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Forty things and six things memes – and loads of visitors!

by Jeanne Horak on July 31, 2008 16 Comments in Memes

Loads-of-visitors

 

I’m afraid this blog has been a little neglected lately – but I do have a good excuse.  You see, we are on the summer guest merry-go-round…  Until last Thursday, my guest room was occupied by Paul; and from last Saturday till this afternoon, my oldest friend Andrea was moved in.  And on Saturday, Nick’s gran arrives.  We may as well install a reception desk and a revolving door!! So all I’ve been doing is being a tourist in my own town – which is tremendous fun but doesn’t leave much time for cooking or blogging!  So in a short break from food, here are a couple of memes that took my fancy this week. 

The first is a meme I saw on one of my favourite blogs, Charlotte’s Web.  It was originally forty things, but 3 of the original forty didn’t make much sense so Charlotte dropped them.  I have taken the liberty of adding three new ones.  As it’s a long meme, I’m not tagging anyone, but if you want to complete it consider yourself tagged and let me know so I can link to you.

1. My uncle once: cut the tips off two of his fingers with a rotary saw.

2. Never in my life: have I driven through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in my hair. But I still hope to.

3. When I was five: I was still not pleased that my parents had decided against my name of choice (Katinka) for my younger sibling.  I probably should point out that he’s a boy.

4. High school was: intent on teaching me to embroider and play tennis.  Let’s say they did not find fertile ground.

5. I will never forget: the way I felt when the boy I’d secretly loved for four years wrote to me to say he loved me too.

6. Once I met:  the wife of Nobel Prize winner FW De Klerk.  She asked me in what standard I was in at school, while I was in fact already a practising lawyer.  I have yet to be given a better compliment…

7. There’s this girl I know: who was at school with me but had disappeared off the radar.  This year she got in touch with me via my blog – from where she lives now in Papua New Guinea.    

8. Once, at a bar: I kissed K purely to get back at his brother M, who was watching us and had just broken up with me.  M just rolled his eyes, but K fell in love with me and wrote me reams of bad poetry.  Boy, did that not turn out the way I planned!!

9. By noon, I’m usually: daydreaming about going home.

10. Last night: I went to see Kylie live in concert London.  She really is as adorable as the media would have you believe, and her live show is astonishing.

11. If only I had: studied journalism at university.

12. Next time I go to church: will probably be for a wedding.

13. What worries me most: is growing old and losing the people I love the most.

14. When I turn my head left I see:  a bed full of clean laundry to be folded and put away.  Aaaargh.

15. When I turn my head right I see: a huge London plane tree silhouetted against the dusk sky.

16. You know I’m lying when: I don’t look in your eyes.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: being at university.  And Wham!, of course.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: one of the Macbeth witches.  They get all the good lines, and hang out all day cooking with their girlfriends.

19. By this time next year: I want to be fitter and thinner.  Hope springs eternal.

20. A better name for me would be:  Her Royal Highness?  Actually, I don’t think I’d change my name.

21. I have a hard time understanding: intolerance.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: take Literature instead of Science.

23. You know I like you if: I tell you jokes all night. 

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: My mom, who passed away in 2003.

25. Take my advice, never: throw up in your own car.

26. My ideal breakfast is: served on a deck overlooking the sea at Plettenberg Bay.

27. A song I love but do not have is: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: go for a walk on Sardinia Bay Beach.  And have the peanut butter milkshakes at the Sacramento rstaurant!

29. Why won’t people: treat each other with respect?

30. If you spend a night at my house: be prepared to stay up late talking with a bottle of something alcoholic, and to be smooched by our neighbour’s cat Troy who thinks he lives here too!

31. I’d stop my wedding for: Johnny Depp. 

32. The world could do without: cancer.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: any part of Robert Mugabe.

34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: my drop-dead gorgeous nephew in South Africa.

35. Paper clips are more useful than: paper planes.

36. If I do anything well it’s: write.

37. I can’t help but:  sing along to songs I know.  It drives Nick insane!

38. I usually cry: during the second movement of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto.

39. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: would be not to be afraid of taking risks.

40.  And by the way:  please remember to read and vote for my Can You Twist short story!  Pretty please?

[Check out Souperior’s answers to this meme]

Also, Sue from E-Luckypacket also tagged me for a 6 quirky things meme.  As I’m not one to turn down a good meme, and while I’m in a meme-y mood, I thought I’d deal with that one too, so here goes:

1.  I have to have my photos (and everything else!) in chronological order.  If somebody messes up the order of my prints, I get irrationally annoyed…

2.  Until I was about 30, I didn’t eat fresh tomatoes but I loved tomato sauce and sunblush tomatoes.  Now I also like fresh tomatoes – the riper the better.

