Koalas and Beer

No, the two don't go together, and I DID NOT GET A KOALA DRUNK!! Harumph. I'm just shocked that any of you would even think that I might do that...

Dogs love beer, btw. So do most non-human primates. Cats do not. Neither do any kind of the following parrots: sulfur crested cockatoo, rainbow lorikeet, little corella cockatoo. Pigeons, however, eat or drink anything.

That above paragraph is total, complete, 100% hearsay. At least sixth or seventh hand info. *ahem*

Anyways, back to the post topic.

Firstly: koalas and the photographing thereof.

Most of the time you see them out bushwalking them suckers are up in a gum tree. Usually asleep, but once in a while you'll see one eating. That's what they do: sleep, sleep, eat, sleep, and then when they get tired they sleep some more. Kinda like my cat.

WP and I saw 11 koalas when we were out hiking around Belair National Park the other day. 11! I heard at least 5 others too. What does a koala sound like? Imagine the sound a pissed-off wild boar makes just before it charges out of the underbrush and rams it's tusks up your *ss. Yup, cute koalas make that sound. I'm not kidding!

Now since you normally see the koalas waaaaay up in the tree, the closest way to get to them is being directly below them. Hence, it's very easy to end up with shitloads (in every sense of the word) of pictures of furry koala butt.

Perhaps this pic will show you much better than my feeble words can describe...




As we were packing up to leave as the sun was setting, I heard the unmistakable sound of a wild boar about to charge out of the gully and jam it's tusks somewhere where they don't belong. This being the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and not somewhere in the remote outback, I naturally assumed it was a koala.

Fortunately, I was right.

He (or she) was about five feet up a tree and didn't really care how close I got. I stopped about ten feet away and popped a bunch of shots.

Too bad the sun was setting and I had to shoot into the sun. But I did somehow manage to get a couple of them to come out. I did have to do some gamma-ing and contrast fixing on them though.







Next topic: Beer!

Why did we (I) start homebrewing? Well, it's a fun hobby, it's a longtime aussie tradition, and beer is bloody expensive down here. Wine is cheap (good wines too), but beer is not.

Last week on thursday evening I bottled up the first batch of lager for it's secondary fermentation. Two days ago, they bottles went from cloudy to totally clear! Done!

It's a very nice beer, slight fruit overtones, not very bitter at all, good froth, but a weak head. Why a weak head? Well, cus I made it to be 6% alcohol. The higher the alcohol content in a home brew, the weaker the head is. No worries!

Anyways, out of the 63 that were bottled, there are 48 left. Remember: THERE ARE FOUR OF US!!!! Humph!

The second batch (doing an ale this time) was put in the primary fermenter on Saturday, and should be ready for bottling and secondary fermenting on friday (that'd be tomorrow). At least I'm hoping it the specific gravity stabilises overnight cus I'd really like to get another round in the fermenter on saturday.

What have I learned so far? Sterilise, sterilise and sterilise! Also, rinse out the empties IMMEDIATELY after pouring. And TEMPERATURE really really matters.

I should be bottling in the morning and I'll get WP to take some pics. Then when I get the next batch into the primary fermenter on Saturday I'll take some pics and describe the process.

BTW, my MIL thinks the first batch of lager is the best she's had. And she's had quite a few kinds of brews! In fact, she is the one who I use to test the wort to see how long she thinks it'll need. So far, she's spot on with the SG readings from the hydrometer!

She's cool.

And I'm off to the pool.

Veni. Vidi. Lavi.

Oi, mates. Not too bad for a crotchety ole trucker, eh? Well, actually... 3 of the 4 people in the household know (and WP REALLY knows) latin. I didn't have to go very far to find the translation.

What does it mean? Well, first let me show you some parrot pics and then you'll get your latin lesson for this century.

I was taking shots of a big ole sulfie up in the top of the tree, when a galah went to land on a branch next to his galah blokette. I had the camera set for the white cockie in bright light, and the galah landed in the shade, hence the bad balance. I *could* fix it, but that'd be cheating.




I did get a couple of nice closeups of the cockatoo though:




Alrighty folks, what's the caption for this shot? Put on your thinking caps and grab your sense of humour and gimme a caption!





We are not amused



Hey y'all, look! It's cousin It!




Veni. Vidi. Lavi.

I came. I saw. I washed.

But just WHERE did I wash? Gee, do you really have to ask? Silly buggas...

