Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

About two weeks ago, my sister told me about this new program she’d started watching on the Living Channel about organizing wardrobes and cleaning. My first thought was “Huh! There’s no way I’m getting excited about housework and cleaning!”

While our house is reasonably tidy, it’s not spotless. My opinion is that life is too short to obsess about a clean house. I tend to let things slide when I can, preferring to do fun stuff instead.

Fast forward a few days, and I was channel surfing. I came across the program called Lush House and settled in to watch it. Each week features a different family, along with their cleaning and organizational problems. They might have carpet stains, severe clutter, disorganized rooms, poor ventilation, problems in the garden and other cleaning nightmares within the house. Along comes Shannon Lush to solve all their problems. She uses natural methods of cleaning and dispenses lots of cleaning tips. By the end of the show the family and their pets are organized with their houses all spick and span.

I was fascinated with her basic cleaning supplies—all natural products and inexpensive. I thought about all the expensive cleaning materials underneath my kitchen sink and decided I’d try some of Ms. Lush’s methods. It wasn’t as if I was wasting a lot of money if they didn’t work.

During my next shopping trip, I purchased a packet of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and a bottle of white vinegar. What you do is sprinkle baking soda on the area to be cleaned then spray it with white vinegar. It makes a very satisfying hissing sound when the two items react, lifting dirt and grime at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised at the way it cleaned my sink and stovetop. I’ve also used the baking soda/vinegar to clean my oven with some success. The grime is a bit baked on in my oven so it will take two or three cleaning sessions, but it does work. The baking soda/vinegar can also be used to clean dishwashers, toilets, baths, and showers. I tell you it’s miracle stuff, and the child in me really enjoys the hiss and sizzle the baking soda and vinegar make when they react.

Here’s a link to the fact sheets and the various cleaning problems Ms. Lush has tackled to date.
Ms. Lush has also published several books on cleaning the natural way. I tell you—I’m a believer. I really like using the more natural products. It’s got to be better for the environment and it’s sure easier on the pocket!

Do you like housework? What is your favorite cleaning product?

Most nights hubby and I go for a walk. It’s surprising how many people don’t have curtains, and it’s difficult not to look. Really, it is! Anyhow, we see lots of big ones. Yes, we do, and hubby developed “big” envy. You know we’re talking about TV’s, right?

Hubby has wanted a big screen TV for ages. I kept saying no. We didn’t need one. Then he came up with a plan. Why didn’t we put the old TV in the spare bedroom and turn it into a gym where we could do our Wii Personal Trainer and play other Wii games. Next, we could purchase a larger TV for the lounge.

This weekend we got our new TV. It’s a Samsung 42″. That’s as big as we can go with the space we have available. Mr. Munro set up the new TV with minimal fuss. I was dubious, I must admit. But it really is true. Big is better. The picture is great, the sound awesome. The only problem is that we now have three separate remotes, all of which have to be switched on for everything to work. You’d think technology would make things simple. I tell you it’s a tricky business to confiscate all three remotes when hubby gets in a channel surfing mood.

And finally, just because I know your mind went there when you read the title–mine did and I was the one that wrote it. I blame the erotic romance writer gene….

According to the Male Health site: Despite their starting size, all erect penises are about the same length – around 5 1/2 to 6 1/4 inches. Penile enlargement operations are potentially dangerous. While liver and kidney transplants are possible, penis transplants are not so don’t risk it!

Who controls the remote at your house?

With the warmer weather here in New Zealand, we’ve started having barbeques. Last night our entire three course meal was cooked on the barbeque.

I’m a vegetarian, although I do eat seafood on occasion to keep up my protein levels. Last night was one of those days. We had grilled prawns (large) for a starter, for a main I had fresh salmon, baked potato, asparagus and zucchini. Hubby had chicken. And for dessert we had filo pastry with fresh strawberries and creme fraiche. The layers of filo pastry were sweetened with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.

I’m hoping Mr. Munro will feel the urge to either recreate this meal or do something similar because the entire meal was delicious.

Do you like barbeques? What is your favorite barbeque meal?

Mr. Munro has worked late for the last few nights, which has meant I’ve had to dine alone. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like cooking for one. When it’s just me for dinner I tend to snack. Tonight I was tempted to make toasted sandwiches, but then I thought no – that’s not healthy.

In the end I went with pasta. The contents of our fridge were pretty sparse, but I managed to find onion and mushrooms. I added frozen corn kernels, part of a fresh tomato and the last quarter of a jar of pasta sauce. Everything was cooked and ready to eat in fifteen minutes. Add a glass of wine and it was fast food at its best.

My pasta meals are different every time. Sometimes I’ll add pesto or blue cheese and nuts – whatever I have in the fridge and pantry at the time usually works with pasta.

Another favorite meal is a baked potato topped with thick Greek yoghurt and a salad, although this takes a bit longer to cook.

Do you like cooking for one? What meals do you tend to have when it’s just you?

The other day I told you about the Munro war with Austin, the neighboring cat, and how Austin was winning hands down. Yesterday I had a victory for the home team, and I’m still chuckling about it. I was busy writing when I heard Austin’s bell. I looked up and saw him wander past the sliding door in front of where I was sitting. He’s a curious kitty and was sniffing in the flower garden. Then he noticed our water feature, which is a witch’s cauldron. He stood up on his hind legs to peer inside and that was when I snuck up behind him. I opened the window and made a loud barking sound. Poor Austin almost jumped out of his ginger stripes he got such a fright. He scuttled off under our hedge with me hot on his tail. I barked again and he jumped over the fence into a neighboring property.

