No Coffee

11:24
I think summer is over, raining and coldish here.
No money till tomorrow night, no milk, for my cuppa' teas and coffees, agghhh.
Got bored with the games I played on facebook last night, so left them all.
Was going to join Netflix since it free for the first month, but my internet speed would run out in a few days, and I would be back to dialup.
I think I'll finish this last cup of tea, fill my hot water bottle up, and go back to bed, and see how many hours I can sleep in the next 33 hours.
Can't function without my hot drinks...

Apple Cider Vinegar and the day

Apple Cider Vinegar.
 I just tasted the ACV I start making last week, well its apple cidar in the makings at the moment, the vingar part will start happening when I take the apple scraps out... it is YUMMY, it still has a way to go, but coming along nicely. This vinegar making is so easy and fun to do. Its probably just as well I only have 3 or 4 bottles i can use to make it, as it is, I have things brewing and fermenting here and there.
I'd really love to have a go at vinegar with other fruits, I have a very tasty plum and blueberry, and since almost everything is ready for harvest, but it will have to be next year now, but I can dream, apricot and/or peach would be lovely I reckon, and i will definitely have a try with any fruit I can get...I will have sussed out all the fruit tree's in Waihi, by this time next year

I have a friend locally that has a fig tree, so will have to have a try at fig vinegar this year. I've never heard of it before, but heck, not like its going to cost me anything but some time.
Oh, I just thought, I have a couple of crockpots here, I could ferment vinegar in them..... oh, cool, will have to see if i can score some apples or fruit over the weekend.... oh I'm all excited, its 1am and just realised i can ferment more stuff, so much for sleeping tonight lol...

10:38
Remember a few weeks ago, I was moaning about fly's and how annoying they are this year, I think I have found the smell they don't like... Lavender
I had some lavender essential oil here and read yesterday, how insects don't like the smell of it. So put a couple of drops on my chair this morning, and flies aren't coming anywhere near me.... yahhh...

11:49
First thing this morning, my neighbour brought me a big supermarket bag of feijoas.
I have been sitting here for almost 3 hours, thinking, eat them, or make them into vinegar. Eating would be lovely now, but vinegar would last longer, and I would know what it tasted like... but might not be so good, then I've wasted first feijoas I have had in a few years... what to do, what to do...
..... then bombshell DOH.... I can do both, only need the skins of feijoas and small ones for vinegar, so yah, I'm going to eat them....
I'm so intelligent, its amazing I can be so thick at times. lol

23:42
So I decide to have an early night. I get all settled in bed, then my imaginary friends start arguing about the wording on a Meme I saw about a month ago... they aren't going to shut up, and I can't remember what the meme said... so I'm awake until they forget about it..

Legally Growing Cannabis

Yes, this is Legal lol.... Oh how time flies. Facebook just showed me, I uploaded this photo of Cannabis drying 4 years ago today.... in San Diego, California.

I can tell you, I was one very very happy camper 4 years ago today. This is the main tips of 6 plants grown in our bedroom. I was so proud I had grown these totally legally.

Funny thing was, I have never liked smoking cannabis, and only grew it, because it was legal to grow, I wanted to be able to tell folks back in NZ that I had grown there lol.

If you had a medical marijuana license you could have 6 adults place, and 6 plants ready to go under the 12/12 flowering lights,
I made a heap of tincture from this 1st grow, and with that tincture, made the 1st version of the pain relief cream. Oh the memories. Probably the most fun thing Kym and I did together.

12:07
Its been raining here for days now, sometimes very heavy, and other times just enough to get me wet if I go outside, and everything in between. There are big puddles everywhere.

I have a wee garden along the front wall of the flat, I'm growing a few herbs and greens... my kitchen garden smile emoticon I just went out to see how things are growing, and with all the rain we've had, that garden is dry as a bone.... I'll have to get a couple of 2ltr milk containers, and tramp from the kitchen outside, and give the garden a water, such a shame it couldn't have been rain water.

