Life in the bush

I made a lovely discovery on New Year's Eve - an Eastern Yellow Robin sitting on her nest in the bush near my house. It was right on the path low enough for me to see right into it. I was worried that her eggs wouldn't last the night with people heading off to the beach and perhaps bumping her eggs out...

But the next day she was still there and the chicks began to hatch...

I took a photo once a day and began to record their little lives, everyday hoping they had survived another night.

Today I found this:

I guess a snake found the poor little vulnerable creatures. I thank the mummy bird for building the nest so that we could have some insight into what goes on usually high up in the trees. It was fascinating to watch them grow in size so quickly. But I suggest she builds it somewhere off the beaten track next time.

SM

Happiness

I love this TED talk, the discovery moment for me was... happiness leads to success, not the other way around.

(sometimes I don't know why we do what we do...)

https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en

SM

Power trippers!

Here is a joint power pose from our two friends when they recently visited Japan...
No, they are not in Japan, silly! They are at the ashram, it just kinda looks Japanesy don't you think?

And what a great pose, I think this one has double power...

SM

CK at her best

Do you recognise this lovely lady?

This is a photograph of our lovely friend Champagnekate after she left us at the last girls weekend away. Don't let those large feet distract you, this is the ultimate power pose! She has her arms behind her head, an alluring smile on her face, upstanding bosom, and all while wearing a g-string bikini!! This is the ultimate power pose, CK you are great and you make my heart sing with funniness. :)

Aaah, girls weekends... they're the best.

SM

Annie's power pose :)

Where's yours..?
SM

Strike a pose

Girls, have a look at this TED talk I came across the other day, it really struck a chord with me. You have to watch it till the end (no, its not funny or anything, its a serious little lecture - TED talks: ideas in 18 mins or less). I'm going to include it in my girls program at school.


https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en


SM
P.S.My mum took this pic of me yesterday at the lake at Laurieton. Its my power pose!

A Music festival tragic - ChampagneKate

Hi surfermums! I was just having a look at the last couple of posts here at the Surfermum blog and having a giggle to myself... we've had some funny times and its nice to look back at the photos and smile.

I haven't posted for a while but we did have a get together for CK's birthday. In fact the whole town of Wingham held a music festival in her honour! We had a great night and even brought along some fellas for the ride (this has never before happened at a MOB event!).

Typically, CK could be found at the bar whenever she saw the chance.

CK and unknown man

A groover

And now for our next get together....

I am getting very excited for this weekend. See you then.

SM

Happy (surfer)mums day!

Diamond steam. 6.30 Saturday morning.

I hope all you Surfermums had a lovely Mothers Day today. The water is still lovely and warm as I found out this afternoon when I had a late surf with husband at the Reef. I heard that Kim was out there this morning, and I would expect that the Grommie got some waves too (her husband was certainly carving some out there at Diamond this afternoon till dusk). I don't seem to see much of you gals lately, I hope you all got spoiled today.xx

SM

Ahh... the memories

Some more photos have surfaced from our Weekend at Bernies (starring you know who!)

Saturday: Bernie was the only one brave enough to go out in the big swell...

...until I summoned the courage to join her (and the swell dropped).

Dinner on the deck: Fran's lamb and eggplant salad, roasted vegetables, feta, caesar salad, prawns etc, followed by honeycomb ice cream and brownies.

Sunday: Only caught on camera as she emerges from her big session in the waves - Debbie.

Playing on the point on my lonesome.

It's Bernie- cracking the big ones out the back. 

Fran - indicating how many waves she missed. Dang it!

Thanks Julie for being a wonderful photographer (and wonderful person all round) and supplying these photos.

SM

She makes friends wherever she goes

Celito, saturday: Out on the Point, Grommie got chattin to a hunky man with a Go Pro...

they swapped numbers and whadya know... 

he sent her these great on-water pics.

He actually wasn't that hunky. Just an all round nice guy.

Weekend at Bernie's

The view

The champagne starts to flow...

a Titanic moment

Grommie beats another bloke onto a wave...

Deb and Dewy. Chillin.

Thanks girls, for another fantastic weekend! More photos to come (send them to me Jules!). 

Now, when is our next weekend away..?

SM

Weekend at Bernies

Enough of the old duck- SM !! As per my stage name- 'grommie', I think I'm actually the youngest of the clan...
I'm getting very excited for the weekend!
  As usual, I'm sure there's going to be some fabulous food, perhaps some drumming and definitely some waves.
On the menu, I believe salmon on the bbq, and  a yummy lamb  dish . I'm thinking of bringing some bircher muesli and some bacon/eggs  for breakies. Jules is onto some delish chocolate dessert and there was mention of salmon rolls.. also the amazing honeycomb ice-cream…. mmm sounds good.
Bring on Friday…grommie (aka weekend at Bernie's )

Weekend at Bernie's

(nice handiwork with the photoshop Glenn!)