3.  Until I was about 6, I loved guavas.  Now I dislike their taste, their texture, their smell – everything.  Go figure!

4.  I hate people opening a new bottle/packet/box of anything if the old one is still half full. 

5.  I owned a pair of pink tracksuit bottoms that I wore to study for every exam from matric (the final year of high school) until I finished my Masters degree.  I threw them out immediately after I found out I had graduated.

6.  When I eat, I always save my favourite bits for last – usually the pork crackling or the crispy chicken skin!

I have to nominate 6 other people, so I will go for: Jan (her answers here), Kevin, Angela (her answers here), I-Ling, Ash and Bordeaux.  Let me know when you have posted so I can link your post to mine.

As for me – I’m off to put fresh sheets on the guest room bed 😉

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  1. Gil says

    August 1, 2008 at 11:12 am

    I love your answer to No.33! eeeuww…..

    Reply
  2. Carolyn says

    August 1, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    Hi Jeanne,
    Just read you latest newsletter – came through OK thank goodness.
    Appears life is busy busy busy for you at present – I just adore having visitors come to stay – such a shame that the Antibedes are so very far away hey – Visitors who have come to stay with us have been from Singapore and of course UK and just cannot believe the size and the beauty of t his Country – we are constantly asked by rellies in UK, do we have our photographs ‘touched up’ because NO sky could possibly be as blue as what the photographs show – YES – our skies are a wonderful blue – Gods colour. It is mid winter here in South Australia – you would never know it – cold mornings – beautiful sunny days – cold nights – but I can cope with that. Been cooking lots of ‘slow cooker’meals recently – they bubble away slowly during the day and usually by 6 – 7 pm we sit down to Osso Buco or Lamb SHanks with Red wine yum – or a bolonaise to which I just add pasta – whoever invented Slow Cookers – thank you!
    OK time to go
    Regards
    Carolyn
    South Australia

    Reply
  3. nina says

    August 1, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    I don’t live abroad, but had the same scenario two weeks ago. The quest room was permanently booked and although it is exciting, it can be quite tiring. I enjoyed your meme…maybe over the weekend I’ll find some time…..

    Reply
  4. bee says

    August 1, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    you need have to study journalism. just go ahead and become a journalist. weblogs are a form of journalism, anyway. it was great reading about you.

    Reply
  5. bee says

    August 1, 2008 at 9:38 pm

    i meant “you don’t need to have studied journalism”.

    Reply
  6. Darius T. Williams says

    August 2, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Breakfast overlooking the pier! YES, a million times YES.
    Sounds like a wonderful idea.

    Reply
  7. courtney says

    August 2, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    I have to go over and vote. So much to do and times flies. Your #2 reminds me of a fantasy I once got to experince. Except it was a motocylcle and around the Periphreque. Scared the crap out of me me and in the end I was shakey, hair looking like I was electrocuted when I took off the helmet. Not fun.

    Reply
  8. Mel says

    August 3, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    This is fun to read, also wanna play. Have never done any taggy/meme kind of thing but after a year and half on the computer, I am ready.
    xxx

    Reply
  9. Kevin says

    August 3, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Thanks for the tag.

    Reply
  10. Charlotte says

    August 4, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    Wah! Number 25? That’s good advice … I’ll try to remember.

    Reply
  11. Dragon says

    August 5, 2008 at 10:41 pm

    Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley is one of my favourite songs as well. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Angela says

    August 5, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    Hey, Jeanne! Thanks for the tag, which I’ve finally gotten around to doing. Link here: http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/2008/08/lunch_at_the_brasserie_bordeau_1.html

    Reply
  13. About toaster ovens. says

    August 7, 2008 at 10:42 am

    Hi jeanne,
    Your answer is too good.Thanks for the tag.You are given a beautiful idea.
    Thanks once again.

    Reply
  14. Bordeaux says

    August 8, 2008 at 12:38 am

    I’ll try to get to this ‘meme’ but being very bad at the moment at making time for blog. Bad me. And-and-and, I love the two pictures up here. And what you’re wearing. Love it! And you got to see Kylie? I’m jealous!

    Reply
  15. Bête de Jour says

    August 8, 2008 at 11:28 am

    Hi. I’ve done your meme too. What’s more, I enjoyed doing it. So thanks. Have a nice day!

    Reply
  16. Ruth says

    August 26, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Hi – great reading ! Thanks. Instead of tracksuit pants, my daughter had a pencil bag – when she finished her degree she gave it to me. I used it until I qualified It has our student numbers written in it. By the way, it’s not too late to study journalism.

