On holiday

A view from the plane (please excuse my watermark, I'm without my beloved Photoshop)

So on Sunday my bf and I left for our holiday in Port Elizabeth (PE). We take turns spending Christmas with each other's family and this year it's his Christmas with his family. We flew up, which is always fun, though I have to ashamedly admit, I get airsick. There's just something comforting about the rumble of tar under car wheels that an aeroplane just doesnt have. I'm fine with take-off and landing, though I'm still not 100% used to it (apparently I pull funny faces during each of these events, but I dont believe that haha), its the turning in-air that gets me. Gag!

Weather has been pretty good. Did some light swimming yesterday, but by the evening the wind had picked up (about the only time I've seen PE live up to its name of "The Windy City") and then it rained for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately I dont get to sleep in, as there appears to be a pack of rather bored dogs next door, who do nothing but sit and bark...starting at 7am!!! I dont even get up at that time for work!! Sigh. I like to sleep in on my holiday...is that too much to ask?!?

I'm looking forward to Christmas, though I'm missing my family and pets. Found some photos of Xeon on my cellphone and I got all choked up looking at them :( My old cronky. I really miss her.

Not much else to report, I'll probably post again after Christmas, so may I take this time to wish my (however many) readers a very Happy Christmas! May the day be filled with family and friends, and may you be filled with festive spirit. God bless, everyone!

Photos! Rats & some Christmas light photos...

Some rats...

Rat Bums!

Orlith

Xeon

Ramoth

Wirenth

Long time no type

Ok so thats a pretty cheesy title haha. But its feels like forever since I last blogged. A find myself thinking a few times in the week about something I'd like to blog about, but then realise there are a backlog of things I'd like to blog about, and so on and so forth...in the end I keep procrastinating. But enough of my inadequacies, the latest news is that I'm done with my move. I'm out of our old flat, and I actually miss it. It was nice and cosy, and I adored the paint colour (since I painted it only four months before moving!). The new place has boring cream/yellow on the walls, but at least its a fresh coat. Our new place has an extra bedroom which we're using as a computer room for our 2 computers. The lounge is about the same size as our last one, but seems more roomy due to the computers no longer being kept in there. The bedroom is slightly smaller which is fine because the bookshelf is now in the computer room as well, so less stuff in the bedroom. The kitchen is BIG which is great! There is so much more counter space to work with, and our clothes horse stands at the back of the kitchen nicely tucked out of the way. I'd show you photos, but I dont have any just yet. Still waiting for the remaining boxes to be sorted through/put away. The toilet is separate from the bathroom, but there is a lack of cupboard space for the small things like toothpaste, razor blades, etc. There's a linen cupboard, but all those small things get lost inside. Oh and the flat comes with two parking bays! On the whole I'm happy with our new place. Still trying to find brown bulldenim curtains for the bedroom that arent tab-topped. Sigh. Currently my winter blanket is the curtain. Sigh. Other news is I'm finally done editing one of my two models' photos from the beach shoot in Nov. You can see those in my recent pics to the right. I'm particularly happy with the results, and have had a good response from people online who've seen them. Best of all, Katharine is happy with them. Amongst those recent pics are photos I took of our 5.5m Christmas Light Tree which graces one of our shopping malls. I got some shots before security came and chased me away hehe. My Christmas Tree is up (couldnt take it anymore and spent Sunday Nov 30th putting it up haha. I also hung lights in my window to spread some festive cheer. I'll take photos of that soon as well and post them. So much to do, so little time. My new babies have settled in nicely, and Ramoth, who was the smallest, has grown considerably. They're all very happy looking good. Xeon's looking a little thinner, but I'm trying to give her more fatty/protein-rich foods like scrambled egg etc. She's currently sleeping and bruxing on my lap :) I think thats about it...oh wait! I forgot to tell you about my garden! The new flat comes with a small garden that was pretty run down when we moved in, but I've since pruned it and watered it and bought new plants for it (petunias). I'm very proud of it, being that I've done it all myself and not just called in a gardener. Speaking of gardening, looks like I've finally got into Bonsai keeping. Viia gave me a teeny tiny birch sapling which we're going to grow into a bonsai (she's got a few for herself) and I'm looking into getting myself an already-established bonsai to train. I'm having trouble deciding on which tree to get though. I've always wanted a bonsai apple tree, but with research have decided it might be a little complicated to grow. Other options I'm favouring are cherry, pomegranite, olive, fig, and the latest option is a Serissa foetida (Tree of a Thousand Stars) which looks easy enough to grow and has pretty flowers. There's a Bonsai Show on at Kirstenbosch Gardens next weekend which I'll be going to. I'm also looking for a Christmas/English Holly bonsai for my sister. If anyone has bonsai experience, or a bonsai blog, please leave a comment for me :)

