My oldest son and myself are off on a road trip to visit his children we haven't seen for a very long time. Will they remember good stuff that we remember like this tale I shall tell me son on the way. Oldest son was 2 when we were invited to a farm run by a farm hand my husband had befriended. I never liked this person, there was always something in the back of my mind that never sat right. So we hopped in our old car and found the farm which was in a remote part of Upper Hutt. WE looked at the cows, and on our way back to the farmhouse the chickens and hens caught my sons eye. Never having seen a chicken before, he was delighted with the fluffy balls chirping in his fathers hand. In the background Mr Rooster was wailing and letting everyone know he was in charge of the yard. Then Mr Rooster decided to fly over to us and hitch a ride on my sons small shaky shoulder!Son was horrified,and screamed and cried for all he was worth, to no avail. The farmhand laughed and laughed,I was distraught with worry, trying to remove this cling on off my child.Mr Rooster flapped and crowed and just like that he was off, quite happy with himself.My son never went near this man whenever he visited our home, and after a short time was transferred out of the area much to my delight. It took some time for my boy to get over his encounter with the rooster. That was 30years ago and son is fine. I had been writing to a man in prison in America for a short time and we were talking about nicknames, and he told me a very similar story that had happened to himself as a small child on a farm in Georgia,and was called rooster in prison. A very small world we live in. here's A GREAT PUDDING FOR COLD NIGHTS . PEACH ROLL UPS.
SERVES 4-6
3-4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER 1/2 CUP ORANGE JUICE
1TEASPOON GRATED ORANGE RIND 1/2 CUP SUGAR
2CUPS SELF RAISING FLOUR 1/4 TEASPOON SALT
3OZ{75GMS}BUTTER 1/2CUP MILK
1/4CUP BROWN SUGAR 1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1 LARGE CAN SLICED PEACHES DRAINED CREAM FOR SERVING.

METHOD. MIX FIRST 4 INGREDIENTS IN A SAUCEPAN. SIMMER FOR 5 MINUTES THEN POUR HALF MIXTURE INTO BUTTERED OVENPROOF DISH.
SIFT FLOUR AND SALT IN A BOWL. rub IN SECOND MEASURE OF BUTTER AND ADD MILK TO MAKE A SOFT DOUGH. roll OUT ABOUT 12"SQUARE. brush WITH A LITTLE MELTED BUTTER AND SPRINKLE WITH BROWN SUGAR AND CINNAMON.
ARRANGE DRAINED PEACHES ON THIS AND ROLL UP LIKE A JAM ROLL. CUT INTO 9 SLICES AND ARRANGE RINGS CUT SIDE DOWN, IN SYRUP IN DISH. POUR REMAINING SYRUP OVER DOUGH.
BAKE AT 400oF[200c] FOR 25-30 MINUTES OR UNTIL CRISPY AND GOLDEN BROWN ON TOP .
SERVE WITH REMAINING SYRUP AND WHIPPED CREAM. GREAT TASTE.

Sponge Bob's Stay at Home Holiday

A fistful of spiders
has just been let loose,
their web broken,
the flies killed.

New curtains sewn -
nets of sprigged exotics
wave to the neighbours,
death to the spiders.

Doorsteps washed,
screens brushed and wiped.
Footprints eradicated
fingermarks depleted.

Pantry reconstituted
rusty tins examined,
OK rice risotto and lentils
used by date foreign language binned.

A fist full of spiders
crystal ball gazing -
an army of ants lobbied
sweet revenge on my kitchen sink bench!

Sue's Mum's Spongy Pud. (As made for us while we watched one evening before the first course was served in Sue's art deco kitchen - no spiders!)
4ozs SR flour
4ozs sugar
4ozs butter
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs

So easy - just mix everything together then whip through rhubarb and apple or ginger and peaches or whatever fruit is handy. Bake for 30 to 40mins at 180c Sometimes the batter takes abit of cooking in the middle, so watch your Spongy Pud doesn't burn on it's top. Really yummy and the neighbours like it too!

Wahine Day Tomato Soup

As we woke up to the wind howling through the house, I thought my husband would not be able to get to work. We lived 20 miles from Wellington, and worked in the area, but the wind and rain were something I had never seen. My husband left for work, soon to return, to ask for food and hot drinks. The contracting team he worked for was to go out and clear roads around the Lower Hutt area, so the rescue teams could get through and save people off a sinking interislander ferry. This was so hard to believe because in the short 4 hours since the sinking, the weather had calmed down and the sun was trying to come out. I had 2 very small babies and was trying very hard to keep them entertained inside, but the carpet square in the middle of the lounge floor kept dancing and lifting with the wind from under the floorboards. Although the power was intermittent, the coverage on T.V. showed the story as it unfolded. Requests were made for volunteers to help with the survivors and hot soup and blankets were also being asked for. The coast line where the survivors had drifted to with the tide was rough, rocky and isolated and many who survived had badly cut feet from climbing out of lifeboats or rescue boats onto sharp rocks and gravel. That day will stay with me, and every 10th April I send happy thoughts to those 50+ people who lost their lives, and to the families who survived that terrible day. Recently I travelled on the interislander and was very emotional as we passed Barretts Reef and I moved to the other side of the boat to see the distance the people had been swept to with the tide. The coastline was sooo far away.

Here is a recipe that would have been great for that day, and I make now and again to bottle when the beefsteak tomatoes are plentiful.

TOMATO SOUP. TO BOTTLE
14lb Tomatoes. 7 onions
7 cloves garlic 3 sticks celery
12 sprigs parsley 3 tablespoons salt
2-3 tablespons pepper 1 1/2 cups sugar.

METHOD.

Cut tomatoes into quarters, dice onion and peel garlic and cut celery sticks into cubes. Put all ingredients into a heavy based preserving pan, and gently boil till soft, about 1/2 hour. Place in blender, in batches, to make into a smoothish soup. I have a manual machine with a handle I have had for years, that spits out the skin and pips, but a blender would work just as well. Mix together 250grams melted butter and 6-8 tablespoons flour to a smooth paste. Return soup mix to pan, and add butter and flour paste to thicken. Sterilize jars and use overflow method and seal. Enjoy this with hot vogel toast or crumpets.

Upside Down Together

Christmas is over
cards in a rubberband.
The trees are either fallen
or crushed in their box.
Trifle for breakfast
piles on the weight
but fridge leftovers
are keeping wallets safe!

Parks full of picnics,
footballs, family groups.
Sunhats, Afghan caps,
shawled headed women,
prayer gazebos under trees,
Pacific Island organised fine mats.

Chocolates are melting,
strawberries, cherries shared.
The wind takes hats off
a new decade arising
New Year greetings text'd
from around the world.

Upside down cake

25g butter melted with 1/4 cup of brown sugar - spread this in bottom of cake tin which has been lined with baking paper.
Drain a tin of fruit salad. Spread the fruit over butter and sugar.

1 and 1/2 cups of SR Flour sifted in a bowl
3/4 cup sugar added
1 cup coconut added
1 cup milk added
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or almond essence added
Only mix lightly else mixture will be tough.

Spread mixture over fruit in tin and bake 30 - 35mins at 180c.
Turn out and serve as cake or warm with icecream.