So anyways, I was making a batch of coconut ice cream yesterday afternoon.
We are having friends over for dinner tonight and the theme is Indonesian…and this particular ice cream is one that I had a few times when I was up in Bali last month.
It’s a pretty special recipe, made from coconut cream and a lot of egg yolks, and I’d painstaking stirred it over hot water for hours (ok, perhaps a slight exaggeration) to make sure it didn’t turn into a scrambled coconut mess. Then I painstakingly stirred it over an ice bath for a few more hours (again, an exaggeration, but I’m not known for my patience) to cool it evenly.
Following all of this painstaking stirring it was poured into the ice cream attachment that fits to my kitchenaid mixer and the churning began. Until it stopped.
Miss 17, who loves this ice cream, was trying to sneak some of the early frozen bits off the side, dropped a spoon into the mix and then turned the speed up rather than down. This had the effect of jamming the churner, bouncing the spring off the connector, and sending ice cream mix all over her, the wall, the floor, the stove and the dog.
It was pretty hilarious until I realised that the connector thingie was probably now cactus (Aussie slang for broken- similar to the Kiwi “munted” and the Malaysian “spoiled”).
In any case, it was probably a fairly appropriate end to a busy week. As I was stirring for hours and hours, I was also worrying about a myriad of things from the partition job- worries that should have been left in the office and not sneaking into my Friday afternoon. Not only did the ice cream incident make me laugh (and laugh), it was real- and it helped bring a perspective that I was missing amongst the vague anxiety. As an aside, have you ever tried cleaning ice cream mix off a cocker spaniel?
The week also had some absolute moments of joy in it- I wrote about them in this weeks Friday Five.
On this page, I wrote something about this weeks Gemini New Moon, and something about Uranus-Venus conjunctions. Naturally there was also the Tuesday Toolbox. I also told newsletter subscribers a little about my new website banner. It’s close…very close.
Over on and anyways, I popped up some more suggestions for 24 hours in Melbourne, and a very personal piece about why I don’t read reviews. It was written for a blog as if no one is reading challenge.
Right…to the skies for the week ahead.
The Sun moves into Cancer in the early hours of Monday morning (here in Aus- for the rest of you, it’s Sunday). This is, of course, the solstice- the longest or shortest day of the year- depending on which hemisphere you’re in.
Mars gets his feet wet on Wednesday as he too moves into Cancer. Cancer is one of Mars’ least favourite places to be. Mars likes to move forward, and the crab is a tad more sideways in motion. Mars likes to make things happen, and the crab is a little on the passive aggressive side. Mars likes to just flipping do it and move on, and the crab often can’t help a sneaky glance back into yesterday.
If, however, your natal Mars is in Cancer, this will be like an energy reboot for you- and that’s a good thing…especially if you’re about to start a self improvement project.
The trine between Jupiter and Uranus that was active at the New Moon is exact on Monday. This one is all about looking forward and having the faith and courage to take a leap- even if, perhaps, you’re not entirely sure that you’re ready for it.
On Wednesday Mercury squares off against Neptune. This is one of those aspects which, although relatively fleeting, blurs the lines between truth and lies, fact and fiction, rationality and delusion. If you’re in business or a negotiation of some sort, keep your wits about you and don’t just listen to the words- feel the intent behind them.
If, however, you’re in something where you need to think creatively and imaginatively, this aspect can be your new best friend.
Other than that…have a great week! I’m off to try and come up with a menu for tonight…and an alternative for coconut ice cream!
Jox