Change of Address

So after having loads of fun playing on this Blog site - I have been told to grow up.
How rude!  I love this sandpit!

Some very bossy people told me that it is time that I migrate my blog on to Wordpress together with my new website. They were so intimidating and scary I eventually capitulated.

So, dear readers, you can continue to follow Alma's Blog at its new address http://outsourcedcommunications.co.za/almas-blog/
I have added a subscribe by e-mail  function (for the life of me I do not know how) so please do subscribe.

Thank you for your support and I hope you will visit me regularly at my new home.  I am still learning about my new neighborhood but have missed writing about the Alien, Chicken Man and the furry four so have loads of nonsense to share with you.....

I have not gone to ground, I have moved (Dumb dog!)

Modern Housewife Skills as per the Glug-Glug Wine Club

Talk around the Glug-Glug Wine Club dinner table each month always somehow turns to matters of the home.

Now you would think that we had more interesting things to talk about but discussing irons and clothes pegs is actually very enlightening.  It highlights just how stressful it is to run a home and the high level of skills required to do so successfully.

Required skills to be a successful modern housewife according to Glug Glug members

•            Weather forecaster: Deciding in the morning if the clouds are going to dissipate or not.  Often the deadline to put a load of washing on arrives and the sun has either appeared or disappeared.  What to do?  Bloody Durban weather.
•           Clothe peg connoisseur:  Apparently you can’t just hang your clothes up any old way.  There is a right way and a wrong way.  Who knew?  I just hang everything upside down.  It seems right for about 50% of the garments. Oh, and God help the lady that does not fold her washing with military precision when taking it down.
•       Iron technician:  Not all irons are created equally.  Besides which – steamers are the next best thing, not irons. As far as I am concerned, if an iron last longer than a year it is simply brilliant.
•       Dishwashing machine expert:  To rinse or not to rinse before packing in?  This argument gets discussed more frequently than the topic of husbands and becomes far too heated for my liking. Watch this space. This could be what starts WW3
•           Detergent detective:  Finding the latest, new, improved wunder-cleaner is essential.  Once found it then requires stalking of the cleaning lady to ensure that she only uses the recommended amount and not the whole bottle in one day. The stalking is essential as the said bottle of phenomenal cleaner costs more than your entire month’s grocery budget.
•       Pantry science:  Not all tins live up to their expiry dates. Knowing which ones you can use after those pesky dates takes years of experience.  Rotating produce and stock control requires meticulousness attention to detail.  I don’t have a pantry. What a relief.
•       Human Resources Degree:  Actually, discussing the management of household cleaning staff requires a book, not a blog.  The stories that get shared each month have me either gasping in horror or gasping for breath they make me laugh so much.  I am so grateful for my sweet, short sighted Gladys.

And you thought we just discussed sauvignon, sex, shopping and shoes at wine club, right?

Glug-Glug ladies, thank you so much for always being there as my mentors and tutors as I bumble my way through housewifery. My house is still standing and no-one has died as yet so I must be doing some of it right. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Just wondering.  Do you think roses go on  the endangered species list after Valentine's day?  Also - do all the unsold heart-shaped chocolates get melted down and turned into Easter eggs?

Anyway - I did send this to my business e-mail database today and thought I would share it with you.

Perfume and Pompoms

Without starting to sound like a gardening blog, considering my Jasmine post, I love the perfume that some plants have.  "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" trees emit the most glorious smell.  I have never had any luck with roses but if one has the patience to adhere to their long list of fiddly and fanciful requirements – roses will bless you with their beautiful scent.

One of the many Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow trees in my  jungle, umm, garden.

I have this ugly, messy, unruly plant growing like a weed in my garden.  For 11 out of 12 months they serve no purpose except as privacy from our neighbours who are so cool we don’t really need privacy from them.  They also drop copious amounts of large, elongated, shrivelled leaves. (The plants – not the neighbours.  Really!)  I have no clue what they are called – their Latin, biological and common name all elude me.)

What is so special about “plant with no name” is that the ugly brown clumps at the end of their stalks turn into white laced pompoms and drenched the air with a powerful aroma that can be smelt for miles.  The smell permeates every inch of the house and the garden.  This only lasts a couple of weeks but I look forward to those 2 weeks every year.  The perfume is so potent that one could almost get a headache from it. 

They look like Lamingtons, don't they?

I am so grateful that these “weeds” grow so prolifically in my garden.  


Please come and visit me one evening (they only give off their precious aroma at night) in January/February and allow the glorious perfume to uplift you. 

If you know what they are called – I’ll give you a glass of wine.  Fair trade?

A recipe shared...

The other day I added a sparkly, dazzling, disco-like button to my blog...I'll wait while you look.  Seen it?  Okay - let's continue.
This button, when clicked, will take you to a blog called "No, Really, you can eat it" (yes, really) where Melanie shares recipes and all sorts of interesting stuff.

She offered to give me a recipe as thanks for sharing her shiny button.  I advised her that a salad recipe would be appreciated as it is so gosh darn hot in Durban at the moment.

Here is the recipe.  Enjoy!
http://noreallyyoucaneatit.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-dont-like-mondays_23.html