Lynda if you happen to come across some old hose I could use for a watering system, bury it, and hook a hose onto it once a week, or spouting, could you put it aside for me please

12:14
I have been given 4 more choko's.... well 5, but met someone on the way home, that said they liked them too, so gave them one.... I know exactly what I want to do with these ones, 2 will be grated into a soup I made thats a bit salty, yummy, bacon hock, split pea, carrot and choko soup.... will a an old favourite recipe in no time

Fermented Birthday

04:14
I'm really getting into making vinegar, its fun, and the ones I'm making for eating, they are tasting really good already, and they still have 2 or 3 weeks to go before bottling.
I started Apple Cider Vinegar about 3 or 4 days ago, and its 1st fermenting is bubbling away beautifully already. I might have to take the sheets etc out of the hot water cupboard so I have more room for more vinegar brews lol...
So far I'm making lemon, plum and blueberry, blackcurrent, apple, and about to start another one for cleaning, just using sugar, and one using molasses.... I'll taste that one when its done, to see if I'll use it for cleaning or eating. I'd really like to have a go with kiwifruit and also feijoas when they are ready.
I really wish I could get a big bag of carrots from ohakune, I've never heard of carrot vinegar, but it would be a pretty colour lol. The hardest part about making it, is not sampling it too much while its doing the second ferment lol.... it is interesting tasting the alcohol change to vinegar, it happens quite quickly, I thought it would take months... I would guess that once the second ferment is done, and it bottled and capped that it would improve with age, sort of like wine.

The first ferment turns the sugars in the mixture into alcohol, and the hotwater cupboard is smelling very much like the old days when I had the stills, and making whisky and bourbon etc...
then the second fermenting then changes the alcohol into acetic acid the main part of vinegar, I think I have that right

Since facebook won't tell you,

its my birthday today... yes i'm an Aries... that accounts for a lot huh lol

Scooter, computer cords and chooks

I went for a ride on my scooter just because I could,
5am I trundled off, and went down and chatted to the gatekeeper at the mine, for an hour, nice guy, different guy than usual Lovely to talk to a real person when I can't sleep, and lucky for me, there is always someone down there.

Grrr computer cords everywhere, I swear I would marry anyone that would keep my place tidy... anyone here illegally that wants a wife, they can pay someone to come tidy up

I'm a happy camper, I can now get a couple of chooks... yippeeee going to get them from the chook farm just up the road,
Lynny's going to have her own chickens again,
Lynny's going to have her own chickens again,
I can feed them all sorts of healthy stuff,
That other folks think is weird,
and have the healthiest eggs in town

Cream and scooter...

8.am
Well my mobility scooter is in the same part of the country as I am now.... I'm so excited, never thought I would see it again, but its at the Mount at the moment, and will be dropped off at 10ish this morning to a friends place in Tauranga, loaded on a trailer and brought back over to Waihi.

12:20
Well my scooter is one step closer, was supposed to be delivered to Tauranga at 10am but hold-ups happen... just its just arrived, and been loaded onto trailer, thank you so much Annie I know you aren't coming back straight away, but thank you for rushing this morning to get there, and waiting around all this time.... and I'll see you whenever you get here.....
Baby's coming home,
baby's coming home....

13.49
I have a new project, that will keep me out of mischief for a week or two.
I'm going to build a wee website for a new friend.... I'm so looking forward to using that part of my brain again....
I have built a couple of sites since my stroke, in May 2011, gosh its almost 4 years ago already... always think of it as a bit over 2 years ago....

Anyway, I'm building this website, for a business in Auckland, and with what I get paid, I might look at building a website for my cream, and perhaps start building the odd website for other small businesses.

I will of course stay doing the creams, as long as I get enough to buy more ingredients, I get so much of a buzz from seeing and hearing from people getting their pain relieved, that will stay as my way of giving back and giving hope to others.
Good things are happening

14:42 Hello everyone, well I have 70 pots of cream and no homes to send them too . It occurred to me, I may not have said here, I do offer a 14 day full money back guarantee on the pain relief cream, just return the pot of cream, and I'll give you your money back, not including postage of course.

I'm not interesting in having unhappy customers, I'm only looking for customers that get some relief, and tell their friends about the Cream.

So if you have been thinking about getting a pot, you have nothing to lose...

To get things rolling, first person to order, it will be $20 for cream, and $3 NZ postage...and you are welcome to pick-up in Waihi. Just send me a message above, or send a private message to me.

Weird Phone Call

I just had an odd phonecall, the more I think about it the odder it is...

first i thought if was someone pulling my leg, but... anyway this is how it went...

A well spoken guy with American accent, said he wants to do a story on me... thinking yeah right, and do you have an uncle that just died in Africa leaving billions of $$, but I was lonely for human voice, so kept talking... I asked him what particular thing the story was about, he said everything... we'd start with the pain cream and work back...I thought ok, you are paying for this call, i'll play along.... btw, this call was obviously from overseas, you know how calls can be echoy or slightly delayed...

this is where is started to get weird, he started listing things that have been happening in my life, backwards,

you all know i talk about most everything i do in real life here in facebook, well this guy, said his name was Robert, and he was going on and on about things that I have written about, he was back to what would have been at least 18 months ago, when I fell in the kitchen in Chch hurt my ankle, and the neighbours boys climbed though the window, when i said stop.

