EATING Fish Curry. I spent so long preparing the curry I had to cook the rice using my no-fuss method. This involves putting the rice and water (one part rice to three parts water) in a pot and bringing it to the boil for about three minutes. I put a steamer on top with a handful of snow peas. After boiling for three minutes I stirred the rice, put the lid back on then when it was boiling again, turned off the gas.
Thirty minutes later I removed the steamer, re-lit the gas burner and cooked the rice for two more minutes then fluffed it up with a fork.
Easy rice and snow peas, delicious dinner.
READING a very old copy of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress for my bookclub. It is about two youths sent to the countryside for re-education during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. They were forced to carry human excreta down the mountain to fertilize the crops, but slowly new worlds open to them. Not a happy book, but partly an historical account and partly a love story.
PAINTING. Enrolled in a water colour course and went shopping for some paints and paper as some of mine are very, very old. After hand surgery and seven weeks of therapy I am able to use scissors, write for longer and longer every day and, I’m sure, paint! Very exciting.
DE-CLUTTERING the top shelf of my Walk-In-Robe as it was too full and I don’t need so many work clothes. Looking at the pile I have made to send to the church shop, I realised they have one thing in common: they all need ironing. I’m keen on things that don’t need ironing!
What to do if your Wallet is Stolen. On Monday my wallet was stolen from my bag at the supermarket. I didn’t realise until I got to the checkout and reached into my bag to pay. It was a really horrible feeling but it was only the beginning of a dreadful week. If your wallet is stolen you need to
- Contact the police and get a report number.
- Notify your banks to freeze your accounts and get replacement cards.
- Notify other credit card providers and arrange replacement cards.
- Notify Medicare if you are in Australia or your social security provider. Also contact your health benefit provider.
- Notify stores where you have store cards or loyalty cards and arrange replacements.
- Notify any airlines you have loyalty cards with to get new ones.
- Notify your car breakdown service to get a new card.
- Download your drivers licence replacement form, complete it and get a paper licence until a new one is processed.
- Get a new wallet and try to return to normal as soon as possible.
- Always zip your bag. This has been a really awful experience. Before I could contact them, one of my banks notified me about unusual activity on one of my credit cards at liquor shops, a jewellery shop twice (first purchase, a thin gold chain, second purchase, a gold crucifix) and a jeans shop for clothing and K-Mart for more clothing. She was very busy in the hour and a half before the cards were frozen.
On a more cheerful subject note, today is Lamington Day. This is an Australian cake made from a small block of sponge dipped into a chocolate sauce and then rolled in coconut. Enjoy a lamington, or two, today!
