So it has been decided that having waited this long to organise a Birthday party for Mr Pickle, we will be having an impromptu pool party on Thursday (Chinese New Year and a Public Holiday).
I am planning the cake. It is going to be a Very Hungry Caterpillar cake, as seen on Facebook when Rachel asked Rudy if she could make her one.
I bought the small round cake tin today and Yuni and I will begin the grand bake off tomorrow afternoon. I am going to be making red fondant icing and two tone green swiss meringe buttercream icing for the cupcakes that will make up the body. It is a great cake for a party as the body is made up of two dozen cupcakes and we won't have to cut the face cake up. The cakes are going to be chocolate cakes, as requested by the birthday boy. Daddy will also be pleased.
Watch this space for pics.
Monday 31 January 2011
Friday 28 January 2011
What's black and blue but thankfully not red all over?
The answer is.........me! Bruises but no sunburn.
I joined the cycle group on Thursday up at the Chevron site, located at the top of Balikpapan. As Angela's car climbed up the steep hill with our bikes on the back I was thinking a) we've got to come back down this and I don't know if the breaks work that well and b) OMG - I've got to cycle back up this!
Five new people joined the group (including me) so I was hoping that the ride wouldn't be quite as crazy as advertised. We cycled around the kampungs and trough the city, up and down pretty steep hills and I only had to get off and push near the top of one of the hills where I ran out of momentum. It was perfect cycling weather, overcast and not too hot.
We were on the home stretch, which happened to be quite flat, when my front wheel went down a hidden deep hole. In the seconds before I completely wiped out lots of thoughts went through my head, including:
1) here we go again (this is not the first flight over the handlebars I have made)
2) this is going to hurt, alot
3) try and do a break roll, try and do a break roll, which I tried.
So, I let go of the handlebars and as the ground came up to meet me I put my hands on the floor, brought my shoulder round, tucked my head in and.........stopped, suddenly. What a shame the hole was so deep that my bike was embedded in the road and my right foot was trapped underneath. I was also wearing Angela's long sleeved cycling shirt.
So the upshot of the accident is that I have a skinned elbow from trying to push myself round, and a bruised leg from the crossbar. Not a mark on my face and I have all of my teeth still in my mouth, not in a jar for the tooth fairy. By all accounts, the fall looked quite spectacular from behind.
Apart from the slight mishap, I enjoyed the ride around the parts of Balikpapan that most ex-pats never see and I will be donning the bright pink shirt again next week and hopefully I won't be told off for pedalling to slowly because I don't think we will be going as easy as we did this week. I will also have to take more water as I drank the whole two litres in my camelbak plus my emergency bottle of water before we reached the finish post.
I joined the cycle group on Thursday up at the Chevron site, located at the top of Balikpapan. As Angela's car climbed up the steep hill with our bikes on the back I was thinking a) we've got to come back down this and I don't know if the breaks work that well and b) OMG - I've got to cycle back up this!
Five new people joined the group (including me) so I was hoping that the ride wouldn't be quite as crazy as advertised. We cycled around the kampungs and trough the city, up and down pretty steep hills and I only had to get off and push near the top of one of the hills where I ran out of momentum. It was perfect cycling weather, overcast and not too hot.
We were on the home stretch, which happened to be quite flat, when my front wheel went down a hidden deep hole. In the seconds before I completely wiped out lots of thoughts went through my head, including:
1) here we go again (this is not the first flight over the handlebars I have made)
2) this is going to hurt, alot
3) try and do a break roll, try and do a break roll, which I tried.
So, I let go of the handlebars and as the ground came up to meet me I put my hands on the floor, brought my shoulder round, tucked my head in and.........stopped, suddenly. What a shame the hole was so deep that my bike was embedded in the road and my right foot was trapped underneath. I was also wearing Angela's long sleeved cycling shirt.
So the upshot of the accident is that I have a skinned elbow from trying to push myself round, and a bruised leg from the crossbar. Not a mark on my face and I have all of my teeth still in my mouth, not in a jar for the tooth fairy. By all accounts, the fall looked quite spectacular from behind.