Heck, thats a hell of a long way back down my facebook wall, to find that info, I asked him if he was a friend of a friend or contacted on facebook, and he said no, but he could read my posts, and had been for some time. Gawd love-a-duck I'm gulliable, I just accepted what he said, and keep on talking about some of the weird and wonderful posts I'd made and antics I've got upto. Many things I had forgotten about, especially when he talked about the time I was talking the prescription meds.

Then it occurred to me, that the phone number he had used has only been on about 10 days, its not listed, I wouldn't share it publicly on facebook, and have only given it to 2 or 3 friends in private messaging... I cut the call short, and have been thinking about it for about an hour now...

Don't get me wrong, I don't for a minute believe the "Do a story about me" thats a Tui Yeah Right moment.... my gut feeling is more "Well Spoken, Fairly Intelligent, clever sense of humour... Well Travelled, Dog Lover, Californian Accent, Stalker Weirdo" would be closer to the mark... lol....

but still thats a heck of a lot of clicks to go back 18 months or 2 years ago at least, not like i'm the quiet type, who doesn't post much. I doubt I will hear from him again, and I'm big enough and ugly enough to deal with whatever, but it brings home to me, how young folk got get caught up in this weird stuff so easy.

13th March

02:31
2.25 am, and I'm roasting kamo kamo in oven with tomatoes and homegrown onions oregano and mustard seeds... almost ready... smells divine . just as well i don't have a camera, you would be drooling if you know what I'm talking about.... still got one bag of grapes left Margaret but just had to have kamo kamo

11:30 I just learn something new.... ants taste bitter or sour....

if you ever find yourself wondering what and ant tastes like, don't bother trying, they are bad. lol...

I was given a bunches of grapes, i was eating them while scrolling down faecbook, every now and again, I would get what I thought was a real nasty sour grape, but just thought, the other ones are so good, just "get over" the nasty one.... anyway, I put glasses on for something else, and noticed there were ants on grapes, and decided to taste an ant by itself, and yep, that was the taste, not like I chewed it or anything, just licked it one off my finger.... then spat it out. it was really horrible...

I consider myself pretty lucky to get to 52 without knowing what they tasted like, now must get some icing sugar, so I can make safe antkiller... with glasses on, I can see there's quite a lot of ants crawling around inside at this new flat lol 19:44

The hotwater cylinder cupboard at this new flat, is a good size and very very warm, so I have all sorts of things in bottles brewing/fermenting in there... making vinegar.... I tasted my first brew i started at the place i used to live, its plum and blueberry vinegar.... oh gosh, that stuff is REALLY nice.... so all enthusiastic I got a big brew of vinegar brewing....

I just went out and opened the door of the cupboard and was nearly bowled over with the smell of the fermentation, man, did it bring back memories of the old days when I had a still, and used to make whiskey, bourbon, gin, you name an alcohol, I made it. Used to make a lovely sambuca... funny cause i don't like drinking, but loved making the stuff.

I've been reading about making vinegar recently, and watched a video about making pineapple wine, I think now I'm reasonably healthy, I might get into making some more of these fruit wines, heck I live near kiwifruit country now, the pickings going to be starting soon.... great thing about making wine, if you don't like it, its easy enough to make it into darn nice vinegar, and failing that, you can use vinegar for cleaning, win win...

I'm so spoilt

I've had a couple of nights not getting to bed until 3am and 5.30am, can't do those 2 or 3 days away things lately, must be getting old... anyway...

I had a sleep this afternoon, and just woke up now at 11pm, I just went outside for something, and

I've had a fairy left me gifts at my door... oh oh oh, I'm so very very spoiled.... bunches of green grapes, they are the sweetest grapes, and i'm scoffing them now.... one bunch gone already, second one started.... amd way they are the nicest grapes I have tasted in years, lol, have to stop typing to eat more, second bunch gone... these grapes are just so good, and i know they are just picked. yum yum yum.... anyway today, this fairy's human helper brought me a bag of Kamo Kamo and I had planned to eat a couple of them tonight, they are my favourite food... but these grapes ace kamo kamo.

Oh I am so spoiled.

Margaret could you please let that Fairy know that I'm so very grateful, still getting handfills now and eating... I'm really going to have to find out about growing grapes from cuttings... ok, I'm full, did i say these grapes are the best.... maybe just one or two more.... nom nom....

