TOPLESS LEMON MERINGUE PIE - Monday, 27 August 2007

The Bundu Chicks got rid of their Monday blues by way of a reunion in the blue room and each created a layout of our Bundu weekend's highlight which I brainstormed for them during the past weekend.

Stuffing our faces - rrom left to right: Yours truly, Jenny Reid, Tracy van Zyl, Sheila Corfe, Kerry Harper and Michelle Ramsay

Michelle rounded the evening off with her deliciously home baked lemon meringue pie - definitely the best I have ever tasted. Michelle being the excellent listener she is - remembered that at some stage I mentioned that lemon meringue pie is my favourite cake and that since we have moved to Durban nearly six years ago, we have not managed to find any coffee shop who beats Greenfields' in Lynnwood Road, Pretoria's lemon meringue pie. Well Michelle, at last we have discovered the Ramsay Coffee Shoppe that not only produces the most scrumptuous chocolate crunchies, but lemon meringue pie as well. Mmm... wonder what other yummie stuff the Ramsay Coffee Shoppe has got up her sleeve. Michelle has once again been so kind as to share her mouthwatering recipe with us:

LEMON MERINGUE PIE Base ¾ packet tennis biscuits 125g margarine Crush biscuits and add melted margarine. Press into pie dish. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Filling 1 tin Condensed Milk. Juice and rind of 1 lemon (or 125ml lemon juice). 2 egg yolks. Beat condensed milk and lemon until thick. Add egg yolks and mix well. Pour into pie shell. Topping 2 egg whites.

3 tablespoons castor sugar. Beat egg whites adding sugar slowly, until stiff. Put on top of mixture. Bake at 150°C for 10 minutes Once cool refrigerate. TIP: I separate the eggs and then do the topping first (as you need a clean beater otherwise the egg whites won’t stiffen). I then place that one side and carry on with the base and filling.

- Pie-in-the-Sky Signing off

SUNSET WONDER(S)!!! ... Here's the Scoop

- Sunday, 26 August 2007 Remember the entry on the KZN Bundu Chicks' weekend at Bundu Lodge near Nelspruit, during March this year, well here's what the chicks have really been up to in the Bundu's. Here's a snippet from the past ...

"Just before supper on Saturday, making our way through a wedding reception the six of us with Michelle carrying our ‘calendar girls’ kit headed for the ‘koppies’ just behind the lodge. Amidst an electric storm and darkness looming Jenny found the perfect spot for us. Scrambling for dear life and cover everyone got ‘it’ off and on i.e. hats, etc. Yours truly had to get kitted out, set up the tripod with the camera on ‘self timer’ and get the girls to put their best side/front forward, no need mentioning that this all had to be done ten times one handedly, the other hand covering ‘bare essentials’. Some stray wedding guests were scanning the ‘koppies’ from down under at the lodge - probably trying to establish from where all the giggling and gasping sounds are coming from – hopefully not to establish what all the flashings of white was up in the ‘koppies’. After seeing the nice shots afterwards, the girls agreed that all the excitement was worthwhile. For those of you who don’t believe that we were brave enough, well here’s just a snippet of proof that we actually did it! "

... and here's the Reveal ...

The Bundu Chicks have decided to have a reunion tomorrow night to relive all the fun we had during the Bundu weekend! I have created this layout of the Reveal and have packed a kit of this layout for each Bundu Chick to complete tomorrow night (eat your heart out girls ...). Don't worry girls, I will guide you every step of the way - I think you will agree that this must be the most beautiful sunset you have ever witnessed.

- Sunset Model Signing Off

HERE'S A GLIMPSE AT OUR KLOOF HOME

... inside and out ...