Random Updates

Havent blogged in a while, so here at work I sit, blogging, instead of working hehe. Ok ok I'm doing a data backup which runs on its own, so I'm free until its done. Not much has been happening, I think the last I wrote was that the new babies arrived a week or so ago. Things have been going great with them thus far. They give me so many laughs its great! And they're so teeny and squishy! Only 70 grams each! Ramoth (husky) had a bit of breathing troubles, but after a short treatment of Doxy, she's sounding fine again. The problem was, however, Orlith. She just wasnt having any of the babies! I've never had problems introducing female rats to one another but Orlith is completely different! She foofs, huffs, pounces, sidles up, puffs up, and pulls fur out of the babies' rumps. Its been rather scary with all the shrieking that happens all too frequently. Of course, they're only together under supervision. Though last night it was weird...Orlith was uber tolerant and didnt actually fight with the babies nor huff and puff. I see it as a show of good things to come. Though she did hang around underneath the hammock that the babies were sleeping in, looking like a boogie-monster haha! I used my cookie cutters the other day :D The "G", "M", heart, star, and bone. Yes, you can easily guess what I made: dog biscuits!! They were actually rather good, but a little too dough-like for me. I keep feeling that the dogs' stomachs arent going to handle the soft biscuits very well. So they only get them sparingly. I'm also planning on redoing my tank. My betta and pleco are doing well, found a bubblenest of Littlebettabutta's the other day and I was so proud! Its been ages since he made a bubblenest, which I put down to him being rather old, but he made one and I was so happy! I'm redoing my tank because its overrun with horrible snails! I cant keep plants because the snails eat them all up (except the Elodea of course *rolls eyes*). So I'm going to move out the fish, bleach the tank, plants, new plants, filter, stones, and decorations. Then I'm going to put everything back together and keep fingers crossed. I shouldnt have any snails thereafter!! Thats about it for now. Thanks for reading! PS: New poll! Dont forget to vote!

Apple Pie

I finally got around to making my Apple Pie that I've been talking about for ages! I must admit, I cheated and bought the dough to use for the pie, but then when I thawed it and rolled it out, there wasnt enough for both top and bottom crust :( So I decided to make it without a base...*gulp* I mixed and matched a few recipes so I was very worried about how it would turn out. I also wasnt sure if I should put foil around the edges to prevent the edges of the crust from burning, but I decided not to in the end. So, after preparing it, and baking it for an hour and 10 minutes, it was done! I was like a kid on Christmas morning, running to peek into the oven-glass every 20 minutes or so and I even squealed with glee when I set it down on the table :D I've yet to taste it (the bf is keen!) as I'm waiting for my mom and sister to come and taste it with us :)

The pie filling

Ready for the oven

The finished Apple Pie!

In other news, my new babies arrive on Monday, and I finally worked up the courage to go officially get permission to keep my rats in my apartment block! When most people hear "rats" they think smelly, diseased, sewer creatures, which of course could not be farther from the truth, so I was very worried they'd say NO RATS ALLOWED! But, they didnt! She seemed a bit put off by the thought, but after assuring her that I dont breed, and my girls are kept in a cage, she said fine. So yay for us!! Now I can bring my rats from my car to my flat (and vise versa) without worry!