Since i broke my back, I have not climbed a ladder, but if there would be any reason to get me climbing a ladder, heck, to find more of these grapes would be that reason... I guess this cyclone pam will probably munt the rest of the grapes left on the vine for this year, but there is always next year, will be something to look forward too....

maybe just 2 more..... i can see I'm going to have to stay awake now.... these a few squash ones, i'm going to have to eat, can't let them waste... hehe... Thank you again so much Maggie, and thank you handy on the spot, grape picker Eric, thank you as well.

There was this old tart from Waihi

There was this old tart from Waihi, (named lynny)
who made this pain relief cream,
decided that tonight was the night,
to make up a good stock of cream...

first batch went well, 24 pots,
started counting chickens
when that lot was sold,
she thought,
her wee business would be out of debt...

second batch of cream when well another 25 pots,
when they sell she thought, I will actually be able to keep most of the money...
she mused, delighted at the thought...

on a roll ...
she decided to do a bigger batch,
rather than 2 usual sized batches.
should make 30, 35 maybe 40 pots she knew.
heated the oil in crockpot,
added the wax to thicken it,
take off the heat,
added different oils and other ingredients,
turned off the heat while
she did the dishers and
set out the pots to be filled on bench
right she though, lets go...
but alas
it cooled down a little too much
so since she doesn't have
a working powerpoint in kitchen,
lifted the crockpot full of oils and wax
into lounge to plug in...
very heavy to carry she thought,
everything was now the right heat,
so picked up crockpot,
carried back in the kitchen,
over the carpet in lounge,
getting heaver...
over to the sink and bench area in kitchen.
getting really really heavy now....
nearly there... nearly there..
Oh Shit!!!
tripped over cat from next door..
about 2 litres of waxy oil on floor
and cupboards under sink,
about 3 litres in sink...

BUGGER....

better clean floor before I slip...
forgetting waxy oil in sink
with no plug,
waxy oil thats hardening
while wiping up floor,

stood up to rinse cloth....

oh geezes wept
thick greasy sludge in sink and down drain...
Quick she though
grab the baking soda and vinegar
turned around and slipped on floor...

in another pool of waxy oil she missed...
nothing else to do but laff,
a crazy old tart roaring with crazy laffter
ringing out in the still of the night....
Moral of story...
don't count chickens before they have hatched....
that profit will probably be spent on paying a plumber to unblock drains....

Flys

10:56 Lovely rain day, nice steady, will be soaking in rather than flooding, farmers and gardeners will be looking out at it, and smiling..... 12:00 Bloody flies are driving me NUTS, please send me flyspray universe.... right now... 16:24 Last essential oil order I got, had peppermint oil and clove oil, I was trying to deter flys, and put a few drops of each in a bowl, unusual combination, but heck its lovely, flies loved the smell so that was a failure, but as an air freshener its lovely. lol16:24

Trip to Tauranga

Note to self... Next time you try to top up your phone minutes online, wear your bloody glasses, I just did it, and typo'ed the last number a 3 instead of 4, so did it again, and now the bank won't honour the payment on credit card... grrr

Later that day I went to Tauranga today to drop someone off, came home alone, and cried most of the way.
A lot of nasty things happened there when I was 13-15 years old, I didn't like going back 25 years later and living there when Kym and I moved there, but got used to it, because she loved it so much, now it has all the old memories, and all the memories of Kym are everywhere.

Pity memories can't be deleted as easy as something on a computer.

FIxing the washing machine

I'm so chuffed with myself, last night I wrote about the washing machine I got, and how I went to use it for first time, and water pissed out everywhere on floor, wellllll.

I just fixed it myself, it was a hose that came lose and totally came off down the bottom but in front of the bowl, sore hands, bashed knuckles, twisting arm up under, then backwards, while pushing the washing bowl thingy aside for more room, I lot swear words I haven't used for a while, and a bit of begging it to go back on later, and it seems to be ok, washing machine filling up now.....

I've been useless at all the stuff for 20 years, since I broke my back, hell its an awesome feeling getting independence back. Even if I didn't get it on well enough for it to stay, I now know exactly whats wrong with it, so no-one can say it will cost $100 to fix.

Welcome Back Nancy

I'm so so so happy, and friend of mine, from the states, that went offline almost 2 years ago, has just come back onto facebook YAHHHHH.....

I have my old mate back, to play in the corridors and siderooms and generally get up to mischief with on facebook.....