- Thursday, 9 August 2007 (National Woman's Day in South Africa)

Well here's the interior of our home:

{Main Bedroom}

{Main Bedroom} {Main Bedroom - En Suite}

{Guest Bedroom}

{Guest Bathroom}

{Guest Toilet}

{Third Bedroom}

{Third Bedroom} {Study} {Study} {Dining Room}

{Family Room}

{Formal Lounge - currently utilised as scrapping studio}

{Open Area leading to patio, family room, dining room and kitchen}

{Open area - Entrance hall leading to formal lounge on right}

{Open area - Entrance hall leading to family room}

{Open Area as viewed from family room}

{Kitchen}

{Kitchen}

{Kitchen}

{Kitchen}

{Scullery}

{Scullery}

{Kitchen Yard - first door from left: Kitchen; second door from left: Servants Bathroom; third door from left: Servants Quarters currently utilised as workroom}

- Home Owner Signing Off

A BRIEF VISIT TO NELSON MANDELA BAY

{Port Elizabeth : Uitenhage : Despatch}

- Friday, 3 to Monday, 6 August 2007

We left Durban Airport on a very pleasant hot winters day and arrived in PE being swept of our feet by serious windy conditions. Having been born and bread and studied in the windy city, this was nothing unusual for us. On our way to the Admiralty Guest House, we drove through some scattered rain regardless of the sun shining. This obviously made for perfect conditions for a 'monkey's wedding' and we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow - so perhaps there is a pot of gold waiting for us somewhere on our way to Gauteng.

We arrived at the guest house just after 4pm, booked in, packed out and settled in the lounge for a glass of sherry to keep the icy cold conditions at bay and made good use of the resident wireless network to have a quick check on our emails as well as having a look at what is currently showing on the movie circuit. We had a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant at the Boardwalk. It was the first time that we had our favourite fillet steak topped with chicken livers on top and a yummy creamy tomato sauce. The potato wedges was also nice and crispy on the outside but soft and creamy on the inside ... mmm ... yummy. After dinner the movie 'Mr Brooks' was on the cards with Kevin Costner in the lead role - a real psycho thriller - my score: 4/10.

After a sumptuous breakfast - must say Admiralty Guest House has got their eggs, crispy bacon, fried mushrooms and grilled tomato breakfast, down to a fine art - we visited the Walmer shopping mall for Conroy's usual weekly purchase of a new book and yours truly saw the gap to quickly pop into the local craft shop across the passage from Exclusive Books. Must say I was very surprised how well this huge craft shop was stocked for every craft one could imagine and especially the scrapbooking section - with prices also being very competitive. Naturally yours truly also had to get her weekly scrapping fix and the purchase of a new rubber stamp font - was just the perfect fix. After all the addictions were tended to we left a very cold, rainy and windy PE to visit Conroy's family in Uitenhage.

Along the way we passed the little Dutch Reformed church of Van Stadens River where we got married a late Friday afternoon, nearly 23 years ago - and its amazing that after all these years nothing has changed at this church, apart from a farmers market which used to be held once every four months, there is now a farmers market every Saturday morning .... sweet memories of koeksisters, currie bunnies, pannekoek, custard & jelly, hot dogs with real tomato and onion sauce, jaffles and ginger bear comes to mind.

{A few pics I took of gorgeous Claudine Barnard - most of my scrapbooking students will remember some layouts I have done of her in the past.}

It was good to see all 20 members of Conroy's family again, especially mum and dad, Marie and Coen who are now both in their early seventies. The Fourie's are all the most down to earth people, with warm hearts and love's anyone who enters the family unconditionally and always make you feel very special and loved.

{Pics of Leandri Fourie - Conroy's brother, Leon's daughter. Note the hair has become shorter.}

We also spent the most of Sunday with the family in Uitenhage. Sunday's windless and warm weather was a stark contrast to the previous two days' wet, cold and windy conditions. We made full use of this glorious winters day by having a typical South African barbie in Conroy's brother's garden.

{Claudine and Leandri with Lucky}

Something that stood out the most during our 3-day visit to Nelson Mandela Bay was how amazingly clean the city of Port Elizabeth and its immediate surroundings were. The beachfront, freeways, roads shopping malls, etc. was spotless - no rubbish. All the roads were neat, tarred, well lit at night and superbly maintained. We did not spot one pothole - this cannot be said of KZN.

We left PE airport mid day on Monday making our way back home to Kloof, Durban - not for long though ...

- East Caper at Heart Signing Off