February Undies and Friends

[myhappyplace]

February Undies and Friends

Or me?? yes, that's it....

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

Nicey,
this is the yoghurt pot cake I made after watching Nigellissima last week. I found it way too sweet, so next time I make it I’ll cut out half the sugar.

150g natural yoghurt
150ml vegetable oil (I used grapesedd oil)
3 eggs
250g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract( I used vanilla paste)
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
175g plain flour
75g cornflour
Optional: icing sugar to dust (I didn’t)
Preheat to 180?C and grease your cake tin
Separate the eggs. Whisk the whites until they form stiff peaks.
In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and yoghurt until light and airy. While whisking, slowly add the oil, zest and vanilla extract. Finally add the flours.
Fold in the egg whites. I always follow this method: add 1/4 of the whites and mix them through before folding in the remaining egg whites with the utmost care.Transfer into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

tawnyfrog;1456996 wrote: That WAS Bird. I voted too.

Oops, now I remember (gone red with embarrassment).

Should've saved the clip.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

Hello there Happs.

I'm on my laptop andis very slow too.

I missed out on MKR last night.
Ask me how come and I will tell you........

[techie]

February Undies and Friends

Drummer? I voted for the Frog!

[myhappyplace]

February Undies and Friends

Rags;1457026 wrote: Hello there Happs.

I'm on my laptop andis very slow too.

I missed out on MKR last night.
Ask me how come and I will tell you........

:H How come?

and hi Techie **waving**

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

myhappyplace;1457045 wrote: :H How come?

and hi Techie **waving**

Here you go Happs, I’ll have to do it ininstallments.

RAGS MISSES MKR Chapter One: The keys

I had gone out to training and had to stop at Woollies to get stuff for dinner on my way home.
Just get to my car when the placcy bag gives way (I had forgotten to put my green bags back in the car). So, unlock car, throw keys on seat, pick up groceries, dump on seat on top of keys. Think to self “I’ll retrieve the keys when I’m sitting in the driving seat. ”
Still holding my purse (thank Dog) I close the passenger door and I hear another soft “clunk” then my indicator lights flash twice as if to say “Gotcha”.
Bugger, I’ve managed to myself out of the car. I didn’t have my phone with me and it’s 8:20.
I hope there’s a cab at the taxi rank next to Woolies.
I’m in luck.... there are two cabs. (Thankfully they sometimes hang round till about closing time)
I hop in the front cab and after giving my address I tell the cabby what happened, and that I didn’t have my phone with me.
He showed me his new phone which he said had a flat battery.
I suggested he buy a car charger and bring it o work so his phone can charge while he’s driving.

This is all leading somewhere Happs, it’s just taking an age to type.

He asked if I had a spare key at home which I do, except it is on Mr Rags’ set of keys, and I hoped Mr Rags would be home by now as he left shortly after me.
We get about 3 km when all of a sudden the taxi stalls.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

RAGS MISSES MKR ChapterTwo: The base the fuel and the phone...

?Eff? mumbles the driver. (How come middle eastern cab drivers learn all our sweary words?)
?What?s wrong? I ask.
?We are out of fuel?.
The road is narrow and windy (as in winding) and we were at the bottom of the climb and there was an area ahead where he could pull over before coming to a complete stop I told him to pull over to the other side of the road so we wouldn?t get rear ended.
He tried to re-start a few times and I noticed the fuel indicator kept jumping to ? full. He said the indicator was faulty. (I thought this was panning out to be like an episode of Fawlty).
?This is awfully embarrassing? he says.
They do this to me all the time... they should fill up before handing the cab over to my shift.
(He?s right. I drove cabs for a short while a long long time ago)

He was obviously a bit upset and very embarrassed that this had happened.
?Don?t worry says me?
?I?ll call the base and get another cab for you, then ring my boss to get some petrol out here.?
He calls base but his English gets a bit flustered as he?s in a bit of a flurry. He has to repeat his message.
I stand outside the cab while he calls his boss and there?s a very faint hope Mr Rags might have been held up and be running late and might just come past. (That?s called clutching at straws.)
I hear another ?Oh shit?.
I open the door and ask what is wrong.
He remembers his mobile phone is flat.
He can?t ring his boss.
I suggest he contact base and ask them to organise some fuel for him.
Base doesn?t seem to have his boss?s phone number.
Ali, (we are on first name terms by now) is flustered and has trouble remembering the number and can?t refer to his mobile contact list.
The phone battery is really flat. He almost throws it out the window.
I ask him if they?ve dispatched another cab for me.
They have.
?It will be here very soon? he says.
I look at the fare meter and it?s $11.40 I give him ten bucks. He doesn?t want to take it but I say
?Well, I?m only our second fare for tonight, Monday nights are always dead anyway, you are going to be some time here and you have that amount registered on the meter and your boss will want money.?
I leave the money in the ashtray.
It is dark, there are no street lights, the road is not busy and the other cab hasn?t arrived.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

RAGS MISSES MKR: Chapter Three: A Dark And Lonely Road.