Hamilton's Squash

Hamilton's Squash and Chicken Steaklets I'm not sure when I got this bee in my bonnet to try out new cooking dishes, but I'm enjoying (almost) every minute of it. A while ago I borrowed my mom's Happy Days with the Naked Chef cooking book (no, this was after I was bitten by the cooking bug) and found a recipe for Hamilton's Squash. I just had to try it (which is surprising in it's own, being that I'm not a butternut lover at all and that my mother has made this before and I've never eaten it!)! Basically, its a butternut squash, stuffed with basmati rice, mushrooms (which I omitted this time since bf -sadly- doesnt eat mushrooms), sundried tomatoes, and various spices such as rosemary, chilli (optional) and coriander seeds. It gets oiled, wrapped in foil, and cooked in the oven at 230° for about an hour and fifteen minutes. What results is greatly pleasing! The most difficult part, in my opinion, is scoring and scooping out the inner part of the butternut (mainly the neck area). That takes some hectic wrist action! It's a nice way to work up an appetite though hehe. Oh and the waiting is pretty tough too - especially if its your first time making it! That being said, my first attempt proved successful enough (and bf liked it!!), but in hindsight, I think I'll parboil the rice before hand, as I'm not fond of the al dente texture that results from this recipe. Other than that, it was great! Oh and I also think I'll pick a slightly smaller squash next time, esp if I'm having it alongside anything else (like chicken). The bf also wont eat too much butternut, so I dont want to waste any if possible. Preparing the squash Straight out of the oven! It really is great as a meal on its own, so dont be afraid to pick a big ol' butternut and make it a main course! Perfect for vegetarians!! I'm not sure I could see myself making this more than once a month though haha since it is quite tiresome to make. If I'm having a dinner party, however, bring it on! PS: My new ratties arrive on Monday 27th!! Ramoth looking down (Husky) and Wirenth looking above (Dumbo)!

Coming soon....!

So, I've been debating getting new friends for Orlith for a while now and finally decided to get two new girls :) Contacted one of our breeders, Wheatfields Rattery (no online presence at the moment, unfortunately, or I'd include a link), and she told me she'd be breeding some Huskies soon. Immediately I wanted one (or two), but the mating didnt take. Luckily, another mating she had tried before that did take and out popped three ratlings: two boys...and one girl! The girl was a little smaller than expected, so she didnt tell me about her in case she wasnt going to rehome that one, but the little one is doing fine and she was immediately picked by me (even before I got the photo!).

Photo courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

The next decision was whether I was going to pick from an existing litter of capped and hooded Dumbos, or whether I'd wait for the next Husky litter. Of course, being Ms Impatient, I asked for photos of the Dumbos :P I had a nice selection, and eventually decided on a black capped one with a mismarked face :)

Photo courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

So now all is left is the wait, and of course the naming! I'm more leaning towards keeping the same theme, which at the moment is dragon names from the books of Pern, by Anne MacCaffrey. I had four "computer" names before: Linux, Apple, Intel and Xeon, and now I think four "Pernese" names are suitable: Feyrith (RIP) and Orlith.

The names I'm leaning towards are Ramoth, Prideth, Wirenth (pronounced "whirr-enth"), and Meranath (though this one I struggle to remember haha). Decisions decisions! Michael thinks I should name them something completely different...but what (if you have any suggestions.....)? I like themes, and meanings behind names, and at this point I'm reading the Pern series, so it fits. Also then the names will run in groups of four and the next babies I get after these two will be new names.

*sigh* I guess I'll eventually come to a decision, but I think Ramoth definately has a spot ;)

More pics, simply because they're too cute!