Please note the SLS-free shampoo and the lack of any other nasty carcinogins in the 'poo.



Good thing it's cheap, cus us hippies need lots!

Please take note of the "Popeye" forearm... and the "Scarecrow" bicep...



Scrub all the bald spots well!




And after scrubbing the grey beard then scrub the bald spot some more!




And don't forget the stinky parts...




Now, just how many guys do YOU know who have the cajones to post this picture of themself up on the ole system of tubes?




Just one last srcitch of the bald spots...




Aaaaaaannnnnnddddd the first rinse cycle!





Where am I and why is this wet mop on my head?



Second rinse. Please notice just how disgustingly dirty the bottom of my left foot is. Yes, I walk barefoot a lot.




Yup, it's still a wet mop.




Dave goes down under for the final rinse cycle!




Gee, just like "Adventures With Bill". But without the grey hair, thankyouverymuch.




And the crowd goes wild!!!


or not...

Hi Ho, Hi Ho! It's Off To Brew We Go!

Ahhhhhhh, that wonderful amber liquid called beer... Mmmmmmm

Did I mention I've started home brewing? Yes, I have. It's very cheap and easy too. But before I tell you a little bit about it, would you like some galah pictures?

What's that you say? You wouldn't? Well, tough shit cus youse is gittin' em anyways!

Here's one where I tried to be all artsy-fartsy with the shadows and framing:




This next one is a great pic of Mrs Tweedle doing what the missus' do best (that'd be running around waving their arms and screeching):




Mr Tweedle then flew so far up in the tree to get away from the above screeching that I had to use the digital zoom to get him (apologies for the "noisy sky"):




Last post I asked what kind of tree the galahs were on. Well, it's called a Native Frangipani. When we first moved in the this abode (the abode with the pool) I thought it was a Champac tree. But after looking at the leaves closer, it's definitely a Native Frangipani. Very fragrant flowers in spring time too. It also survives in the Adelaide climate --NOT an easy thing to do!

Speaking of climates... it's going to get warm again in a couple of days. Sigh... guess that means I'll be spending even MORE time in the pool...

Oh yeah, wasn't I supposed to tell you just what I did in the pool during the previous warming spell? Well, you'll just have to wait cus I really wanna draw this out! :)

Next Topic: BEER!

and the brewing thereof

Coopers brewery has made this just so darned EASY! We are talking simple, simple and very cheap. The whole brew kit was AUD$99, and only $15 of that was consumables. Consumables being the hopped malt extract, brewing sugar, yeast, and secondary fermentation tablets.

This means that each batch of 60 beers costs $15 in aussie currency. That's $10 US'n. Not too shabby, eh?

I've already got my second batch (the first was a standard lager, second is a standard ale) in the main fermenter. The third will be either a cider or a Mexican beer.

In ten days from now there will be 60 lagers ready, 6 days after that there will be 60 ales, and then in another week there'll be 60 more.

Yeah, I'm ready for the heat wave! HA!

I'm going to be talking about just how cool Cooper's is and how awesomely environmentally friendly the brewery is is forthcoming posts.

My Last Post...

...about the bushfires. Ha! and you thought I was quittin' bloggin', ya silly buggas.

Remember, you can always go

Right Here

to get all the latest news about the fires.

[BREAK] I'm back with parrot pics, just scroll to the bottom of the post! [END BREAK]

I'm sure you all know that PNG (Papua New Guinea) is just right above our northern shores. I'm sure you all also know that whenever there's natural disasters up there (tropical typhoons, floods, earthquakes and volcanoes) that the Aussies are generally the first ones sending immediate aid. PNG is NOT a wealthy country, in fact... ummmmm they are very poor.

PNG has pledged $2 million dollars in aid... WOW!

Indonesia. Very large island group. Very Muslim. Somewhere around 150,000,000 Muslims living just right next to us. Good thing we aren't paranoid, eh?

Anyways, along with the million dollars in aid they are sending, they are also sending teams of forensic experts to help with all the identification.

Good on ya, mates!

The red cross bushfire appeal now totals over $93,000,000 dollars. And loads of clothing, housing, etc. Everyone is pitching in, very cool.

Did you know that most of the firemen who fight the bushfires are volunteers? Yup, they have day jobs and volunteer their time to help others in a very special way. Local employers are also very good about giving the volunteers time off during large fires.

