Getting the Hang of it

I bought my new camera last week.
Best decision I made!

I have already been able to take photos I never was able to before.
I just have to practice and get used to the various Aperture and exposure settings and I will be fine. My favourite is being able to choose various focal points instead of all 9 at the same time. Gives me so much more freedom!

I am looking forward to using the orange tones to capture a sunset as well as some beautiful landscapes.

For now I have focused (no pun intended) on my close ups and various focal points.

One problem having such a nice camera: I now have so many choices for 1 photo! (Warm, Vivid, Vibrant, romantic soft tones etc etc etc)

I went easy on the girls over the weekend, but I really need a model for portrait practising, I have some nice ideas for poses and want to try them out. The cat has been more than patient with me, but now I need a human!

I do ask forgiveness for the next couple of weeks, I hope I wont bore you too much with Photography talk!

For now, I will shut up and let you have a look at some of my test shots as well as a really nice photo of my girls.

New Avenues of Pursuit

Recently I have been feeling rather depressed and a teeny bit lonely.
I miss the company of someone to snuggle with in front of the TV, someone to talk to about all sorts and someone to take little weekend getaways with without huge planning. And someone to kiss.
I miss kissing even more than I miss sex at the moment!

Besides the fact that all I do is work, I am not the happiest person at the moment.
I feel bored with life and long for something interesting to come along.

Which stands to reason, that even if I do meet somebody now, I am not in the right frame of mind to contemplate anything long term.
I have always believed that you need to make yourself happy, not let somebody else make you happy.

So I need to do something to shake it up a bit...
I have decided on 2 things:

1. Buy myself a fancy camera and take a photography class - this has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember, but the cost of the camera and my doubts of my advanced photographic abilities have always stopped me.
   Seeing as I am single, I can be lucky that my expenses can be manipulated, ie: I can eat toast for dinner in order to afford expensive things like cameras.
   Again, because I AM single, I need to get out there and meet new people. I can do this at photography class
2. Go SpeedDating - I have tried internet dating a few years back, so now I need to try something else. I have heard that there are a few events in my area.

After I have decided on my camera purchase, I will investigate option 2.

My camera purchase has taken up the better part of 4 hours of my day and I have decided on a Canon SLR camera.
I am leaning towards the Canon EOS 600D (TI3i) because it has been getting the best reviews. It is slightly more than I wanted to spend and there it something in my budget - the Canon 1100D. (A third of the price less)

What do you camera fundies out there suggest? Surely if I am going to spend this much money on a camera I should go for the slightly better option?
I invest in a gadget and I keep it for as long as possible - generally until it breaks - so this is a long term investment for me.
Both cameras state that they are perfect for beginners, but the 600D claims that you can grow more into it as your skills develop whereas the 1100D claims you might need to upgrade.

Help me! I need some clarity!

Mom's Birthday Surprise

It has been my mom's dream since I was a little girl to ride on an elephant.

This year, thanks to Groupon, we finally were able to make her dream come true.
We met up for breakfast yesterday and gave her her birthday card with a "Complete the Sentence" Game.

1. My favourite animal is.....
2. I would love to....
3. And I will ....

When she got to the last sentence I swear my mom shook like the Energiser bunny! It was an awesome reaction and so worth keeping the secret!

I was the self-designated driver as we took the 2 hour roadtrip to Warmbaths and while waiting for my parents to complete the 1 hour long interaction, I was kept entertained with the cutest little Meerkat. He loved to snuggle in our necks and nibble our ear, it was too sweet!

From the Princess' Pantry - Easy Scuffins

If you know anything about me, you will know that I do not cook. Or bake.

And suddenly out of the blue I recently got this urge to start cooking and baking... Not pre-prepared "Heat and Eats" but actual cooking from scratch.
 Keep your eyes to the sky people, there may be bucket loads of snow falling.

 To date, I have 5 actual recipes made from scratch:

1.  Yoghurt Fridge Tart 
2. Vodka Cream Pasta 
3. Grilled hake 
4. Easy roasted chicken pieces 
5. Chicken Broth 
6. Easy Scuffins 

I will share these recipes with you as I go along, because trust me; if I can make it, you can definitely make it! 


This recipe is the last 1 on my list, but it has to be the easiest recipe ever! 
I renamed it from Easy Biscuits to "Scuffins" because the end result is a combination of a scone crossed with a muffin. If you have a sweet tooth, I highly recommend serving with some preserves and cream or some honey as this recipe does not use any sugar and would most probably be suitable for most (I have a very sweet tooth) 
 As a savoury option I think it would be delicious with some freshly melted butter ( spread when hot) and some biltong flakes or else add some grated cheese and a touch of honey. 


Recipe is so quick and easy, don't blink, you might miss it!

Ingredients:
1 cup (250ml) self raising flour
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
2 tblsp (30ml) mayonnaise










Method: Heat oven to 220C (425F) Mix ingredients together and fill muffin pan halfway. (I literally mixed with a dessert spoon in a bowl)











Cook for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown.

I cooked for 8 minutes as I will be reheating them in the microwave when I take them to work for my colleagues and don't want them to dry out.

Makes about 7-8 Scuffins.

The inside is super light - not as dense a consistency as scones.



 Enjoy and send me suggestions as to how you served yours And there you have it!
 

Whoa, where did the time go?

I am sure that most of you have written me off fir a lost cause... Which I don't blame you for.... Life really has been a roller coaster and I can't even say that I have met somebody and use that as an excuse for my absence. The main factor as usual is my job. It is no secret that I am a glorified slave and it has been a bit overwhelming lately. Throw into the mix that I ended up having an emergency operation, spending way too much time off from work, it has made it impossible for me to do anything besides play catch up My eyebrows are bushy, my nail polish is chipped, my grey roots are sparkling out of my head in all their glory, my cat complains when I am home and my One Direction obsession has been sadly neglected. I also recently got my brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 and I am ashamed to say that I have not even scratched the surface of it's brilliantness (yes I just made that word up) Having said that, I am at this moment typing on my iPad and publishing it through WiFi through Internet. I have tethered the iPad to my Samsung and will use it as in Internet connection. My "giant iPod touch" is finally useful again (I call my iPad this because it only has WiFi and unless you are overseas, it is pretty much useless in South Africa unless you have Wi Fi in your house- which not all of I'd do) I deviated from the Blackberry because it just seemed to give up on life. 2 years ago, BB had 56% of the US markets are. 2 years later it has less than 11% Tells you something doesn't it? Anyway in summary: I am overworked, but ecstatic about my phone. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and I am now going to go and catch up on the blogs that I have missed so much. Happy weekend everybody!