Tax Time

We saw our accountant yesterday to have our tax done. Yes, its what some people would call late but we are early than last year by about six weeks.

Bruce comes to the house and brings his computer and stuff, he has two big back packs that he carts with him. He usually stays and has dinner with us but it was a mid afternoon time and he was going on to another client.

Warren always has our tax stuff organised and I swear that it is getting smaller each year, I did have to run off a statement from both banks that we use about the amount of interest that they had given us over the year. Our group certificates and thats about it.

Bruce works his magic and luckily then tells us what we can expect to get back and he is spot on to within a dollar or two. This year we are getting all the tax that we paid back. yay! Funny, that the money we are getting back is about the same as we are having to pay for the new air con. I havent even paid Bruce, he didn't bother to bring his printer with him, now he sends it electronically to the Tax dept. He will print off a copy for his records and our bill once he gets back to his office at home.

Oh, well, money comes in one hand and goes out the other.

What use is a pallet?

Warren used a pallet (they were free) from Bunnings to increase the height of the fence so Lucy couldnt get over it. Since then she hasn't attempted to jump but she is more comfortable at home and knows that we will return.

As pallet was big, biggest one that I had ever seen, Warren said that he had always wanted to make a coffee table from a pallet or at least see if he could.

It only took him a couple of days, it was to be an outside table so rustic looking. We have been using it, its good to put a coffee cup on or feet on it when we are using the swing seat. Being outside in the heat, we could see that it was drying out so it was decided that the whole thing needed some stain to preserve it.

Warren gave it a light sand before staining it, one coat on all and then he finished the tin on the top so the top got pretty much got a second coat.

This is the end result. (and it is stable!)

Butterflies

Just lately there has been a lot of butterflies around much more than usual. Friday we noticed quite a fair go through the back yard as we were having a coffee on the patio. Some were white a couple were brindle and then there were the white with black around the edges of their wings.

Out with Sheridan yesterday and we were driving down a secondary road just off the main highway and as she said it was like driving down a wind tunnel as all these butterflies were coming towards us. I couldn't estimate how many but it was a lot and they just kept coming.

Warren said that he saw on the news that it is something to do with the strange weather patterns in the West has pushed them over our way.

More butterflies this morning when out walking on a horse trail. Lucy saw two horses being ridden, that was freaky we got her to sit while they went past. She saw one in the paddock last week today these were up close and very very big her eyes were wide open as they rode past and then she was in a hurry to put some distance between her and them.

Nanowrimo

Its that time of the year again. Time to write! National Novel Writing Month.
50,000 words in 30 days to write a novel makes one a novelist (it also makes one a bit nutty at times)

This will be my seventh years and I have acheived the goal each year so far.

I am finally writing the idea that I had when I first committed to nanowrimo seven years ago. I had a late start as Tuesday being Melbourne Cup, I had some things to do for that,

I did finally make a start and did 1668 before, the breakdown is 1667 each day. I need to write each day otherwise I feel as though I wont be able to catch up.

Today is the fourth day and I had a good writing day with over 2k written and I will probably do another hour or so. The weekend is shaping up to be busy so I need to be ahead.

Beans or not beans

Beans from the garden? No! it is home made pasta!

I love watching Jamie Oliver and this is what he made and cooked on Monday night. Warren and I went out yesterday doing a couple of things (and we resisted having afternoon tea while out as we are both trying to get rid of a couple of kgs that came home with us from Melbourne.)

Last port of call was the supermarket because Warren was out of his breakfast cereal. While there we decided to get the things needed for Jamie recipe, luckily it was easy and so we could remember what went in it.

The above picture is the pasta made from 300 gms plain flour but we used gluten free and 200 gms of spinach, nothing else the water content from the spinach is enough to moist and combine the two. Once in a dough, then roll out small balls.

Sauce is tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini with Jamies chilli powder and garlic, saute together, when pasta is cooked, add to tomato and add parm cheese.

We only had dried parm cheese, I think fresh would be better.

Warren made all of this while I was writing, he also added some basil into the pasta and tomatoes.

It was tasty and filling, we only did half of the recipe.

Last night Jamie did doughnuts for breakfast, yum only 360 calories. Think I will try them next, dont think for breakfast though.

Ah, Melbourne Cup Day

The one day in November that stops the nation. Being the first Tuesday of November it is also our Red Hat day and the last couple of years we have gone to some ones home for lunch, dress ups and cup watching.

One of our members is a keen race follower and she does the sweeps on the day, Yesterday the sweeps were so popular that I was only able to buy one and that one didn't do any good for me.

Our Queen is holidaying at the moment and had left some money for sweeps and ended up winning two firsts and a third.

Instead of us each taking food or having food prepared for the day our host offered to cater it for $5  head, several didn't think it was enough money but she was adamant that $5 was plenty.

What a spread we had, all vegetarian. There were quiches and several different salads, with different tastes and textures. Then she brought out dessert! I dont usually have desserts when I am out but I couldn't resist a taste of three or four of these, luckily they weren't much more than bite size.

Fourteen of us then sat to watch the fashions on the field, that was our dress ups for the day too was "Fashions on the Field" and finally the race.

There were some showers throughout the day which kept the temperature down, last year it was so hot, close to the forties and we had dressed up as something starting with a C for the cup.

Halloween

It was a fizzer this year. Each year for about the last five years the numbers of kids coming to the door for Trick or treat had been increasing but this year we only had one.

I had prepared separate bags of sweets with a couple of chocolates in each as well, my thought being that chocs are far better for their teeth than all sweets but only one.

The bags were on the hall table ready to give out and Warren and I did help ourselves to a couple of bags yesterday, which we didnt need. This morning I suggested to him that we bundle them up and put them in the bin. I dont like waste and this seemed wasteful but we certainly dont need to eat them which is what will happen if they are left out. He agreed and so all the sweets and chocs are now in the bin.

There was something done for Halloween in the town square on the weekend so maybe kids dressed for that and didnt walk the streets.