However, there is one employer (big big company) that isn't so nice... They were planning on laying off 115 people. 3 of the layoffs were CFA volunteers. Those 3 firefighters got calls from the big company telling them they are laid off, effective immediately, WHILE THEY WERE FIGHTING THE BUSHFIRES!!!!!!!

Wanna know who this wonderful company is?

BOYCOTT FOSTER'S!

Heck, their beer sucks and they aren't even locally owned anymore.

The number of homes destroyed is 1,861 and still counting.


**********************************************************************


Ok! Back to original episodes of dave (from Alaska) in the Land of Oz!

Guess what? Go'an ya silly bastards (aussie term of endearment), GUESS!

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Time's up!

I've started home brewing. It's been something we've been meaning to start for yonks now, and it's finally happening.

I've been taking specific gravity readings the last couple of days from the main fermenter, and the first batch should be ready for it's secondary fermentation (in the bottle) by friday.

So on friday I'll be bottling up the equivalent of 60 beers. Then in two weeks I get to drink them :)

Needless to say, I'll be starting another batch soon.

This first one is a standard aussie lager. I think the next one will be a strong stout --I'll add extra sugar to get the alc content up to around 11%.

I'll keep you posted, no worries.


Tomatoes: This haet wave didn't spare the tomato plants no matter what I did. We did, however, end up with 326 tomatoes before the plants gave me the finger. And they were 326 GOOOOOOOOOD tomatoes.

The temp today got over 100 in the shade, and I saw 133 F in the sun. Darned glad the heat wave is over, that's for sure :)

Did I tell you what I did in the pool last week? No, no... I'm not talking about when I eat lunch and dinner in the pool. Or when I jump into it naked. Or when I lay in the lounger with a beer... Nope. This is something new! In fact, it was such a hit that WP and BIL joined in with the fun!

But of course I'm going to make you wait till next post to tell you.

Guess what kind of tree this galah is on:




This is the same tree, but with foliage:


Go on... What kind of tree is it? And is it a male or female galah?

I've come to recognise some of the birds that come around. Based on the behavior, when they show up and with who, etc. I might talk more about parrot behavior later, but right now that just sounds like too much work (and I hated writing up scientific lab reports at Uni).

Buuuuuuut... Meet The Tweedles!




I named them Tweedledee (the missus) and Tweedledum (the mister). For those of you familiar with galahs, the reason for the names should be obvious.

Australian Bushfire Updates

I'm going to give you the link for the latest news stories of the fires that are raging through the Land of Aus:

click here for updated stories

Now then, I'm going to be paraphrasing a few of those stories. Please excuse my brevity or lack or writing skills as I'm not exactly in the mood to be eloquent tonight (it's Wednesday evening down here as I type).

The "toll" was up to 183 this morning, it's expected to be over 300 soon...

Thousands of families have lost everything. For many there was basically no warning.

Why wasn't there a warning? Well, a "normal" bushfire will "spot" itself up to 1 to 1.5 kilometres away from the front. Spotting refers to the fire's ability to toss embers up and ignite other brush. These suckers were spotting up to 15 kilometres (10 miles) away from the front.

Ummmmmmm, that's bad. Really bad.

The fires over Saturday night in Victoria (there are many still burning and NSW countryside is going up) released enough energy to supply the state of Victoria for 2 years. In one night...

Take the energy released from the atomic bomb that the USA dropped on the civilians of Hiroshima and multiply that by 500. That's how much power was released onto the folks in the Victorian countryside in one night.

Did you know that Eucalypt oil is explosive when vaporised? And that it can vaporise at fairly low temps. The temps were record heat wave highs for a couple of weeks beforehand, and then on the day it was 120 F in the shade.

Sooooooo, an ember from a fire 10 MILES AWAY FROM A TOWN drops onto the trees in the town... The trees are gum trees of course (eucalyptus). The trees explode instantly and the entire town is burning with absolutely no warning.

Is it any wonder the Aussie PM calls any arsonist mass murders? Is it any wonder that many of the fire chiefs use the word "terrorism" to describe the fire bugs?

How hot did the fires get? Well, normal bushfires don't melt metal:




If you want to read about the science of these fires and why they are way beyond what any firefighter from any country has ever seen, the click

this link

BTW, I've already let the writer of the article, Alice Coster of the Herald Sun, know that I object to her use of "a perfect firestorm" to describe the fires. I don't think anyone who lost their homes would think of it as "perfect".


