THINGS GETTING BACK TO NORMAL...

Strawberries and rhubarb from the garden and a few apples to go into the shortcake. The strawberries seem to be appearing in dribs and drabs and I wonder if adding more fertilizer has caused the plants to throw up more growth than fruit, They need potash so a trip to Palmers Garden Centre next week is on the list of things to do.

Mind you, the only tripping I will be doing this time will be by bus. It's been a month since that heavy fall on to a concrete path followed by another fall a couple of weeks later. This one was onto the flat slate slabs in front of the deck when I missed the step up and landed unceremoniously across them, resulting in a deep gash to my wrist. A trip by ambulance to the hospital and several stitches before we caught the bus home in time to catch up with our favourite programmes.

Now that the stitches have been removed and infection cleared up things are back to normal thank goodness.

There have been so many things happening one way and another. John Key has stepped down and Bill English is taking over the reins. With Paula Bennett as deputy the transition will go smoothly I am sure. All done with the minimum of fuss.

Things seem far less straightforward in the States. The President-elect will be well challenged with a mountain of paperwork to wade through for one thing I imagine, and goodness knows how many aides and advisers surrounding him, for another. Perhaps he will simply end up throwing the toys out of the pram before stomping off.....

Rhubarb and Apple Shortcake just out of the oven and smells delicious. Having the new oven and cooktop has made a difference. So reliable with great results and I do not miss the gas hob at all. Clean pots and the smoke alarm isn't going off all the time. The oven is a pleasure to use with the pyrolytic cleaning feature keeping it clean.

Both are Smeg appliances and once you figure out how to use them they are fantastic. I found by following the instructions carefully and doing a bit at a time it wasn't so difficult to master.

Mmm.....  Time for a cuppa.