Farm Girl took the helm this week and she was accepting no offers of assistance. This was HER thing. Well okay, she conceded, a little bit of help working out the oven controls may not go amiss (that dial is ambiguous at best, so a second opinion is always appreciated) but otherwise just get out of my kitchen!
The caramel slice, a morphing of a couple of Farm Girl favourite base recipes with a jar of Geraldine and Leia condensed, sweetened ambrosia ladled on and topped with melted chocolate it was decadence personified…sliceonified…foodonified…whatever; you get the idea. We stilled our cake forks long enough to giggle with her at her choice of music (the wedding dance from the Second Best Marigold Hotel – her and The Farmer love it!) and then she unveiled her chosen quote and our hearts glowed.
Apparently what happened next made quite a few far-reaching news desks. The 5.75 magnitude shake was apparently centred 8.1 km from the Homestead. It certainly rattled us all both literally and figuratively. A few indoor plants required some immediate TLC, the hall carpet may need more than a hearty vacuum clean, and we lost (gasp!) a very precious jar of goat condensed milk, but otherwise we’re still standing. And when Dave the cat returned home later that night after high-tailing it to destinations unknown (possibly even to him), he certainly received a large slice of that particular present.
This morning everything except the hall carpet is back to normal. It’s maths time and Farm Girl and The Goat Herd are decoding commutative properties.
A common, often voiced sentiment by visitor or ex-residents is “who would live in Chch”. More than anything else, we’re irritated to give the naysayers more evidence 🙂 And the slice was amazing!
How happy I was to see your post, since the news of the earth quake reached Ohio earlier too and I send a few extra prayers to New Zealand for your safety and well being. Hugs for all and Dave too. Xo Johanna
I didn’t know anything about the quake till you posted, but I see a few cliffs fell as well as your jar of milk, so I’m super glad you are all safe and sound. I know you don’t live with any cliffs, but it does imply a good shake. We had a 5 not far from here a couple of months ago, and we felt it, but beyond a few swinging lights we brushed through fine as well, though the way the Richter scale works, your .75 difference in magnitude means a significantly bigger quake, so you were lucky.
The slice sounds very sweet and sticky and absolutely delicious. All this talk of goat ambrosia is going to force me to do things with tins of condensed milk, something I usually only buy at Christmas time. Or maybe I should just get goats. I keep threatening my family…
Love the music choice. One of my all time favourite movie scenes has got to be from the beginning of 2nd Best Marigold Hotel – Maggie Smith giving her diatribe on the correct way to make tea, and how it usually comes. But the wedding scene at the end is gorgeous. Where was the video of Homesteaders dancing it up to the music?
The Bean Counter always gets a tin of condensed milk in his Christmas stocking. Nowadays he shares it, usually in the form of caramel slice although there was a time when he spooned it out of the tin for breakfast. Ahhh, the joys of youth! But even he agrees that the goatie equivalent is head and shoulders above the tinned variety. Almost worth getting a couple of goats 🙂
Farm Girl also loves the Maggie Smith scene and can recite it perfectly. I know we shouldn’t encourage it but she has such a gift for mimicking you’d swear it was Dame Maggie herself.
As for the video: Princess Nikita recently introduced us to Just Dance on the XBox…it ain’t pretty 🙂
We have several editions of Just Dance for the Wii – and i know what you mean – it’s fun, but if my own children find my attempts as side splitting hysterical as all that, then the world is not ready for my level of coordination 🙂
Hi, Caramel Slice – a classic! Good to learn no major damage from the earthquake. I am sure living in Christchurch gives you empathy with people who live in other earthquake prone areas of the planet. Here, we are encouraged to have our bushfire plans. Perhaps you are encouraged to have your earthquake plans.
Union Homestead 
What a fright that earthquake must have given you all, glad that it was no worse. The caramel slice sounds delicious, I would enjoyed it a lot.
A common, often voiced sentiment by visitor or ex-residents is “who would live in Chch”. More than anything else, we’re irritated to give the naysayers more evidence 🙂 And the slice was amazing!
How happy I was to see your post, since the news of the earth quake reached Ohio earlier too and I send a few extra prayers to New Zealand for your safety and well being. Hugs for all and Dave too. Xo Johanna
Thank you 😊
I didn’t know anything about the quake till you posted, but I see a few cliffs fell as well as your jar of milk, so I’m super glad you are all safe and sound. I know you don’t live with any cliffs, but it does imply a good shake. We had a 5 not far from here a couple of months ago, and we felt it, but beyond a few swinging lights we brushed through fine as well, though the way the Richter scale works, your .75 difference in magnitude means a significantly bigger quake, so you were lucky.
The slice sounds very sweet and sticky and absolutely delicious. All this talk of goat ambrosia is going to force me to do things with tins of condensed milk, something I usually only buy at Christmas time. Or maybe I should just get goats. I keep threatening my family…
Love the music choice. One of my all time favourite movie scenes has got to be from the beginning of 2nd Best Marigold Hotel – Maggie Smith giving her diatribe on the correct way to make tea, and how it usually comes. But the wedding scene at the end is gorgeous. Where was the video of Homesteaders dancing it up to the music?
The Bean Counter always gets a tin of condensed milk in his Christmas stocking. Nowadays he shares it, usually in the form of caramel slice although there was a time when he spooned it out of the tin for breakfast. Ahhh, the joys of youth! But even he agrees that the goatie equivalent is head and shoulders above the tinned variety. Almost worth getting a couple of goats 🙂
Farm Girl also loves the Maggie Smith scene and can recite it perfectly. I know we shouldn’t encourage it but she has such a gift for mimicking you’d swear it was Dame Maggie herself.
As for the video: Princess Nikita recently introduced us to Just Dance on the XBox…it ain’t pretty 🙂
We have several editions of Just Dance for the Wii – and i know what you mean – it’s fun, but if my own children find my attempts as side splitting hysterical as all that, then the world is not ready for my level of coordination 🙂
Hi, Caramel Slice – a classic! Good to learn no major damage from the earthquake. I am sure living in Christchurch gives you empathy with people who live in other earthquake prone areas of the planet. Here, we are encouraged to have our bushfire plans. Perhaps you are encouraged to have your earthquake plans.