Fruitopia

If there's one thing i'll miss about life in tropical oz, its the FRUITS!!! I'm a fruit freak, and mangoes and pineapples top my list of all-time favourites, due in no small part to growing up with them. These are the real deal, not the gassed, tasteless, flavoureless stuff sold in supermarkets. So here's my tribute to my good friends from the plant kingdom, who knows when we'll meet again....

Meet the Papaya (paw-paw) - entire books have been written about the health benefits of this fruit, and especially the seeds. A slice before breakfast, and my system is sorted for the day. They're even better than prunes and pears for you know what...

The green prickly strange looking thing is a fruit called sour sop. It's just that, sour and sweet, creamy white juice with an aromatic tropical flavour. This is the first time in years that i've had sour sop, and as with many of these tropical fruits, its as much about the childhood memories they evoke. I remember my parents getting the juice (can't think how) and freezing it - voila healthy troppo icecream! Turns pink when cooked. Just thought you needed that bit of useful info. Getting carried away here...

Bucket of mangoes from the local market - $6!! Juicy, you can smell them as you walk in the kitchen. The kids have been feasting on about 4 each a day, more if i let them. They grow all over Mackay, dropping onto the street, locals not interested. These are not a sought after variety as they are a bit fibrous.














Lady finger bananas, as they are sometimes called. Tiny, sour sweet and light.

Well, as i sit here avoiding the endless cleanup job and watch baby frogs hopping around the room, thanks to the storm we just had, here's a warm invitation to keep Queensland on your list of places to check out sometime!

Tropical summer

Amy comfortably slides into a split. Doing flips and sommersaults with her is a treat in her book.
Need a tree, maybe some gymnastic lessons....


















This little bastard sums up the season. The rains are here, and so are the hordes of mosquitoes, literally arrived overnight. It is INSANE!!!! Its like living in a beehive! I was crazy enough to go outside today to do some weeding (must do things before vacating this house), i covered up from head to foot, only my face exposed, and that too covered in repellant. Well, after 20 mins of sweltering work in the beehive, i ran indoors for shelter, jumped in the shower, and felt itchy all over. Hubby nearly had a fit when he saw my back, there were about 30-50 bites all over- through clothing. One bite on my leg through jeans!! Honestly, this is one aspect of the tropics i can't wait to leave behind!

Meantime, got a new camera today, so very snap happy! Will be doing a post on the more yummy aspect of the troppo lifestyle - fruits!!!!

A little bit of lipstick

When getting home and contents insurance, i wish there was a clause in there to cover 'toddler incidents', such as the scene i was greeted with today. After a hectic weekend of a wedding and house guests, i was just getting a handle on the endless clean up job, when i realized i hadn't heard Amy for quite a while. Hmmm, we all know what that means.... Enter bedroom, into wardrobe ,and there she is, perched on a foam cube to reach the shelf where mommy's oh so tempting make-up lives, where she knows little fingers are not allowed.... I saw red.... and then pink. Little missy was covered from hair to foot in 2 entire tubes of lipstick, the rest of which was smeared all over the shelves, onto folded clothes, on doors, on the cube, and to top it off, engrossed as she was, she peed all over the red and pink mess.
Unfortunately my camera broke yesterday so no pics, but i'm sure you get the picture. By the way, any questions on stain removal of any sort, send them my way.... i think i've scored a degree by now in that department. Many hours later, all the stains came off.
This brand new lovely rental property we currently live in has been lovingly blessed by the creative endeavors of my two darlings, in ways which defy every chemical known to man. And yes, we will be vacating this property in a few short weeks, by which time it must return to its former spotless glory. Wish me luck, and lots of elbow grease. I've spent countless hours researching, shopping for and scrubbing away at out concrete garage floor which functions as the family/playroom. To no avail. And every day, new embellishments are added.
Sometimes i feel like Mr Mess is the culprit for most of the outbursts i have with the kids.