Are you excited??

Weekend at Bernies is almost upon us so I have trawled through the archives and uncovered some gems to get you in the mood...

Grommie doing her thang. Happy birthday you old duck!

CK strikes again

Morning walk at Seal Rocks. No swell :(

Crescent head as the swell go bigger... the next day they had to pick up guys who got swept around the point in the rubber duck. Remember that CK?

A tandem wave

Look at Bel's face!

I can't wait til friday... getting very excited already! See you there.

SM

Bernie's Delicious Lemon Balls

1 1/2 cups almond meal ( I blitz whole almond- cheaper )
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
3 tblsp maple syrup
juice 3 lemons
zest 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod, (or paste/ essence)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
pinch salt
1 cup shredded coconut, for rolling


Pop all ingredient's  ( except the coconut for rolling ), into a food processor, and blitz for 30 seconds. 
Place teaspoon fills into your palm and roll into balls by hand, then roll in the shredded coconut.
Place on a plate in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm.
Store in the fridge or can be frozen.
Enjoy! 

* You can experiment with the amount of time you blitz the ingredients, I prefer mine blitzed for longer, as it makes them taste like a nutty lemon mousse.

by Bernie

Salmon Rolls

Hello Surfermums
At a recent lunch, we were all looking for inspiration on meals/snacks for the family. So, we decided to share our favourite ideas. I love the very simple ones, here is one of mine:

SALMON ROLLS

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of sour cream (or crème fraiche)
• 250 g sliced smoked salmon
• 1 bunch chives (chopped)

Method

• Make pancakes by:
• Sift the flour into bowl
• Whisk in the egg
• Stir in half the milk until smooth
• Stir in the remaining milk and leave stand for 30 minutes
• Set non-stick frying pan onto moderate heat and brush with melted butter
• Add some of the batter, tilt the pan so pancake thins out
• Cook for 1 minute until bubbles appear then turn over to cook other side
• Repeat with rest of batter (should make 6)
• Allow to cool
• To make the rolls:
• Lay out a pancake
• Spread over some sour cream (or crème fraiche)
• Top that with smoked salmon
• Top again with a sprinkling of chives
• Roll up tightly
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap
• Chill for 30 minutes
• Repeat with remaining ingredients
• When ready to serve, cut into 3cm slices

Very simple but yummy!!

Nojito Time

Good morning Surfermums.
After a lovely luncheon yesterday in our gorgeous summer heat we all tried this mocktail and I believe it was just right.... Refreshing and tasty....a great cooling sipper.

Now the Nojito is also called the Virgin Mojito.. But I thought the Nojito was far more amusing when celebrating a birthday when we're all trying to remember how old we are.... All agreed 20 something was the age only because this year I can reverse my age to a number with a two in front... :-)

So here it is..... The Nojito!!


Ingredients per glass

1 part Lime Juice
4  parts soda water
6 Mint Leaves
2 tsps Brown Sugar

Method:
Prepare in the glass or jug in our case.
Glass: Highball
Recipe:
Add the lime juice, brown sugar and mint leaves in a Highball glass.
Bruise or muddle a few mint leaves using a spoon or rolling pin (blunt end) so that their juice can get out.
Let this mix rest for a few hours for best results. (who has time for that!)
Fill the glass with ice and stir.
Top with Soda (or Sprite).
Add a twig of mint for decoration.

Enjoy...

Now who's going for a surf this morning.???? With or without our friendly Noah's Ark.....at Diamond.....

Watch this space!

There are some recipes on the way.

Now, don't get too excited too quickly as its only in the first stage of development...lets see if these surfermums can get their favourite recipes up on the blog. (My money is on Annie to post the first one ;)

Bel and Grommie have been cooking up the idea (get it?) of putting our favourite recipes out for the other surfermums to share. Surfermum gatherings are cause for envy and desire all over the region. When we get together we produce the most fabulous food - way better than any restaurant! Enough to make our husbands wish they could come on our surfermum weekends away. Now, that's sayin something, huh?

Cheese and baguettes

Did a recky at the Zuider Zee for you girls... but since it's inside the dijk, there's only some blasting onshore winds creating windchop.

I really love Amsterdam - the canals, the cheese, the trams,the conveniently English speaking people. And everyone rides a bike so it's peaceful and clean.

Paris by contrast is quite gritty, although the sun was out for our visit so it was lovely. We all went to the top of the Eiffel Tower...I'm sure you are very proud of me as it was very high and very scary.

Check out this guy and his ball skills at the top of a pole at the Sacre Cour (the beautiful Sacred Heart church at the top of a hill overlooking paris).