Top view of Black Capped Dumbo

Photos courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

Poker Night & mid-weekend update

Started this weekend with a poker evening with Kelly & Morgan (our friends/neighbours) and some of their friends, which was great fun. Michael went and got out the booze, so the night was mixed with wine, poker and shooters of tequila, peach schnapps, and some Women's Revenge shots, which is only the best shooter out there! Many people find themselves liking the aftertaste, if you can get through swallowing it first :P I think I was third out or somewhere around there, which left me time to drink my wine and just relax. Michael actually stayed in for quite a while, but the evening was won by Morgan's brother, with Kelly coming in second. For a Friday night, the evening ended somewhat early, but I ended up staying up at home until 4am playing computer games :P As for today, its been spent making food, playing computer games, and watching The Amazing Race reruns (just finished Season 1 and have now jumped to Season 5). I had cous-cous, feta and olives for lunch and then made chicken stir-fry with some veggies, chicken, spices, and soy-sauce. It turned out great! Michael doesnt eat stir-fry so he had baked potato, with chicken & mayo topping and some grated cheese, which he liked :) Tomorrow will be spent sewing hammocks. I love making hammocks for the rats of SA, but never again will I take custom sized hammocks. Its just such a pain, and I'm not a professional seamstress so it takes me a while to get all the measurements correct so it takes three times longer than normal, and the regular hammocks take long enough as it is. Still, I took the order because the person who ordered it is nice, and she's given me a decent amount of time to get them done. Although the material shops have been out of stock for a while of the bolts I need, so the wait was inevitable. Will also be cleaning the rats' cage tomorrow, and you'll be happy to know the rats have been eating well again :P I measured out their food, and they've had a portion of cous-cous, and bits of my stir-fry (which they didnt really like, but at least they didnt throw it at me like they've done in the past). Xeon's getting so thin now, which generally happens to rats over 2, but she still amazes me with her strength. She just feels so fragile but still so strong at the same time, and she climbs right up the side of the cage to let me know she wants Out lol I love her. Orlith's been really sweet today and even curled up to sleep a little next to me on the couch :) I think thats all for now...though I'm sure I'm forgetting something :P

Crabs or Craps?

Went to Viia's last night for dinner, and we ended up having (not quite enough) pasta, broccoli and mushroom sauce. The food was great (thanks, Viia!) and the waffles were perfect too (only cos I folded the eggwhites so nicely of course :P). The waffles took us like two hours to make because Viia cant talk and measure ingredients at the same time haha good times! We also watched Liar Liar, which is still a favourite movie of mine, despite its age ("Well, that's because you've got big jugs. I mean your boobs are huge. I mean, I wanna squeeze 'em. Mama!"). The evening ended with discussions on which would you rather have, crabs, or craps? If you're reading this, maybe drop me a comment as to which you would rather have :P I think I decided, if it were for longer than 2 hours, I'd prefer crabs thank you...craps would be rather inconvenient in public... Work was uneventful...same old, same old. Watch out for a virus named "burrito.exe"...its a pain to get rid of! And always back up your data! Spent a lot of today weeding the lawn in the sun, since the weather has brightened up for a little. All this rain we've been having has got me down and I dont like it :( Give me summer n sun any day! Orlith is in heat this evening, though I suspect its from the boy smells on my jersey from last night, where Inky Pinky Ponky (real name, Pinky) fell asleep in my arms *soppy face* Hehe I'm being such a mean mom, teasing her. Its just so funny to see the ears vibrate (yes, female rats in heat, vibrate....I dont know why, but they do haha). Speaking of my rats, I really need to bring home the scale so I can weigh out their food mix. They have no food tonight, though dont worry, I'm not starving them, they have the food I eat :P I also have to take them to the vet soon, I do believe they have mites :( They're itching badly :( Such a pain, but I love em (the rats, not the mites)... The other day I promised photos of the pine trees that had fallen over, and I managed to snap a quick few with my cellphone. I apologise for the bad quality, the sun was extra bright and my cellphone couldnt handle it very well lol. The one tree cracked the jungle-gym but only slightly. Another tree fell over and landed on the tennis court fence. The fence managed to stay up, and the tree is still resting there. And finally, I was looking through my cellphone photos and I found this one of Fey and Linux. Probably my two closest rats. Linux was my Heart Rat, the one that crawls into your heart a little deeper than the rest, and Fey was close second. She left me far too young, only almost 6 months old, and I miss her every day :( I'm off to bath, then off to bed to read a little, since I got no reading done last night after getting home at 1am lol! PS: Thanks to all those who've left comments already! How exciting :D