The relief taxi is taking it?s time getting to this lonely stretch of road.......
?It will be here in less than a minute? assures Ali.
?OK, let?s time it? says me.
Ali turns the taxi light on so the relief taxi can easily see us.
While I?m waiting, I spy a thingy with little red lights attached to the side of the roof rack.
?What?s that?
?It?s a camera?
?Really? Does it relay to the base or your boss??
If he said his boss I was going to make a rude gesture.
?The base?
I smiled and waved at the camera, and mouthed where is my cab?
About 3 minutes later the cab drives up the road......


Then drives right past up the road, leaving Ali and me alone in a pool of darkness.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

RAGS MISSES MKR: Chapter FOUR: Home.

Within a couple of minutes the cab comes back.
I say goodbye to Ali and hop in.
The cabbie is very talkative.
This is the most exciting event of the evening.
He is not watching the road.
There is a small bridge ahead which narrows down on our side of the road.
We are headed for a side swipe.
I tense.
He sees just in time and swerves.
?Eff? I think to myself.
Some bends are coming up ahead.
I tense.
The front wheel goes off the bitumen.
He recovers and gets back on the road.
?Eff, Eff? I say to myself.
We finally get home.
As I?m paying the fare Mr Rags comes out.
Having been wondering where I was and seeing the cab pull up out the front, and thinks my car is broke.
It isn?t but I am..... a whopping $23.00 for a 6 km taxi ride! ?Eff?.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

RAGS MISSES MKR: Chapter Five: A good deed.

As we walk to the house I explain what happened.
We have a ten litre container of fuel in the garage.
“Let’s take it with us as I don’t think anyone will be there in a hurry for him.”
Mr Rags comments that it is odd to run out of fuel as cabs are mostly dual fuel.
We drive back to retrieve my car and there is the lone cab with breakdown lights flashing.
Mr Rags pulls up beside the cab.
I get out, open the boot and hold up the petrol can.
Ali breaks into big smile of relief and happiness.
“You are so kind . You are so kind”
He opens the boot where exposed is a large gas cylinder.
I ask why he didn’t switch to the gas.
“It is empty”
“Eff” I think to myself.
Aloud I say “I think you should have a word with your boss. “.

Mr Rags pours about 4 litres in the tank, plenty enough to get to a petrol station.
I say to Ali “What are you going to do tomorrow”.
“Talk to my boss”
“What else”
He had forgotten.
“Buy a charger for your phone” I remind him.

Ali is so thankful and grateful.
I say to him
“What to do Ali, is pass this good deed along”
He understood.
We then hopped in the car and drove to Woollies.
There was my car.
I opened the door.
The key had landed side up and the groceries landed on it, activating the locking mechanism.

By the time we got back home and had dinner on the table, it was time for the series return of Person of Interest.


And that, Happs, is why I missed MKR last night.

[Rags]

February Undies and Friends

myhappyplace;1456587 wrote: Righto...
I've signed up this year to do my yoga teacher and meditation course. Haven't really told anyone in the "real" world. Because if I failed then it will just go away. Then, I got my first assignment on Friday and it had me freaking out. I thought, who the hell are you kidding? you can't do this.

...

Yes you can, because you ahve the determination to do it. :h

[nicelife]

February Undies and Friends

Ooooh Rags - nothing like a goooood story to lifts one's spirits!

It sounds as though you held it together quite well. I wouldn't have!!!

I love the pass it forward theme!

[nicelife]

February Undies and Friends

tawnyfrog;1456966 wrote: Well, I reckon Warnie's been pulling too hard. His pearly whites make Liz's look positively beige.

Tawny please don't mention Warnie.....he really makes me feel quite vomituous!! (I saw this v word in the smellygraph on Sunday) :thanks:

[techie]

February Undies and Friends

Hi everyone. Well I see my earlier post took considering I had very poor cell reception. Back from an ophthalmic appointment why out in the west valley. Things are looking good they tell me :H I'm very excited as tomorrow I'm doing a very long hike deep in the McDowells called Marcus Landslide & Tom's Thumb. Marcus Landslide is an interpretive geology trail starting at trailhead and ending beside or on top of tIhe second largest landslide in AZ; remote area with many beautiful rock formations. From there will hike Tom's Thumb Trail. Extremely challenging semi-loop hike with many very steep and loose sections; three major climbs in total. So if I don't post tomorrow it's either exhaustion or popped clogs :H

Love ya all :l

BTW...My dream hike :H:H