    Reply
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Are you a cook... or a baker?
I fall firmly into

Are you a cook... or a baker? 
I fall firmly into the "cook" category. Baking is too precise, too fiddly - and best left to those with an affinity for it, I always say! But every now and then, only a cake will do. Say, for example... when you celebrate your blog's SIXTEENTH birthday!! 🎉🍾 Yes, last month Cooksister.com turned sweet sixteen, and to celebrate I baked this sticky spiced plum upside down cake. It's a very forgiving recipe and it's worth every single calorie 😁. Click on the link in my profile to see the recipe or save this post so you can find it later: https://www.cooksister.com/2020/06/sticky-spiced-plum-upside-down-cake.html

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappoint
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Anybody else got Lockdown Itchy Feet Syndrome...?? If it isn't an official disorder,  it certainly should be!

I have always been a dreamer, a planner, an explorer. Few things excite me more than stepping onto the soil of a country I have not visited before. When I am going through tough personal times, my go-to self-help therapy has always been to arrange a trip - to throw off the metaphorical bow lines and sail away to a new adventure. 
But then... Corona 😞  I can honestly say that I am enjoying working from home; enjoying having the time to run every day; enjoying cooking proper meals; enjoying my own company; enjoying the lack of FOMO. But OH MAN, I miss travel. 
This image was taken 2 years ago in St George's, Grenada - my first visit to the Caribbean but  certainly not my last. This photo has me dreaming of the day I can throw off those bow lines and travel again... How are you dealing with the lack of travel during this time?

Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the S
Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the Spring bulbs that were planted last year that have been flowering in parks and public gardens with nobody (or fewer people, anyway...) around to admire them? Spare a thought for the gardeners at Holland's famous Keukenhof who planted SEVEN MILLION bulbs last winter in preparation for the garden's annual 2-month opening... but because of Covid-19 Keukenhof did not open at all in 2020. 
But the good news is that for the first time in its history, Keukenhof was virtually open this year, meaning you can enjoy the best of the Spring flowers virtually, from the comfort of your armchair.  Keukenhof posted an amazing series of videos to their YouTube channel featuring magnificent 360 degree tours of the 2020 flowering bulbs; a run-down of the best photo spots; talks by various Keukenhof gardeners; and even a visit from Spongebob Squarepants!  You can check out their YouTube channel here https://bit.ly/2WWkahW. Or you can visit my blog  https://bit.ly/2zMgrLL  to see more of my Keukenhof images like this one of a river of tulips from when I visited a few years ago.

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When people tell me they don't like Brussels spro
When  people tell me they don't like Brussels sprouts, my inner voice always cries out the same response: oh honey, you're just doing it wrong! Sesame ginger sprouts are nutty, zingy and delicious - the opposite of the overcooked grey stinky sprouts of your youth, and so easy to make! 🔖 Remember to save this post so you can make the recipe later! The recipe is also on my blog - click the live link in my profile. 
For 4 people you need:
500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and cooked (I roast mine in a hot oven)
1 x 2cm piece of ginger cut into fine matchsticks
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Salt & pepper 
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Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the
Did you know that 6 February is Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand? .

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🔖Click “save” to bookmark these tips for later! ➡️ 1) Take more time than you think you need. In a week you will barely scratch the surface of the South Island - I would say 2 weeks is a comfortable amount of time. ➡️ 2) Don’t assume that summer means hot weather! Even in December (the height of summer) temperatures peak at about 21C in Christchurch. Pack layers. ➡️ 3) Do spend time in Queenstown. It is stunning and one of my favourite places I have ever visited – great for hiking in summer, skiing in winter, sailing on the lake, adventure sports and a base for many surrounding natural attractions. ➡️ 4) Take day trips from Queenstown to Milford Sound and the Franz Josef glacier (but be aware that the weather is often not great). ➡️ 5) Take a road trip! The roads are excellent and generally empty – and it means you get to pose in places like the shore of Lake Pukaki 😊 .
Have you visited New Zealand’s South Island?  Would you like to?  Let me know in the comments!

"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a
"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a pose there's nothing to it!" (Madonna)

Nicole Kidman's is both hands on hips. Meryl Streep's is only left hand on hip. Victoria Beckham's is right hip out, left foot forward (and no smile!). Mine started as a joke many years ago - the earliest evidence I have is from 2005 😎 Do YOU have a signature pose? Tell me in the comments or DM me a pic!

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3. The busiest day is Sunday - get there early to beat the crowds!
4. Make sure you sample some of the excellent street food on offer - I love the 8-hour pulled pork bagels from Dirty Bagel, topped with cheese melted by blowtorch in front of your eyes; or the traditional raclette at Abondance.
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This particular mountain is in the Austrian Alps where I hiked last summer. Thanks to @thepassionatecook for the 📸!


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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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