Where on earth did that year disappear to? Christmas looms again.

Have you got your presents all organized?

I try to do my shopping throughout the year, and in the evenings, especially during the Australian winter, I knit or crochet any gifts I can make. I still have a couple of young grandchildren, and I divide my money up into four and budget a certain amount for each of them equally. I generally give the older ones and the adults money, although I don’t like doing that very much. As some of the relatives live away, I have lost the ability to know what their interests are, so I would rather they buy something they want, rather than have my gift relegated to the cupboard, or worse, being thrown away.

Talking about throwing away – here in Australia, we STILL get Christmas cards with snow, sleighs and reindeers on them. Poor Santa still wears a red fur-lined suit and swelters in 38 or 40 degree heat. You would think we would have made our own traditions by now, instead of following the ‘old country’ (read England) ways. My flash fiction, after the recipe, has a dig at traditions for us in the southern hemisphere. I hope it gives you a giggle.

***

Consequently, here is my favourite ice-cream recipe:-

Everyone’s favourite Ice-cream.

2 cups milk

300mls cream

1 400g tin condensed milk

2 tspns vanilla essence.

Flavouring variations:

• Crushed strawberries
• Crushed violet crumble
• Any pulped fresh fruit. e.g. passionfruit, apricot, mango etc
• Chocolate topping
• Coffee or Mocha
• Caramel (use topping or a mix of brown sugar and golden syrup)
• Crushed nuts and chopped marshmallows
• Coffee and raisin 
• Peppermint choc chip
• Raspberry and blueberry etc, etc, etc.

1. Mix all ingredients together well.
2. Churn in an ice cream machine.
3. Place in freezer in either one container or ice-block moulds.
4. Freeze overnight. This is very hard, so take out 15mins before serving. Serves 8-12.

***

A change.

“I just don’t think it’s fair!” Daisy said to Nellie.

Nellie looked at Daisy as if she was quite strange.

“What’s unfair, ” she asked.

“Well, we live down-under, and we have to have those conceited reindeers coming along at Christmas and stealing our thunder.”

“What are you going on about now?” Nellie lifted her head from a particularly succulent patch of grass.

“You know!” puffed Daisy. “The reindeer – they come flying over us pulling the Santa sled, priding themselves that only they can do it! Looking down at us as if we don’t matter.”

“Um. Okay,” Nellie really was too busy eating.

“You know, even Kangaroos would be better to do the job here … and Santa always looks so hot in the face wearing that garish outfit meant to keep him warm at the North Pole!”

“Honestly, Daisy,” Nellie shook her head, then laid down comfortably to chew her cud. “Just leave it be – it’s a human thing!”

Daisy wasn’t convinced.

“Surely Santa has a brother or something who can live in the southern hemisphere and take over his duties down here?”

“I don’t know!” Nellie was meditating as she chewed.

“I mean …” Daisy continued. “A little magic dust on us cows and we could do the Australian run, surely.”

Nellie just closed her eyes and concentrated on her mastication business.

But Daisy wasn’t finished.

“I think I would look great leading a group of cows through the sky,” she said dreamily.

“Humpf!” said Nellie, “With your fat and full udder, you’d never get off the ground, even with magic dust. And to top it all off, you’d probably rain milk on the poor unsuspecting humans if you ever managed to actually fly! For goodness sake, leave it to the reindeers!”

She belched, then took a great big breath. She struggled to get up and looked around again for more tasty grass.

” They’ve been doing it for years.” she added. “They know what they’re doing. You’re likely to lead Santa into Uluru and have a huge crash.”

Daisy was offended. She stuck her nose in the air and wandered away, leaving Nellie to her negativity.

Of course, once she got further up the paddock and began to chew, the thought just disappeared from her mind.

 After all, cows aren’t known for their memory ability.

***

One of the wonders of the Christmas season, is the peace and happiness it brings to many people, particularly the young. My wish for the world, as we look at another year, is to spread that peace, love and happiness as far as we can. Next year, my blog will include a knitting pattern as well as a recipe. Perhaps I will stop writing my short story, collect them all up and put out an anthology. We will see.

One of the earlier picture books I wrote for children – ‘Candy Cow and the Caterpillar’, not only teaches about camouflage as well as the life cycle of the caterpillar – but it, I hope, shows life as a world of contentment, too.

All my books are available from me at AU$18 plus postage anywhere in the world, so if you are interested, please contact me at maureenlarter@gmail.com for more information.

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