But, there's some good news! Aussies really help each other out in a crisis. The international cricket match between Aus and NZ raised $6,023,643 throughout the match. I'm damned impressed!

If you want to read a story about two REAL heroes (not sportsblokes), then read this:

Brave Blokes

I'm sure everyone heard about the firefighter who stopped to help a koala. Here's a pic if him giving "Sam" a drink.




Sam was taken to a wildlife shelter, and it turns out Sam is Samantha! Her paws are bandaged up, she's got a koala bloke at the shelter who likes her, and she should be ready to be released back into the wild in 5 months.

Australian Bushfires 2009

Well... the bad news keeps pouring in. Now NSW has massive fires along with all the ones still burning out of control in VIC.

Gee, don't forget about the massive flooding up in QLD.

Sigh.

This post will be a bit disjointed today. I've been trying to keep up with the news and have a great many links and info for you all, but there are times (like as I type this) that I have to take a break and cry.

About every 30 minutes the death toll is updated from Victoria (VIC). I think right now it's at 135. Several small towns have disappeared.

Before ANYONE puts in a comment about folks not having a fire plan or living in a bushfire prone area, let me say a couple a things.

Firstly, all my regular commenters will give you the smackdown of your life.

Nextly, these are folks and towns that have fire plans and have weathered untold numbers of fires of the years. Leave early or stay and defend (with a proper plan and fire-proofing stuff ready) has worked for decades for these people.

There are old veteran bushfire fighters from not only Aus but around the globe (we're all in this together!) who say they've never seen anything like this. The speed, the heat, etc. Yes, this includes fighters who regularly battle fires flamed by the US Californian Santa Ana winds.

Well, here's a few links about that while I go blow my nose... I'll be back.

Armageddon

No warning

I saw one story where a fire started 1.5 km from a town and within 5 minutes the town was an inferno.

Fire falling from the sky, burning embers from trees that exploded over 12 km away, mini fire tornados spring up... shit...

This all happened in the space of just a few hours over our Saturday night. Fire crews had been on alert just waiting for what one (asshole) news commentator dubbed "The Perfect Firestorm," but there wasn't much they could do.

I'd heard reports of over 10,000 CFA fighters working to contain untold number of blazes. South Aus sent over a contigent of our CFS guys along with Elvis. Elvis is out big ole Erickson Sky Crane helicopter that can dump a lot of water quickly. We couldn't spare much more as we've got our own fires.

A doctor at the Alfred Hospital said this is worse than he saw when he treated the Bali bombing victims:

Alfred Hospital

Oh, and they've just run out of morphine...

Offers of help and aid have been coming in from around the world, notable from the Commomwealth countries, of course.

UK Prime Minister

And I do believe the Kiwis have just asked what they can do. Apparantly the smoke made it all the way over there and that's never happened from our fires before.

Just because the weather has cooled off a bit, doesn't mean the fires are out. There's no rain. Victoria has had a ten year (I think) drought and I think South Aus is in year number 6. Many towns have just now been placed on alert:

Fire Alert

So, like what are Aussies and the govmint doin'? LOTS!

Sunday morning (immediately after the major firestorm started) ole Kevin Rudd (yes, our PM is Krudd) pledged a $10M dollar Community Relief Fund. The Victorian State Premier (think Governor for those of you in the US) added $2M and the Fed (Krudd) matched that.

Krudd then mobilised the Army to help not only with fire fighting but also with logistical and transport help for all the aid pouring in, and also with loads of heavy equipment for clearing roads, debris. No need to dig firebreaks or trenches down here, these fires jump them without a second thought.

Cricket Australia and Channel Nine announced that the upcoming international match between the Aussies and the Kiwis will be for charity. That includes gate money, ad revenue, concessions, etc.

Commonwealth Bank kicked off the cricket drive with $1M. Then all the major Australian banks each kicked in $1M apiece. I do believe Wesfarmers has just kicked in $500,000 today too.

Just got word that News Limited (they own the Sydney Morning Herald) just kicked in $1M.

As of 3:30 this afternoon individual aussies had already donated $5.6M

The Aussie Red Cross is keeping track of all this, and every single cent is going to relief and help, not a thin dime to their admin; very cool and good on 'em!

What's cool is not only can you help online, but you can stroll into any Bunnings Hardware Store to make a donation, or saunter into any of these banks to help too: NAB, ANZ, Westpac or Commonwealth Bank branch.

