is nothing more humdrum than a brownie, it’s flat, monochromatic and always tastes of chocolate. It’s almost ludicrous to expect something other than that of a brownie, because really that is what it is, and I must say that this one is no different. When it comes to brownies I don’t like to stray too much left of centre, I like to keep within the brownie boundaries and never wander off into wild interpretations and unique embellishments. I like my brownie just like that girl-next-door, you know exactly what to expect and there are no surprises. Unlike the girl across the street and down the road to the left, who’s full of twists and turns and palatal meanderings; I like to keep my brownie just as it is. I've always been this way when it comes to the brownie, even when I ...
Alarms 

Sydneyscapes III: The Rocks- Markets, Artisans and Textures
2007-05-09 09:49:00
Today the long awaited rain clouds descend upon Sydney. So I look back at my photos of the last weekend just to remember that it wasn't too long go when the sun was out and we enjoyed its warmth.More photgraphs from Sydney's Rocks District, its colours, its textures and its spirit. Most of these shots are from the weekend markets. Copyright Jennifer Oh. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without the authour's permission. ...
Markets  Textures 

Sydneyscapes II: The Rocks, Autumn
2007-05-08 06:09:00
The Rocks is a hauntingly interesting place that's steeped in history and the remnants of old Sydney town. A reminiscence of Sydney’s settlement in the late 1700’s, The Rocks was a melting pot of interesting characters at the time- from rough convicts, to drunken seafarers, gang members and European gentry, they all walked these cobblestone streets. Now home to specialty shops, historic pubs, artisans and fine dining establishments, there is still a lingering sense of the past that pervades its surroundings. With many of the cobblestone-lined streets still intact and old sandstone facades still remaining, The Rocks is a treasure trove of photographic possibility.All you need to do is open your eyes. Copyright All Rights Reserved. Jennifer Oh. ...

Sydneyscapes I: Vaucluse, Neilsen Park, Greycliffe House
2007-05-07 04:26:00
One of my favourite things to do on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon is to take a stroll around the city and hone my skills at photography. It’s not too hard to find something to photograph in this pearl of a city; every corner turned there is something new to discover something new to appreciate. Rather than seeing a run down wall as an hideous spectacle, what I love about taking pictures is the way it pushes and encourages you to find the beauty in everything, be it the rusty spires of an iron gate, the cracked paint on a well-weathered fence, a flickering traffic light or the undulating façade of a rough sandstone wall. All of it is exquisite if you can look at it with eyes that are certain that most times beauty is veiled and needs to be uncovered and drawn out. There is something that I find soulful about walking around the city by myself, armed with just my camera unearthing the very heart of why I love living here. For some it is music, others it is writing, for me it is th ...
House  Park 

Good Living Pyrmont Grower's Market: May
2007-05-05 14:20:00
I am very aware of the fact that Sydney is in dire need of some rain, although I must admit I was quite elated to wake up this morning to find the sun had shed it’s cloudy coat and decide to put on a show. Aside from the Sahara, I believe that Sydney is the only other place you will find the sun at full pelt at 8 in the morning. And I am now convinced that we are living directly under that notorious hole in the ozone layer, the one that scientists are claiming will set off the demise of this earth into a burning ball of flame. Okay, perhaps I shouldn’t be so theatrical, but the sun in our nook of the globe is unusually fierce and when caught off guard, it could turn you into the dreaded lobster, red all over. Not that the sun’s presence was any reason to complain, I was milking this great weather for all I could. But I do hope that the weather brings rain in the coming weeks as that our drought situation has become so desperate that most crops are under threat. But seeing the su ...
Living  Market 

A Call To All Who Love Sugar
2007-05-04 04:46:00
So the blog’s birthday was celebrated without too much fanfare; she went out for drinks with a few friends, had a bit of cake, a few presents here and there, it wasn’t too late a night and she was in bed by 11:30pm. You see, the blog isn’t too much of a party animal, especially when it’s all about her, unlike the monkey who will find any excuse to have a shindig.So for the party animal in all of us, here is a cake that spells out c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-i-o-n, with exclamation marks included!! I first experienced the Lumberjack Cake at one of the many farewell parties we had for my friend E, who by the way is now safely back in the motherland of Africa. I had never heard of a lumberjack cake before, and to be honest all my research has come up nil on how the name came about. All I know is that this cake is probably an Australian classic and something that you would most likely chance upon flicking through an old edition of Woman’s Day.For Party Animal please refer to Exhibit A above. ...
Love  Sugar 

365, not such a big number
2007-05-02 04:35:00
It's been 365 days since my first ever Milk and Cookies post, which means that my blog has just turned 1 year old!I am notorious for missing birthdays, ecpecially those of close friends and loved ones. And since this blog is very dear to me, it would only be right that I would only realise it has turned 1 year old the day of its actual birthday. So I'm sorry poor little blog, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I can't believe that after 1 year and 165 posts later, I am still here raving and ranting about the things I put into my mouth or rather, the things I make my family and friends put into their mouths. And ever since this very first post, who knew that I would keep going and survive it, a year on, still baking and still eating a bevvy of sugary treats. It's a wonder how my waistline has survived such a sugar hit over the past 12 months! And I must say the most marked difference from this post and the more recent ones is how my photography has improved. You might be enjoying the ones I take n ...

Family Fodder
2007-05-01 05:07:00
Our family although Filipino and Chinese in background has never been one to strictly espouse only Filipino and Chinese food. We were encouraged to always explore new foods, try new things, be adventurous and never try the same thing twice. I never did develop a penchant for strange and overtly exotic foods, and so I was never the first one to put my hand up for beef tripe or fried fish eyes; however with this kind of upbringing, it has allowed my palate to expand and accommodate an entire world of cuisine. I love everything from Japanese to African and from French to Mediterranean.Be that as it may, my experienced palate at times yearns for something that reminds me of my heritage, something reminiscent of my childhood. Which brings me to these empanadas, traditionally Spanish in origin, but thanks to Spanish conquistadors and the colonisation of the Philippines by the Spaniards, this dish has been a staple in Filipino cuisine for centuries. Colonisation has never always been a pleasa ...
Family 

The Penguin Parade
2007-04-27 12:33:00
A group of penguins is usually referred to as a colony of penguins. Although, when they are breeding, their colony turns into a rookery or a peguinery. When they are floating out at sea, they are then a raft of penguins. When they are on land they are a waddle of penguins. And other times they are referred to as a parcel and sometimes a huddle. So then, what is the collective noun for a group of penguin waffles? I personally am quite amused by the phrase "a waddle of penguins", but for this instance I am calling this particular breed a parade of penguins. Quite adorable is this parade, and to think that they are meant for eating seems almost a sacrilege. But now that a collective noun has been established for these new breed of penguins, that neither swim nor waddle, I can get onto explaining what exactly waffles have to do with penguins.It all started while rummaging through an old cupboard that held all of mum's old Mother's Day presents. Yes, she has such a thing, a stockpile of a ...
Parade  Penguin 

Hey hey!
2007-04-25 01:46:00
I'm really not one to brag, really, I'm not. But I couldn't help but share that I got the first ever mention for Australian Blog of the Day at The Local. The website is a great resource for what's going on in the Aussie blogosphere, so the mention comes with a lot of honour and also an immense amount of gratitude. So, a big thank you to all who read this blog, and especially all who comment and leave really nice notes for me to read everyday, I really am grateful that you come and stop by everytime. ...