Apart from the slight mishap, I enjoyed the ride around the parts of Balikpapan that most ex-pats never see and I will be donning the bright pink shirt again next week and hopefully I won't be told off for pedalling to slowly because I don't think we will be going as easy as we did this week. I will also have to take more water as I drank the whole two litres in my camelbak plus my emergency bottle of water before we reached the finish post.
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Thank goodness for friends
For reasons that I don't want to dwell on, I have lost my laptop. If you would like to read why I have lost my laptop you can read Jeremy's blog. I would like to put an R rated warning here because Jeremy's language is a bit naughty.
http://northseaadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/thieving-indo-bastards.html
Thankfully, a friend here in Balikpapan has lent me her spare laptop so that I don't feel completely cut off from the modern world. All I need to do now is work out how to get Skype working so that I can see eveyone across the miles. Thank you very much Fiona!
Also, thank you to the expat community here for all the goodwill and support over the last few days.
On saturday Mr Pickle and I went to the cinema for the first time here, to see Yogi Bear. It was a 3D showing and Mr Pickle wore his glasses for the whole time and only tried to escape once.
We were having a great day on Sunday, we went over to Liesbeth and Jos' house where Liesbeth and I made 6 curries with basmati rice while Jeremy and Jos entertained Mr Pickle with a trip to see helicopters,a walk around the BHC compound and a freindly game of football with some other expats.
Anyway, I am going on a crazy bike ride tomorrow. There are quite a few new cyclists joining the ride with me tomorrow so I am not so worried about being the only one puffing away at the back of the pack!
In between looking after Mr Pickle and the daddy, cycling and cooking Indian banquets with Liesbeth, I have crocheted a chibi totoro and am in the process of making some play food for Mr Pickle out of felt.
I have also started crocheting a blue Totoro and found a pattern for a very cute cat called Amineko.
So, for now I am making do with 20th century technology to keep in touch with Nana Mac.
http://northseaadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/thieving-indo-bastards.html
Thankfully, a friend here in Balikpapan has lent me her spare laptop so that I don't feel completely cut off from the modern world. All I need to do now is work out how to get Skype working so that I can see eveyone across the miles. Thank you very much Fiona!
Also, thank you to the expat community here for all the goodwill and support over the last few days.
On saturday Mr Pickle and I went to the cinema for the first time here, to see Yogi Bear. It was a 3D showing and Mr Pickle wore his glasses for the whole time and only tried to escape once.
We were having a great day on Sunday, we went over to Liesbeth and Jos' house where Liesbeth and I made 6 curries with basmati rice while Jeremy and Jos entertained Mr Pickle with a trip to see helicopters,a walk around the BHC compound and a freindly game of football with some other expats.
Anyway, I am going on a crazy bike ride tomorrow. There are quite a few new cyclists joining the ride with me tomorrow so I am not so worried about being the only one puffing away at the back of the pack!
In between looking after Mr Pickle and the daddy, cycling and cooking Indian banquets with Liesbeth, I have crocheted a chibi totoro and am in the process of making some play food for Mr Pickle out of felt.
I have also started crocheting a blue Totoro and found a pattern for a very cute cat called Amineko.
So, for now I am making do with 20th century technology to keep in touch with Nana Mac.
Friday 21 January 2011
Crazy cyclists
Balikpapan has a group of ex-pats who enjoy punishing themselves at least once a week by heading out on their bicycles and propelling themselves up hills on two wheels for about 40 kilometres. I have also found out that most of them pedal going downhill too. Completely nuts.
I will be putting down my crochet hook and sewing needles and will join them on Thursday. I am sure I won't be able to walk for days afterwards.
I will be putting down my crochet hook and sewing needles and will join them on Thursday. I am sure I won't be able to walk for days afterwards.
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Hummus a-go-go!
I have whipped up a batch of hummus! Yippee!!