If you are overseas and want to help, then just go here:

Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009

I urge any Alaskan NOT to make a donation though until they have sent one flat rate box to the Y-K Delta Villages:

Nunam Iqua Food Drive
c/o Ann Strongheart
P.O. Box 7
Nunam Iqua, AK 99666
nunamiquayouth@yahoo.com

cus them folks are hard up and the Governor of Alaska isn't doing squat to help them!




If you want to keep up with the fires and where they are at, both Google and Aus-emaps have come to the rescue. Aus-emaps is pretty slow though but they do cover the whole continent...

Google VIC fires

Aus-emaps fires

And if you want to keep up with the news:

Lotsa news stories

For those of you who like tales of grief...

Bad news

Well, I'm off to make dinner... hopefully it'll be good but my mind sure ain't gonna be on cooking.

Adelaide's Deadly Heat Wave of 2009

I'll be serious today.

Yes, yes... you may now pick your collective selves up off the floor and close your collective jaws.

The forecast for today is 110 F in the shade. Officially it's 107 in the shade. At the ole homestead it's only 103 in the shade and a cool 137 F in the sun.

Last years heat wave was a record, and so is this years FIRST heat wave (we've got two more months of possible hot weather). The other day we had SA's third hottest day ever after having the hottest night ever.

Fun... NOT!

People are dying. Elderly and homeless are the hardest hit --isn't that always the case? Modern western society kinda sucks at taking care of those not able to take care of themselves, eh?

The morgue, which is generally less than 1/3 full, is maxed out. They've had to bring in some refrigerated freight containers for the bodies pending autopsies.

The major hospitals have all got together and declared that all non-emergency elective surgery is halted. All docs and nurses who would've been working on those surgeries are assigned to emergency services and ambulances.

I'm not making this up!! The official "count" is at 75, but I'm guessing you could add a "1" in front of that.

Why? Well it kinda costs a wee bit to run the ole a/c after the electricity was privatized (ETSA is now owned and ran from Hong Kong, BTW) quite a few years ago. And if you can't afford to run your a/c, then you do without.

I'm not sure why there is a drastic difference in the apparant heat between here and say... Austin, Texas on a hot day. I've walked around downtown Austin every afternoon for a week in a heat wave. I can tell you that IT'S A LOT HOTTER down here even though the official temps are the same!

On a hot day last week I put the temp sensor in the sun and left the screen in the shade. Keep in mind that this temp gauge in the shade is pretty much spot on with the "official" shade temp. Here's what I got:


Just ignore the humidity reading as I never bothered to calibrate that feature.

What's that you say? You can't read what the temp was at 2:03 in the arvo? Let's just zoom in a wee bit:


Up in Kotzebue, Alaska it was -37 F the other day; not as cold as the Interior but still bloody cold!! The windchill, however, was -64 F.

Hmmmmm, the temp diff between OTZ's windchill and South Oz's sun temp was 209 F on pretty much the same day. Funny ole world, ain't it?

It's Been 50 Days Since I've...

...

BS (blogosphere): Ok dave, now that we've clicked on your smartassed titled post, will you at least tell us what it was you last did 50 days ago?

YT (yours truly): Gaahhhn, take a punt mate!

BS: We don't speak Aussie slang, *sshole.

YT: Go on and give it a go!

BS: In english, perhaps?

YT: Take a guess, mate!

BS: Hmmmmm, perhaps that's the best translation we'll get...

BS: 50 days since you've picked your nose?

YT: Nope!

BS: 50 days since you've scratched your privates in public?

YT: Nope!

BS: 50 days since your wife was embarrassed to be seen with you in a public place?

YT: Nope! *grin*

BS: 50 days since you've gotten your lazy ass out from in front of the computer?

YT: Nope! I spend time in the pool, too!

BS: We give up...


Before I let you in on my little 50 day secret, I feel the need to post some cool parrot pictures. Especially since I've just subjected some of my more sensitive readers to my odd scents of humour.

Notice how everyone is watching the bloke flying:




As cool as the lories are, whady'all think of that pigeon in the upper left?





Flash! Aaaaa-ah
Saviour of the universe
Flash!
He'll save everyone of us
Flash!
He's a miracle
Flash!
King of the impossible


Whoopsie, sorry about that. Just a bit of nostalgia kicking in.

It has now been 50 whole days

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Washed my shorts!

*TWWWEEEEEETTT*

Time out for a cool bird pic!



*TWWWEEEEEETTT*

Ok, time in.


