KateSk

Sydney, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA


Joined January 8th 2008

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Recent Posts

Not writing this time too much , just going to try and stimulate the brain visually.
The pictures may be recognisable at once or may be a bit of a mystery.
There will be clues at times .

Some pictures may bring back memories , may become a little frustrating as there is a sense of dejavu.
Whatever ! it is for fun.

You may need help so ask friends, family members or even the neighbours to solve the what or where of the picture.

Enjoy and be a
little challenged ....



Easy to remember if you have seen it!


More to follow tomorrow. These were easy starters.

Okay as I posted these visuals yesterday some of you would have had time to pnder alittle on the pcitures and worked out where or what they were.

One of the pictures is a Cypriot delicacy calledZsuzuko, I may have the spelling wrong but Zsuzuko is absolutely delicious , it is made with the juice of grapes and other ingredients which I am not quite sure what they are .It is air dried as you can see, it does not look glamorous but it is yummy.
Funnily enough it is not sweet . Some Zsuzuko they string almonds as well and let the mixture cover it as well and it forms a really unusual consistency .

It is really delicious to eat .Did any of you guess this as Cypriot Zsuzuko?

Okay the next picture with the little hut style buildings is on the island of Crete.
Not sure if too many of you recognised it but those of you who may have been there would know that this place believe it or not is called .....Bali.

Somene had a whacky sense of humour or loved Bali so much they created their own little Bali on Crete.


Now the darling Pelican, those of you who have been to Mykonos will know that Georgiou walks the divine streets of Mykonos in the afternoon around 4 pm ish to have his afternoon exercise and all the tourists just love him .

He struts and stops , preens and fluffs himself and the curious people visiting the island follow him around clicking pics of him.

I of course did the same and fell in love with him at once .
He became my island love!!!!


Okay Sharks in the wall.
No one could forget this , it fascinated me when I saw it and I just enjoyed the scene from this vantage point looking down onto the culdera .

Yes, you guessed it , at the top of one of the shopping areas of Santorini .It overlooks this magnificent view and the sun just glistening on the water that just takes one breath away.


Next photo, is distinctly a border area between Greek Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus.
It is at one end of Nicosia called Ledra Palace Hotel Crossing.

This is the only spot on the island which is for bicycle crossing and also on foot.
In 2007 when I was there the gates were closed for some unknown reason and no one was allowed to use the the crossing area.

Currently I have heard the crossing is once more open and people move freely between the gates.
Commemorations of the 1974 invasion of Turkey into Cyprus are held each Sunday mornings by Greek Cypriot women and they protest giving out literature on the event.


Okay I have taken you to some of the Greek slands in an unusual way.
I am sure many of you have been there and have millions of pictures.
I have thousands but I did not want to reveal the obvious ones

Also everyone writes about the Greek islands , yes they are magical and yes I would love to return .
I am sure we would all like to just fly off and loll in the sunshine.
Maybe in a future holiday again.



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The Zipper Club

December 1st 2009 05:37
I have not written for a while as I had an unusual event in my life and I became a member of the ZIPPER CLUB unexpectedly.

What is the Zipper Club? Well it ain't some raunchy strip club I can assure you.
Far from it!
Life would be much easier if it was .

I am being cryptic here because although it sounds a fun club it isn't to begin with.

Those who are members of this special group will be giggling I am sure. To think I have associated it with stripping and some wild imaginings.

In actual fact you become a member of the Zipper Club by having open heart surgery.

Yup ! OPEN HEART SURGERY!!!

So I am sure it is not the kind of club too many out their in Orby land would want to join.

In my case as I am sure in all those who are club members , they too were not keen club members but there was no choice.

My choice was have open heart surgery or drop dead!!!
So I took the Zipper Club option about 5 weeks ago now and am very happy I did but still in pain at the zipper that went in down the front of my sternum after they sawed through my chest and wired it up again after the operation.

One signs away their life as one goes into surgery but when you have no option you do not even think about the documents you sign.
Luckily all went well in the 7 and half hour operation and I am here to tell the tale.
Though after the operation I did flat line at least 5 times( died for those who are not sure what flatlining is) and then as an added bonus after my first major operation due to flatlining 10days later I had further surgery for 2 and a half hours and I was implanted with a pacemaker.

So I am lucky to be alive and I am a happy member of the Zipper Club and partly bionic I suppose due to the pacemaker.

All this started from my working in developing countries , somewhere along the way in the past 7months I picked up a bacteria that attacked my mitral valve and caused it to stay open rupturing all the chordae .

My advice is be aware that you are not invincible it can happen to any one.
Why me ? Who knows!

Anyway I am here to write more for you all on some of my adventures in my wonderful travels and work to many of the far flung places .
Whilst I am recovering from my Zipper Club adventure I will not be travelling for a while but I have lots to write about .
Hopefully you will read them and enjoy.

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Designer Ravioli & Bolognaise Sugo

October 4th 2009 11:41
Roast Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli as well as Kalamata Olive & Fetta Ravioli with my Superb Shiraz drenched Bolognaise Sugo!

At present my current state of mind has me focused on food and all I can dream of is creating divine tasting foods that make me feel happy. Many reasons for this but will not go into it now. Just read and enjoy and maybe even try.

So here is the recipe that was for dinner tonight!

Sugo:
Made with Australian virgin olive oil , olives grown on Australian terra firma down in South Australia , one finely chopped Spanish onion and 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic.
Saute this together and lightly make the ingredients translucent.

