Barnyard cake

Ingredients:
2 packets buttercake mix or make 2 buttercakes
2 or more quantities Vienna cream
Green and blue food colouring
Cocoa powder
Red nail polish
farmyard toys
tinfoil
bits of hard cardboard
bullets

Make cakes according to directions on packet (or make 2 homemade buttercakes according to a recipe), pour into a large baking tray or 2 small square baking trays for 30-35 minutes for the small pans and 50 minutes for the larger pan or until cakes are cooked through when tested with a skewer, at 180oC.

Colour two thirds of the vienna cream with green food colouring; ice the cakes with this to represent grass. Tint half of the remaining cream brown with cocoa; make a mud puddle with this and line with chocolate bullets. Tint the other half blue; use this icing to make a fresh water puddle.

Using hard cardboard, make a farm stable and paint with red nail polish and place at one corner of the cake. Place farm animals on the finished cake; a pig would go well in the mud puddle, some ducks would go well in the freshwater lake, and so forth.

Enjoy your cake.

This recipe is just a rough guide only!

Disability discrimination still alive in 2014

Our social media teacher, Margie Anderson, had a run-in with the nasty folks from Hisense Arena recently, as they did not help with assisting her and her severely disabled son with accessing their seats for the 'Disney On Ice' show.

Story: http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/current-affairs/disabled-boys-disney-disappointment-20140704-3bd9d.html

Follow-up: http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/current-affairs/buzz-takes-elias-to-infinity-and-beyond-20140708-3bk8w.html

At least he finally got his wish and was able to see Buzz Lightyear a few days later! :)


:)

starving for a new train

I am fortunate enough to have the Metro 'Notify' app, which can notify me of any changes/disruptions in the train network.

One 'update' on the Werribee and Frankston lines is that they are currently having works done on them for the 'Bayside Rail Project', and upon doing some research, I have read that this is so they can have new trains (XTrapolis) on their lines, just like the South Morang/Hurstbridge/Alamein/Belgrave/Glen Waverley/Lilydale lines have enjoyed for the past 10-12 years. Of course these trains were first made 10 years ago, and more are being made in this style today.

Furthermore, I have read that Cranbourne/Pakenham customers will also be receiving these trains, and I think that the Sunbury line will too. But what about the Upfield/Craigieburn/Sandringham customers? Why can't we have these trains as well?

I know that 10-12 years ago, the Upfield/Broadmeadows (now Craigieburn)/Sydenham (now Sunbury)/Werribee/Williamstown/Sandringham/Frankston/Cranbourne/Pakenham lines were grouped under M-Train and given dodgy Siemens carriages. I feel that these are always filthy, regularly stop notifying customers what the next destination is via the speaker, have had many braking problems in the past, etc, so why can't we get the XTrapolis trains and not be tortured with these ones?

Or is it a case of 'Northern Suburbs people don't matter'? HELLO!!! WE MATTER!!! WHY ARE THERE NO NEW SIEMENS CARRIAGES? WAKE UP!!! IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE DODGY! JUST GIVE US BLOODY XTRAPOLIS CARRIAGES PLEASE! THEY'RE BETTER LOOKING, HAVE FEWER PROBLEMS, FIT MORE PEOPLE IN, ETC, ETC! Bloody Metro and State Governments! Oh yes, and give us Craigieburn customers express services too! It'll make the trip quicker!

We also need more railway tracks, train stations, tram extensions, faster trains/trams/buses, more bus services more often and every 10-20 minutes........... the end.