It looks and tastes exactly like it should and by tomorrow will be so garlicky it will probably blow ours heads off! I made tahini from scratch to make it too.
I have also sewn the eyes on the white totoro so I just need to finish off his crocheted body and sew his tail and feet on and he is good to go off on an adventure with Mr Pickle. Every time he sees me stitching away on the little creation he asks 'is he ready yet? is he for me?' Still a touch of the Dorys going on in our household.
We hashed tonight. It was quite a long course with the last bit on the main road so Jeremy ran on ahead and rounded up a couple of cars for the smalls to be ferried on to the finish line for their pic-nic tea. Jeremy is now the Grand-poo-ba of the family hash which calls for him to be a bit shouty and boss people about. I think this role was created for him! We need to come up with a hash name for him by next Tuesday so answers on a postcard to Borneo please.
It looks and tastes exactly like it should and by tomorrow will be so garlicky it will probably blow ours heads off! I made tahini from scratch to make it too.
I have also sewn the eyes on the white totoro so I just need to finish off his crocheted body and sew his tail and feet on and he is good to go off on an adventure with Mr Pickle. Every time he sees me stitching away on the little creation he asks 'is he ready yet? is he for me?' Still a touch of the Dorys going on in our household.
We hashed tonight. It was quite a long course with the last bit on the main road so Jeremy ran on ahead and rounded up a couple of cars for the smalls to be ferried on to the finish line for their pic-nic tea. Jeremy is now the Grand-poo-ba of the family hash which calls for him to be a bit shouty and boss people about. I think this role was created for him! We need to come up with a hash name for him by next Tuesday so answers on a postcard to Borneo please.
Monday 10 January 2011
Are there chickens in chick peas?
We were having a bit of a low morning yesterday. With not much to do and a small person to entertain we were very homesick. So we went shopping to CV Central.
To cheer ourselves up we bought a number of items that we have been really missing:
1. waffle iron
2. cheese schumfer
3. corkscrew (to open the only bottle of wine in the house and probably cost more than the wine),
4. egg poacher
5. weighing scale
The potential for waffles cheered me up no end and we had poached eggs for tea, which improved Jeremy's mood. Lush!
Today I was introduced to a new supermarket, by my friend Arlene. It was very local but I liked it because there was such a strange variety of things there, including flannels folded into the shape of roses!
We have been craving hummus for weeks and I thought that I would be able to make it. I could have but a can of chick peas would have set us back about £3. I kid you not! The answer to your question is, no I have not found dried chickpeas here yet. In the new supermarket they had cans of chick peas for about £1.20. Woo Hoo!! Hummus is in sight.
Now I just need a teaspoon of sesame oil to make tahini and we are away.
Mr Pickle went back to pre-school today. He had a fabulous morning and has gone to bed a very tired little man.
Crafting update - I am in the process of making Mr Pickle a crochet Totoro. I will be posting pics of him when he is finished.
To cheer ourselves up we bought a number of items that we have been really missing:
1. waffle iron
2. cheese schumfer
3. corkscrew (to open the only bottle of wine in the house and probably cost more than the wine),
4. egg poacher
5. weighing scale
The potential for waffles cheered me up no end and we had poached eggs for tea, which improved Jeremy's mood. Lush!
Today I was introduced to a new supermarket, by my friend Arlene. It was very local but I liked it because there was such a strange variety of things there, including flannels folded into the shape of roses!
We have been craving hummus for weeks and I thought that I would be able to make it. I could have but a can of chick peas would have set us back about £3. I kid you not! The answer to your question is, no I have not found dried chickpeas here yet. In the new supermarket they had cans of chick peas for about £1.20. Woo Hoo!! Hummus is in sight.
Now I just need a teaspoon of sesame oil to make tahini and we are away.
Mr Pickle went back to pre-school today. He had a fabulous morning and has gone to bed a very tired little man.
Crafting update - I am in the process of making Mr Pickle a crochet Totoro. I will be posting pics of him when he is finished.
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