Add to this the organic finely minced beef around 500gms.
Saute until all the meat is sealed through and has a light brown tinge to it.
Add a dash of oregano. Freshly pulled off the stalk that has been sundried.
The aroma is tantalizing as it hits the mixture in the saucepan.

To this add chopped fresh parsley and stir in lightly as well as chopped fresh basil.Be generous.
Then you should have prepared some grilled or char grilled vegies of any taste you desire that is zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant , pumpkin etc(this should be blended before added to the mixture .
Turn it into your mixture and add a tin of finely chopped tomatoes. Add a little water or if you have fresh home made stock , this is okay too as it adds a bit of flavour that is a tad different.

Let it simmer gently and add salt to taste as it simmers.

Half an hour before serving add a fair drop ( around 1/2 a cup) of bold Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot from McLaren Vale in South Australia . Depending on the wine you add will make the Bolognaise Sugo taste very unique , each wine will give it a different edge.

Just before serving a tablespoon of sugar sprinkled and stirred in.

Now boil a pot of water with olive oil and salt and when it has boiled add your ravioli .
Once the ravioli rises to the top , you can do a taste test , strain and get ready to serve.

On a lovely White plate place your ravioli , mix your sugo into it. Present it with some sprinkles of basil and parsley over the top.

I then grate Goat cheese , hard goat cheese into abowl and allow everyone to sprinkle it on themselves.

Yummo!
Whilst I make my own ravioli it is easy enough to buy scrummy ones all over in great delies and super markets

A great book to buy on different recipes that are more tempting is a title ....My Hungarian Kitchen Rhapsody by Katalin Csardas , if you like to cook try to buy it or borrow from library , plenty to get your taste buds going and it is a good read as it has a great story to tell.You can also buy it on line at www.katalincsardas.com

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This is it .....Lhasa

April 29th 2009 14:40
Lhasa at last!!! Everyone would have been wondering if we ever made it.
Yes! Of course we did.
By crossing the Brahamaputra River we finally came into Lhasa. Passing beautiful drawings on rock faces as we drove on the outskirts


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The Trading Circle

January 8th 2009 12:23
Have you heard of the Trading Circle????
Helping Women Trade out of Poverty

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Closer to Lhasa

January 8th 2009 11:57
Rare white Yak!
Docile Creature.
Local Tibetans
Karo La Pass Locals!
After leaving Gyangze we have a six or seven hours of travelling to do ,meandering through the mountain road heading towards the Karo La Pass which is at about 5,010 metres.

No easy height to be at . Many of the group were suffering from headaches and just phased out by the pressure that they started to feel.

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The Fortress Town of Gyangze

November 15th 2008 08:33
It has been a while since I have written but this morning I was listening to the BBC and heard that his holiness the Dalai Lama was callling certain Tibetans to Darasalam in India for a meeting ,regarding his struggles over the years with China ,to have them listen to him and his followers about any compromise or negotiations regarding his beloved Tibet.
To date of course China has been not negotiable with any form of compromise when it came to Tibet.

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India and the World Cries Once Again!

September 14th 2008 06:44
Waking up this morning to the news that yet again the world is turning upside down. This next bombing area of course India . It is once again coming to the stage where you think twice as to where you will travel.

As India is one of my favourite places and the bombs that went off in Delhi are many of the areas that just about everyone visits , I am extremely saddened by the events. Not to say I am saddened by all global events that are maiming ,killing people everwhere


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En Route to Xigaze/Shigatse Tibet

September 14th 2008 06:26
Many apologies for not writing sooner but as things will have it time flies and other work has taken precedence. I will continue on this voyage through Tibet and bring you into this magic world as best as possible.
My aim of writing these short pieces and posting photos is to remind myself of something that was very special and one day maybe in the near future I would be able to do the trip again but in the meanwhile I will have to relive the moments and events through this blog and hopefully get you also motivated to one day visit .
I do not know if Tibet will ever be the same as it was and many Tibetan people who are in exile in India and elsewhere will tell you they pray for their independence from outside rule but who knows when that may be , like all other people who were oppressed and ruled the tides change . It sometimes takes many many years for this to happen but one day it does as we know


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Let's Dance!
Bollywood Party Time!!!
Two weeks ago
Bollywood Dancers
I organised a Bollywood Night for a friend's farewell party.
Bollywood here we come, All India Restaurant advertised their Bollywood Night where we had to get dressed in Bollywood attire and listen to Bollywood Music watch a big screen and a Bollywood show.....FUN FUN FUN


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Recent Comments

Comment by KateSk
on Death Awaits Us ...None Too Soon !

April 19th 2008 11:46
Thanks for your comment and kind words !
I too have told the family , when I go it is Party Time!
I actually like the funeral celebrations of New Orleans , good Jazz music and a street celebration of some kind, great food and drink!
As to whether I want to be buried or cremated and my ashes turned into an angel that is mixed with concrete and sits in the garden ...not decided on that one yet .
Hopefully I still have time to make that last decision and write it down as a dying wish.

Harry your right. Nothing like it.
We are truly very lucky to be able to eat so many diverse dishes and mix with the cultures that have brought them to our shores.

Comment by KateSk
on Ms Indi... Wide open Eyes on India!

January 10th 2008 05:55
The MTR is the underground railway , metro system . It is clean fast efficient and very economical .
It does all of west Delhi and other areas . It has as yet to go as far as south Delhi but still it has opened up Delhi immensely.

Living in India is not hard but it takes time to adjust to a few things.
I am sure if you took that option you would enjoy the diversity of the country.