Bread and Yeast course

1. I've been tasked with writing this post before Homeperm and Strongerlight get home.
2. Note breadmaking is both a science and an artform


I have just spend the day learning how to bread and yeast products. The course is run by Jo Crabb at Careme. The courses are held at Palliser Vineyard, Martinboough. Amazing. I would totally recommned them.

So, now I can make healthy wholemeal loaves, chicken sandwiches with real mayonaise. Brioche Suisse and Calzone and pizzas. I learnt a little more about wine.

As with any continuing education type course, the sucess is usually down to 3 factors - the quality of the teaching, the motivation of the students, and the course composition. Todays course had all three elements and the bonus factor of getting to eat top quality food and drink top quality wine. First of all I attended with Strongerlight and Homeperm. So that was a great start. Then there were new people:

I loved it when the tutor said "shut up" to the customer version of Hells Kitchen- it was water off a ducks back. Then later the tutor asked if there were any questions relating to making the bread and the same woman that had been told to shut up said "so what happened to your harpsichord"?

Another beuatiful moment was when the gay man from Gaytown leaned over to the nice lady next to me from Parapaumu and said "I think we've met before - I'm a magician." Like random and becasue his previous sentence had been about putting egg whites on your face to stay young and beautiful I thought he had said "I'm a beautician" - and then later discretely the nice lady's hearing aid fell out but she quickly popped it back in!

I so need to do more extramural courses based on my interests. Its a fun way to meet people and have fun.

It was good having homeperm and storngerlight to visit - I tidied my house (but I luckily they weren't the hotel inspector), I got a new light in my bathroom installed, my petrol can filled, and got to havle coffee again in Gaytown.

I needed today as the conclusion on my tests results process came through yesterday. Basically the panel thought I was amazing (I am), have a lovely personality (I do) and that I impressed them beyond belief (I did). The third factor and my last posting re my results for the pcyhometic part meant I am not fast enough for my application to be sucessful.

Strangely, I feel slightly relieved that the screening process has had this outcome. I feel stronger as a person for going through the process. It doesnn't resolve where I will be going next, but it has meant that I get one free sesssion of follow up career/pchyological counseelling.

Tests and Taxing issues

Today I got the results of some tests. These were PSYCHOmetric tests, verbal reasoning and numerical.



the good news is that one set of tests proved that I was 100% better in one (verbal reasoning) than the other (numerical).



the bad news is that I scored out of 7000 people 1% for the percentile for numercial and 2% for the verbal reasoning. Go figure. This may be one reason I have tax issues.



I learnt that I am slow. Go figure.



I learnt that apparently it is the *norm* to dislike 3:10 people. Yes thats 3 in 10 people. I can work that out.



I should be heartend that if I compared my results to *the man in the street* than hey they wouldn't seem so bad. But I have to remember that the *man in the street* doesn't sit these tests.



I learnt that I like to see things and make things happen - but I do it slowly.



Anyways, I'm a bit over all this self analysis.



Luckily I have a weekend planned where I will be both seeing things and eating things.

One of lifes inevitable truths

is that when IRD have completed an assessment it is correct and unable to be reassessed.

So, here is my final letter

Dear ****


Thank you for your letter of 27 April 2009 in response to my letter of 26 March 2009 confirming my tax dates and amounts for my Income Tax assessment for year ended 31 March 2008. I acknowledge and accept that the information recorded is correct.

I will make arrangemnets via the 0800 number (although I wish this could be sharpened up - yeah its great that you can be called back - but the whole process takes 10 fricken minutes to get to that point)you have provided to have this amount payed in full over the next month. Please note I am not in a a financial position to pay this amount in full in one payment, as I really believed that an IRD error had been made. Well, hello, I was wrong there wasn't I?

I note the that the amount I earned in Septemebr 2007 was due to cashing in my annual leave when I changed jobs. By cashing my annual leave in it enabled me to pay my VISA debt. I did this instead of having a holiday. What do I get in return - a fricken tax DEBT. Where's the logic in that I ask.

Please note that I have tried to sort this matter out expediently as I could. Please refer to my comnent realting to the 0800 number and as you are aware it takes some time for these fricken letters to churn through the IRD machine.

I am gutted. I am devasted that I am now placed in a postion of paying IRD this amount. It should be made clear to ordinary people like me that there will be penalties for doing this.

Anyway, thanks for your help on this issue. I guess I can be grateful for one thing, and thats I dont work for IRD eh?



Yours
Hebequeen

Double rainbow

Today because my train was delayed, this meant waiting at the railway station. Then lo and behold appeared a Double rainbow. It was the clearest rainbow I have seen for some time and the curve went right over the tracks and the reversed it self in terms of the colour. There is a scientific explanation for this and you can find it on Wikipedia.

My Dad always said rainbows were not a good sign and he didn't like them. But I do. I think rainbows are - like it says in the Bible. And like it was for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

Susan Boyle

A.m.a.z.i.n.g

She is my new heroine.

I'd do a linky (but you know I don't).

So, if you haven't read the news feeds she has taken Briatin and Simon Cowell by storm.

A 40 something lady who lives with her cat who has a dream.

Brillant video on You Tube. Inspiring in its own way. Love it. Love her work, her frock, her smile, her humour and her wonderful voice.

Toilets and cellphones

One of my early postings (imagine the linky) was about how my workplace (floor) colleagues seemed obsessive about the toilets.

Eek, this has become me, a year later.

So, today I walked into the ladies toilet and I could hear that cubcile one was on the telephone. The conversation of cubicle one ranged from lunch, purchase of new car, how new car was driving and what was for dinner.

I was going to cough, ahem, but I didn't, The voice from cubcile one was that of my Group Manager. Ok, she is busy etc. Relatively. But surely she could have had this conversation back at her desk, in her office?

Call me old fashioned, but I just don't think its ettiquette to conduct your cellphone conversations in the toilet,

I felt most uncomfortable. But clearly my Group Manager did not.

Purple Pumpkin

One of my earlier posts (imagine the linky) was on how crazy it was I was buying my vegetables from the Farmers Market at Solway, when the lady that grows them lives within 2km of me.

Well at the weekend I went to the market. Ms Purple Pumpkin said "I haven't seen you in ages" And I said "oh, I can't come as often now because I don't have a car at the moment"

Then Ms Purple Pumpkin says "Oh, I could put you on my 'local list' becasue you live in **** St in that *** house **** (location) and I already deliver to a couple of houses down that street. Seriously, I almost fell over - that she knew where I lived. But then when I thought about it I think she is is probably friends with my neighbours daughter who lives near her. I rather defensively said "how do you know where I live" And she said "Oh I've seen you out walking and I run round ***** st".

Tonight as promised in my letterbox was the vegetable list for this week.

"Hi, here's this weeks list. I send the weekly list out on a Monday, the orders need to be with me by 12 noon Wednesday. I pick Thursday and deliver Thursday evening".

How good is that? Fresh 'organically grown Spray Free Vegetables' delivered to my door, including eggs. And how good is that in terms of food miles? Apart from growing it myself and swapping with the neighbours, you can't really beat it.

This feels like one more step closer to becoming a 'local'. My steps are slower than others - like I often thought of ringing Ms Purple Pumpkin - only to discover all along she had an existing local delivery list.

Anyway, I'm now on it and have just placed my first order including eggs. No need to buy chickens!!

I can plan my own vegetable gardening by what she doesn't grow eg broad beans. But I'm now set for eggs, spinach, silverbeet etc

NB Purple Pumpkin is the registered name of her business - which also inlcudes general horticulture advice.