Any of my other friends that read this, I need a favour, many of you know about the power of good thoughts, my friend dear Nancy has a very old grumpy laptop, that is nearing its end, could you all send good thoughts, that a newer laptop will find its way into her life. Maybe someone near where she lives is upgrading, and could pass the older newer one on maybe one with windows 7 on it. Many thanks, I know something will happen for you Nancy and Welcome Back!!!!!

That Night We all know we should drink water, right.... but I really, really, REALLY don't like water, especially town water, and I'm too much of a miser to buy water, recently I have been making my own flavoured water, and its good, easy enough to make, just 3/4 fill a jug with water, added sliced up fruit or vegetables, tonights brew is 1/2 small lemon, some apple peels, and and 1/2 a peach, mint. todays, celery, 3 slices cucumber, mint leaves,
yesterdays was, sliced cucumber, 1/3 sliced orange
other days, tbsp apple cider vinegar, teaspoon honey, peels and core of nashi pear, chopped up herbs, sliced tomatoe,

When I get a grater, I'm going to try grated carrot or beetroot, maybe a wee bit ginger to spice it up.... will also try grated apples, cucumber etc, am thinking I will find I need less and still get the flavour...

I make these brews up at night and leave in fridge overnight, first drink in the morning is now whatever brew I have made.

Point is, my waterjug holds about 5 glasses, I use very little fruit or veg, and its amazing how much the water taste has changed. So now getting 5 glasses of water a day, a different taste everyday, or preservatives, no added sugar, except for honey, which I have stopped using now, I was only using for a cough I had.

I'm going to keep an eye open for a larger water container, I'm really enjoying my new brews, I thought I would try make sun tea next sunny day, just add a teabag or two to a container of cold water, and leave in sun to brew for a few hours... way cheaper, much healthier and more fun than buying water or flavoured water at supermarket.

Settling into my new flat

Settling into my new wee flat, I just did an update on places I have lived in my life, I'll be 53 years old in a couple of weeks, and have lived in about 65 cities, towns and country areas, in 3 countries. So if you only know me via some group or game, but thought you used to know a Lynn Bishop, you probably have, chances are I have lived next door to you, or at least in your part of the country, wink emoticon Only places I haven't lived are West Coast South Island, Taranaki, North of Whangarei, ......

Several towns like Hamilton, Invercargill, Christchurch I have lived more than once, and within those times living there have lived in several places, like 11 or 12 places in Christchurch, after living there 3 times. Oddly enough I hate moving house, and since I was 15 some 50 moves ago, I generally have thought, ok, this is the last time I will move, going to settle down now, and be normal.... lol... now I know, I'm never going to be "normal" I just hope the ghosts don't hunt me down so quickly this time. This time however I'm not going to say or think I'll never move again, just not until I'm 65.

Living alone yah

Great thing about living alone, when you make a one pot meal, where you add a bit of this and a bit of that, a good dollop of something else, is no-one asks for the recipe......

Not such good thing about making that sort of meal, is I never follow a recipe, so can never ever make it again, even when it was stunningly good....

Tonight's dinner was mainly chicken, cabbage and chickpeas, fresh Chilli, Apple, and yogurt, with an assortment of herbs and spices, tasted great, sort of a Chinese, Irish, Italian, Spanish, Indian dish. Yummo... and enough to freeze.

Power is back on

I'm Baccckkkkk....
after 5pm
Got everything sorted, and had to go with an internet provider that I didn't want to use, but hell, they gave me a modem, in return for 1 year contact... still I'm back, and have some catching up to do....

The flat is very nice, I have lovely neighbours, actually only one neighbour is home lol, quiet neighbourhood, can have my talking books playing all night, and I'm not annoy anyone, no nightmares at all last two night, and asleep by 11pm, ok, the 11pm thing probably had to do with no internet, but talking books definitely help me to sleep, even though the story at the moment is Death Masks by Jim Butcher, not really sleeping time of story for most people.

Cooked a lovely Indian flavoured soup last night, froze most of it, so have plenty for another day.

I got labels printed today, so can get sales for pain relief cream happening again. This flat is very small, but suits me well, I'll miss the chooks, and the fish, wild rabbits on the next door neighbor's lawn at twilight which are nice to watch. there is a garden outside, that with a bit of work, I should be able to grow a few veges and herbs, when I buy some seeds. All in good time...

No Power

10:00 Ok, I'm off, seems power and phone/internet are proving to be hard for me to access, may have to have no power for a night or two.. so will do the caveman thang lol.. never moved into a house where the power was disconnected before, new experience for me. Catch you all on the other side of the move.