No seriously! It's true! I haven't washed my shorts for 50 days. Just ask my wife! Well, maybe you'd better not...

You gotta remember, I don't wear underwear. Here's a photo to prove it, see?




Well, actually that's not true. I wear underwear beneath my cycling shorts when I'm riding. Yes, I can hear all you roadies and mounties screaming that you can't wear underwear under your cycling shorts. Ha! 40 years later and no blisters, boils or saddle sores.

I also don't shave my legs. Here's proof:




And why don't I shave my legs? Cus I'm not vain! Read this for proof.

Anyways, back to me not washing my shorts --yes, I'm back on topic!

I jump in the pool 3 or 4 times a day, for a swim (or breakfast or lunch or dinner) between 30 minutes to 2 hours at a time. I keep 4 or 5 pairs of shorts outside on the bench and a couple of towels. That way when I get out of the pool not only do I not have to remember a towel, but I also don't have to remember dry shorts!

See!!?? Ain't I smart?

The way I figure it, the shorts being in the pool for a long time (wrapped around my butt, of course) while soaking in chlorine cleans them suckers pretty darned good. Then, after drying in the direct sun for a while, they are ready to be used for the next time I get out of the pool!

Neat, huh?

Just thought I'd let you all know that it's starting to cool off. In fact, WP is wrapped in a blanket as she types away next to me. And I've even put clothes on! (shorts and tank top, no underwear though)

Today's official high was 33 C (91.4 F) and I saw 92.5 F here. In the direct sun it was a very cool 117 F. As usual, the damned weather pixie on my sidebar is her usual lying self as she says it never got over 85 F. Twit.

But don't worry, I had my hour of pool excersize at 7 am while watching the parrots, no worries!

Bitchy Birds Blazingly Burning

Yeah, no one likes the heat. It can just get everyone PISSED at the entire world. Well, except when you have a pool...

But the birds don't have a pool. So they, quite naturally, take it out on each other.

See what I mean:




Hmmmmm, perhaps just another reason for Fishsticks not to visit. He'd be afraid of being eaten alive by rainbow lorikeets!

A Quickie For Marie

I've been trying to email this screensaver to a mate up in Sweden, but it just never seems to go through any of the email channels.

Soooooo... With Much Ado... Here's the screensaver I made for an Adelaidien transplanted to waaaaaay up north:

Here's the screensaver for Marie in Sweden.

You will note it's a zip file, just save it to your desktop and extract the .scr file. Feel free to run any virus software over it you want to, no worries. Then just right click on the .scr and from the flyout menu chose Install.

Fingers crossed, I'm pullin' for ya, we're all in this together!

Oh, if anyone else wants to download it, no worries. It'll only run on a PC. There's parrots (all kinds), roos, koalas and lots of blue sky pics. Just the thing for your winter!

Another Heat Record In Adelaide

Before I tell you all about that, here's a parrot picture for those of you who only come by to look at purdy birdy pics:




Now, as far as the heat wave goes... MY NEW WEATHER GIRL IS A LYING BITCH!!! Why? Cus we've just equaled a one hundred year old record of consecutive days over 40 C in the shade (that's 104 F if you have an enquiring mind). However: one several of those days my new Weather Pixie trollop hasn't recorded anything of 95 F. Maybe she just doesn't want to take the bikini off if it gets any warmer?

For example, on a day of an official high of 42.5 C shade temp (108.5 F) the dumb bimbo said 95 F. Ummmm, yeah right. You don't really want to know what the temp in the sun has been. I'll give you a hint: Anything between 130 F and 147 F would be a good guess.

SUPERBOWL!!!! My one US football game each year. Wee-Hoo! Although I do look forward to (and follow) the TDF much more than US football, it is nice to watch to superbowl live, Monday Morning at 10:00 am. Damn I'm glad I'm not working!

I was going to make some wings and other hot stuff for my once a year gastronomical gorge gathering, but it's just been a leeeetle bit warm. So I've went with dips and chips.

Obviously, I've got some of my Chilli Cherry Chutney that I made. A red bell pepper with chilli dip, french onion dip, cheese and chive dip, and I'm about to make a spicy cheese dip as soon as I post this. Yes, I made them all.

But I didn't make the chips. Why not? Cus that involves a lot of frying and baking and that pumps a lot of heat into an already hot kitchen. So yes, I bought loads of flavoured potato chips and corn chips.

Ta for now, gotta go pig out on junk food!