Chuckling, I returned to my writing. Heck, I was so pleased I would have wagged my tail if I’d had one. About ten minutes later, I heard Austin’s bell again. I ran outside, making noise and Austin ran along the top of the fence in a real panic. He leapt into his own section and I haven’t seen him since. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t feel so pleased with my victory over a cat, but it made my day.

We are going to put down some chili powder as some of you suggested, but haven’t yet because it’s rained so much.

Janice Seagraves presented me with a blogging award yesterday. Thanks so much, Janice!

I’m meant to present the award to fifteen people. I could probably do that easily enough but I think I’d like to present the award to all of my visitors today. You’re probably a regular visitor anyway.

Enjoy the award and thanks for visiting me.

The other night Mr. Munro and I were watching Psych on television. A new character appeared in the scene and we both said, “Who is that?” I recognized both the face and the distinctive voice.

Neither of us could remember which show we’d seen the actor in before.

“It’s a detective show,” I said.

Hubby just nodded. “It’s gonna bug me.”

And it did bug us—both of us to the extent that we were discussing the actor rather than watching the excellent plot.

“The Closer,” I said. “I think he’s on The Closer.”

“Yeah,” hubby said. “He’s the father.”

We both nodded.

“But that’s not where we know him from,” I said.

We both agreed and went back to being bugged.

At the end of Psych we watched the credits, found the actor’s name, which was Barry Corbin, and Googled him. Thank goodness for the Internet. It certainly solves questions like this quickly.

“One Tree Hill,” I said in triumph. “He was the basketball coach on One Tree Hill.”

Both satisfied, we moved on to the next television show and our cup of tea.

Does it bug you when you can’t recall a name? How are you at remembering names?

Disaster! Our giant pumpkin seeds haven’t germinated. We’ll have to go back to the Farmers’ market and buy more seeds so we can try again. My father’s seeds have, of course, sprouted and are growing busily. I’ve no idea what went wrong, but all we have are little punnets of dirt.

And even worse, since our little dog died we’ve been over run with cats. Scotty used to enjoy chasing them and they knew not to enter our section. No longer. One particular cat called Austin has taken to doing his business in Mr. Munro’s vegetable garden. Understandably this makes Mr. Munro very cranky. The steps to deter Austin have gradually grown more determined. It’s Austin v Mr. Munro and what Austin lacks in size, he makes up in intelligence.

Hubby’s latest strategy is to cover his garden with netting, and he’s also set up a sprinkler system. I have strict instructions that the moment I see Austin near the garden I’m to creep to the tap and turn it on full force. Luckily Austin wears a bell and my hearing is good. We had our first run in yesterday. I heard Austin’s bell and headed straight for the tap. Unfortunately he wasn’t in the garden so he didn’t get wet with the sprinkler, but I did give him a fright.

Yes–it’s the Munros v Austin. And so far, we’re losing.

Does anyone have any tips to deter an adventurous cat?

English department store Debenhams have reported that dinner forks are outselling knives by two to one. The retailer is organizing a civilized dining campaign designed to make sure we don’t lose the traditional way of eating.

A spokesman said, “Using both a knife and a fork to eat has held this country in good stead for centuries. It’s one of the mainstays of being British. It’s about maintaining standards, before the single fork habit becomes ingrained in the next generation. Bad table manners can turn an enjoyable meal into an embarrassment.”

Knives were always used for eating in the past, with each person owning their own to use during meals. Forks are a more recent invention and weren’t introduced to England until around 1608. People were very resistant to the new tool, asking why they required a fork when they had hands. Slowly the upper classes embraced forks and they became a symbol of the wealthy.

I must admit that my husband and I tend to eat more ethnic dishes these days. I think of them as bowl foods and we use either a fork or a spoon, depending on the consistency of the food. We’re more likely to use forks than both knives and forks. Actually tonight we used both, but that’s not usual.

My nephew and his wife (who is Japanese) don’t own many knives and forks. They’re a chopstick family and if we have a family gathering at their place, we have to take cutlery.

What happens at your house? Do you tend to use forks more than knives? Is our style of eating shifting?

I have a fascination with wind chimes. I love the sounds they make and find them soothing. My husband isn’t such a big fan, although a few years ago we purchased one. It’s a tiny one with elephant shapes and it doesn’t make much noise. My sister has a larger one and it’s very melodious. Wind chimes sort of remind me of the xylophones we used to have at school. I wasn’t very good at playing them – I was more a recorder girl – but I liked the sound they made.

Do you like wind chimes? Do you have any at your place?

NEWSFLASH: Tomorrow, author JA Saare is my special guest. She is currently on a blog tour promoting her four upcoming paranormal releases and is giving away a $10 book voucher. That means if you comment on my blog, you have a chance of winning her blog tour prize. She is talking about What makes a good heroine? Is it a hard-assed Buffy or a soft-spoken Bella?”

Here’s the link to the details of JA’s full blog tour plus details of her four releases.

Our local farmers’ market has a giant pumpkin growing contest every year. This year I decided to buy some seeds and register. I gave some seeds to my father and sister, and my husband gave some seeds to both of his brothers. We’re all getting ready to plant our seeds and there has been much discussion about where to plant them. I mean, how big will they grow?

My father reckoned his pumpkins would grow big enough to use as houses for his pigs. The townie part of the family (that would be hubby and his brothers) are more worried about fitting the pumpkins in their gardens. So far we’ve planted the seeds in seedling containers, and we’re waiting for them to germinate.

Have you ever tried to grow giant pumpkins or other giant vegetables?