CRAZY WEATHER

 The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish  

meaning.

Stephen King 

Friday was the hottest day on record here in Wollongong.  The temperature reached 46.5 degrees Celsius. It was so hot that the trains from Sydney were delayed because the tracks had buckled and some of the signals had melted.

I stayed home all day until about 6pm when P:-) and I went to buy my groceries. It was still hot but a cool change was was starting to roll in.

The next morning it was around 22 degrees Celsius and overcast. Crazy weather.

In the garden

I did some work in the front garden on the weekend. It is surprising how many interesting things you can come across in a small patch of garden.

This spider hole looked as if it harboured something large.

It appears to be a funnel web hole. 

The spider did come out and it was very large and black. I'm afraid it no longer exists but I shall certainly make sure I wear gloves when I am gardening from now on.

On one small eucalyptus tree there is an example of ants farming aphids or mealybugs.

The white stuff on the branches are the aphids. The ants 'farm' them and protect them in order to eat the honeydew they excrete.

It covers quite a few branches on the trees.

And last of all a lone caterpillar.

I don't know what type it is but I imagine those 2 dark spikes on the top would sting.

Tuna stuffed mushrooms

Large flat field mushrooms were cheap so I made stuffed mushrooms for dinner. These are delicious and make a good budget meal. They are just as tasty without the tuna if you want to go vegetarian.

Stuffed mushrooms

 

*This is enough for one main meal serve or 2 entrees.

Ingredients

2 large flat field mushrooms

Olive oil spray

95g tin tuna in olive oil 

6 cherry tomatoes halved

50g feta cheese crumbled

1 green onion chopped

Few basil leaves

Sprinkling low fat mozzarella cheese

freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Place mushrooms upside down on baking tray 

2. Remove middle stem

3. Spray mushrooms with olive oil

4. Spread tuna on mushrooms

5. Arrange cherry tomatoes cut side up around edges of mushrooms

6. Sprinkle over feta cheese

7. Add chopped green onions and basil leaves

8. Sprinkle with low fat mozzarella cheese.

9. Top with freshly grounds pepper

10.Cook for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Centigrade.

Stuffed mushrooms

Interesting sites

1.

Photo source

 Click here to check out this cute tiny house.

2.

I love this book shelf. Click here to see more.

3.

Photo source

2012 was the hottest year ever for the contiguous United States. Click here
to read more